In my opinion, you don't need a lawyer, you need a spotlight (bad press) that embarrasses the people who aren't doing what's right/fair/their job. No one has any incentive to act right now and that's what you need to happen. It's not much but here's my suggestion.

Get on Google and start digging for every article you can find that's:

• Documenting a false accusation.
• Sympathetic to someone who's been falsely jailed.
• Critical of the justice system and skeptical of the trial courts.
• Critical of the Duluth model.
• Critical of the Listen and Believe movement.
• Critical of the Innocence Project not doing enough.
• Disparages Texas's harsh justice system.
• Etc.

This will be hard. The first few will be hard to find, after you get better at searching you will have the problem of thinking you have too many. Keep gathering anything you find in the last five years.

Start a spreadsheet. Note the publication, article title, summary, and all available contact information for the reporter/journalist/authors of each article — name, email, Twitter handle, LinkedIn, etc.

Make several versions of this spreadsheet so that you can use different ranking strategies with the same data. For instance, single out

• The big-name publications.
• The local and regional publications.
• Magazines, blogs, newspapers, TV, radio, etc.

Make special note of any journalists that have written several stories on the same topics. Also make special note of any long-form writers who've written very detailed big stories on these topics. These people are often on the lookout for a very unique story that could help them build a career and change the fate of a case.

Write up a brief story pitch that you can personalize for each person you send it to. Alter your focus so that the message you send to reporters who've documented false accusations speaks to that specialty and the message you send to reporters who've been critical of the listen and believe movement addresses that specific interest. The message should be short, compelling, and factual. Ask for help telling your friend's story and trying to get fair treatment for him. Be absolutely honest at all points, because a good reporter will abandon you and the story if they sense any dishonesty.

Be patient and respectful, but persistent contacting these journalistic folks. The more people you can get to write a story about your cause the better. You might also start a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for attorney fees, experts, evidence testing, etc. for your friend. You can make that part of your story pitch if you do. Once you get a few people to write about your friend, contact all the people who didn't get back to you or turned you down with a new pitch citing that new article that you got written about him.

It's a very difficult uphill climb, but press attention may be able to help:

• Get the police/courts to get that evidence tested.
• Catch the attention of an expert lawyer who wants to help.
• Get the attention of Innocence Project or another similar group who may be able to help.

Whatever you do, I hope your friend gets somewhere with his appeals. Sorry to read about his situation and hope he can get justice. You're a good friend for sticking with it for eight years.