Legal Help in Plano and Collin County

Collin County's Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 holds court in Plano, at 920 E. Park Blvd. That building is also where Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas runs a weekly walk-in eviction clinic. Whether a particular Plano address belongs to Precinct 3 or another precinct is answered by the county's precinct map, not by city name.

Plano is on Collin County's list of cities and towns. Denton County lists Plano among its cities and communities as well, and the city's own property tax estimator asks whether a home is in Collin County. Denton County's courts are covered in the Denton guide, and the rest of the region in the North Texas guides.

Collin County's four justice courts

Collin County has four justice of the peace precincts. The county's Justices of the Peace page answers "Not sure where to find your precinct?" with an interactive precinct map (maps.collincountytx.gov) and a PDF version. No list matching cities to precincts was found.

Judge Mike Missildine presides in Precinct 3. That court says filings will not be accepted by e-mail, and its clerks cannot give legal advice. It keeps separate e-mail boxes for questions by case type: Jp3civil@collincountytx.gov for small claims, Jp3debtclaims@collincountytx.gov for debt claims and Jp3evictions@collincountytx.gov for evictions.

What the justice courts hear and how to file

The county's civil suits page names four kinds of civil case in justice court. Each is capped at $20,000. The cap does not count statutory interest or court costs, though attorney fees do count toward it.

• Small claims: suits to recover money, property, civil penalties or other relief the law allows. The small claims guide walks through the process.
• Debt claims: suits to collect a debt, brought by a collector, a collection agency, someone who bought the claim, a financial institution or a lender whose main business is lending money at interest. The other side of these is covered in debt collection rights.
• Evictions: suits to recover possession of real property, often a landlord against a tenant, with unpaid rent able to be joined. The county says an eviction has to be filed in the justice precinct where the property sits. See how evictions work.
• Repair and remedy: suits by a residential tenant under Property Code chapter 92, subchapter B, to make a landlord fix a condition that materially affects health or safety. See repair rights.

Every Collin County justice court takes civil filings electronically. The county also points to Guide and File, a free program that steps a filer through questions and fills in the forms for an eviction, small claims case, repair and remedy case or occupational driver license. The finished forms can be e-filed or printed and brought to the right justice court.

No justice court fee schedule was found on the county's website, so this guide lists no filing or service fees for Collin County.

Court-ordered mediation through CCAP

CCAP, the county's ADR program, mediates cases already pending in the county's courts. The county's program page says part of its money comes from the Commissioners Court and part from ADR fees collected under the Texas ADR Act. Its mediators are local attorneys. Its stated mission includes "affordable sliding scale options to income-qualified individuals."

CCAP's own site sets the terms. "All CCAP mediations must be court-ordered," and scheduling needs an order of referral signed by the judge. On cost, it ties the fee to the "levels indicated on the order" signed by the judge. Parties do not need a lawyer to mediate there. Sessions are held by Zoom or in person at the mediator's discretion, and run a full day unless the court orders otherwise. It lists family, civil and probate mediators, with civil areas such as contract disputes, property damage, labor disputes and personal injury. Contact: contact@collinadr.com or (214) 617-2394.

No Collin County center appears in the state judicial branch's 2025 list of dispute resolution centers. How a session runs is covered in the mediation guide, and family cases in family mediation.

Legal aid serving Plano

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas covers Collin County from its McKinney office at 901 North McDonald St., Ste. 702, McKinney, TX 75069 (972-542-9405). That office also serves Fannin, Grayson, Hunt and Rockwall counties, and takes intake calls Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.

Two of its clinics meet in Plano:

• The Home Preservation Project's JP3 Collin County Eviction Clinic, 920 E Park Blvd., for evictions and landlord and tenant matters. It meets every Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon and accepts walk-ins.
• The Plano Legal Clinic at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 920 E. 14th St., one evening a month at 5 p.m., walk-ins only, for general civil matters such as family law, wills, landlord and tenant issues and bankruptcy. Its posted 2026 dates run through December 17.

Requirements include a low income and a civil case; criminal and personal injury matters are outside what the organization handles. The other requirements are quoted in the directory of free and low-cost help.

Lawyer referral for Collin County

No Collin County bar referral service appears on the State Bar of Texas certified referral list. The Dallas Bar Association's service is on that list, and its own page says it refers callers to a Dallas area attorney, a range that "includes Plano and Collin County, Texas." Its stated terms are a $20 fee for a 30-minute consultation, with any further work priced by agreement between client and lawyer. The page gives its state certificate as #9301.

Curt B. Henderson Law Library

Collin County's law library is at 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney, Texas 75071, open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its stated purpose is to keep a legal reference "for the judges, litigants, and residents of Collin County." Staff can steer patrons to print materials on a topic. By law they cannot give legal advice, interpret materials or help fill out forms. The library's page links self-help forms, including divorce, name change, a small estate affidavit and Guide and File.

Where to start with a Plano problem

• Money owed after a deal fell through: demand letters.
• A deposit the landlord kept: security deposits.
• A business that misled you: consumer protection.
• Wages an employer has not paid: unpaid wages.
• A car wreck and the insurer's response: car accident claims and insurance claim deadlines.

Each topic hub has the full set: settlements, disputes and rights. The homepage of DRS North Texas lays out all three side by side.

Guides for other cities

• Fort WorthTarrant County
• ArlingtonTarrant County
• DallasDallas County
• DentonDenton County
• All six countiesFree and low-cost help

Sources

1. Collin County, Justices of the Peace
2. Collin County Justices of the Peace, Civil Suits
3. Collin County, Justice Precinct 3
4. Collin County District Courts, Alternative Dispute Resolution Program
5. Collin County, Curt B. Henderson Law Library
6. Collin County, Cities and Towns
7. State Bar of Texas, Certified Lawyer Referral Services