Star Staff Profiles: Donna Guion
Donna Guion joined Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas in early 2020 as the family law staff attorney at One Safe Place in Fort Worth, a comprehensive office serving domestic violence and family abuse victims. Together with Toni Fulks, a LANWT paralegal, Donna provides legal services to women and families referred by One Safe Place, which provides a single location where clients can access food support, housing assistance, legal services, and counseling.
During the pandemic, Donna conducted her work remotely and still serves clients virtually, though she is now in the office two days a week. Much of her activity is working with clients to draft protective orders, arrange child custody and visitation, and suing for spousal maintenance or child support.
“I love the arrangement with One Safe Place,” says Donna. “It offers many services in one location, which enables us to efficiently help our clients. Case workers, for example, are located just across the hall. All these different agencies work together to provide a variety of services such as counseling and housing assistance.”
Though she may be physically separated from other LANWT attorneys, Donna participates in weekly virtual meetings with her colleagues and provides tours for other staff at the One Safe Place location.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Tech University School of Law, Donna spent 22 years as the Legal Services Director of Safe Haven of Tarrant County before joining Legal Aid.
One particular client interaction has stayed with Donna through her career. “A woman who had been abused by her spouse would not make eye contact during our interview. It was obvious the woman was beaten down, both emotionally and physically,” she says. “Later I spoke with her mother. She told me ‘You gave me my daughter back.’ I think about that just about every day.”
During the pandemic, Donna conducted her work remotely and still serves clients virtually, though she is now in the office two days a week. Much of her activity is working with clients to draft protective orders, arrange child custody and visitation, and suing for spousal maintenance or child support.
“I love the arrangement with One Safe Place,” says Donna. “It offers many services in one location, which enables us to efficiently help our clients. Case workers, for example, are located just across the hall. All these different agencies work together to provide a variety of services such as counseling and housing assistance.”
Though she may be physically separated from other LANWT attorneys, Donna participates in weekly virtual meetings with her colleagues and provides tours for other staff at the One Safe Place location.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Tech University School of Law, Donna spent 22 years as the Legal Services Director of Safe Haven of Tarrant County before joining Legal Aid.
One particular client interaction has stayed with Donna through her career. “A woman who had been abused by her spouse would not make eye contact during our interview. It was obvious the woman was beaten down, both emotionally and physically,” she says. “Later I spoke with her mother. She told me ‘You gave me my daughter back.’ I think about that just about every day.”