About Laurie
Laurie Hallmark is a mental health lawyer dedicated to advocating for people with serious mental illness. Her mission is to ensure they can get the support and services needed to live full lives in their communities. Laurie’s main strategy is to develop highly personalized Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs). These legal documents allow individuals to make their own decisions about their mental health care ahead of time, giving them control over their treatment. By using PADs, she aims to break the cycle of repeated hospitalization, homelessness, and incarceration that many people with mental illness face. As the Special Project Director for Mental Health Programs at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), she serves a vast region of Texas. Through TRLA, she works to change the power structure of the mental healthcare system, holding it accountable to the people it is meant to help. Her expertise has also led to her becoming an advisor to the state of California on the use of PADs, showing her influence beyond her home state.
