Born in Vietnam in the early 1980s, Thai-Anh Nguyen ’09 spent his earliest years in a country with a post-war system struggling to sustain its people’s basic needs. When he was only five years old, his family left Vietnam and spent the next two years in a refugee camp in the Philippines, which ultimately hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees awaiting resettlement.
Following those two years, Nguyen and his family arrived in America, where they relied on government-supported programs to survive. “We didn’t have anything,” Nguyen said. “It was public housing, food stamps, and the public school system that sustained us.”
Those early experiences of displacement, poverty, and reliance on public systems would end up shaping Nguyen’s life’s work of ensuring that others, regardless of background or resources, have access to justice. His conviction that access and dignity should never depend on wealth, language barriers, or circumstance led to his career as a supervising attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) in Houston. And for the past 16 years, he has carried that conviction into service, providing free legal representation to low-income and underrepresented Texans. In 2024 alone, LSLA handled over 25,111 cases, benefiting 61,289 individuals. Among them, 32% were domestic violence survivors, 18.5% were seniors, and 7% were veterans.
Nguyen’s legal aid work is broad, and ranges from housing to expunctions to reentry support for formerly incarcerated individuals. He has represented hundreds of clients in eviction defense and debt cases, often being the only lawyer they will ever encounter, his approach rooted in empathy and lived experience. What may seem like “small cases” to some—a driver’s license reinstatement, for example—is life-changing to many.
“Oftentimes, my clients are low-income, uneducated, and don’t speak English,” Nguyen said. “I want to advocate for them and give them a voice in every venue—whether I’m in front of a judge, at the State Bar, or talking with peers.”
“For financially disadvantaged families and individuals, these cases are a very big deal,” he added. “Without legal aid, many end up in shelters or cars. For survivors of violence, it can mean safety and a new beginning.”
Fluent in Vietnamese, Nguyen serves as a cultural and linguistic bridge for Vietnamese-speaking clients who might otherwise be shut out of the legal system. The first Friday of every month, Ngyuen offers free legal advice at the Vietnamese Civic Center, or “Nhà Việt,” on Houston’s southwest side. This area is home to a large Vietnamese community, and several of his own relatives. “It’s really me going back to my community, advocating for my community, and doing what I can for them,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen is also deeply aware of the broader stakes. “The biggest issue for access to justice in Texas is the gap itself,” he said. “It’s so large, and a lot of people aren’t aware of it. Nine out of ten Texans in poverty are going to court alone—against companies, landlords, debt collectors, and banks.”
For Nguyen, that gap underscores why legal aid is so essential. “Justice, as it’s applied through the law, flows from the hands of lawyers who are willing to advocate for their clients in the trenches,” he said. “In the war against poverty, we’re in the trenches every day. It can be very, very daunting—but don’t lose faith, don’t lose hope, and keep fighting—because if we don’t do it, who is going to fill the void?”
Nguyen credits South Texas College of Law Houston with preparing him for this fight. As a student, he co-founded the “Criminal Justice Program” and interned working on indigent criminal defense issues.
“South Texas Law gave me the education to give back to my community,” he said. “I owe my professional career and everything I do to this school. Without South Texas Law, I wouldn’t be a lawyer. I couldn’t provide for my family, and I couldn’t do this work. I’m truly indebted.”
At the Annual Alumni Awards Luncheon on Thursday, October 9, South Texas Law’s Alumni Association will honor Nguyen with the 2025 Public Service Award, which recognizes an alum who has devoted their legal career to public service and has made a sustained impact on the community.
While Nguyen is vehemently humble about this recognition, his life’s journey and work tell a different story. He, and his career, are testaments to what it means to serve others with compassion and courage. South Texas Law is so proud to call him an alum.
We would love to see you at the Annual Alumni Awards Luncheon! This South Texas Law celebration and networking opportunity will take place Thursday, October 9, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., at The Houston Public Library Julia Ideson Reading Room, 550 McKinney St., Houston, TX 77002. While the event is complementary, ticket reservations are required. Reserve My Tickets.
