Short answer
The El Paso metro area had 283 law offices with paid employees in 2023, employing 1,297 people at average annual pay of $76,951, according to Census County Business Patterns. 205 have fewer than five employees. The State Bar of Texas counted 1,278 active attorneys in El Paso County at the end of 2025, the same number as in 2015, while active attorneys statewide grew from 98,671 to 118,430. 22% of El Paso's reporting attorneys work in government.
- 283 law offices and 1,297 employees in the El Paso metro area (Census, 2023), 0.17% of US law offices.
- 205 offices have fewer than five employees and only 12 have 20 or more.
- El Paso County had 1,278 active attorneys in both 2015 and 2025, while the statewide count rose 20%.
- 22% of El Paso attorneys who report an occupation work in government, against 10% statewide; 1% work at firms of more than 60 lawyers, against 13%.
- 54% of El Paso County's active attorneys who report ethnicity are Hispanic or Latino, against 11% statewide.
On this page
This page is for anyone looking at El Paso law firms: someone hiring a lawyer, a law graduate considering the border, an analyst or a company that sells to law firms. It covers the Census count, the State Bar of Texas's profile of El Paso's lawyers, how to choose a firm and how to prospect a market this size.
El Paso law offices in Census data
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023 counts offices of lawyers (NAICS 541110) in the El Paso, TX Metro Area (CBSA 21340). El Paso County has 282 of the 283 offices and 1,296 of the 1,297 employees.
| Measure (2023) | El Paso metro area |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 283 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 1,297 |
| Annual payroll | $99,806,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 4.6 |
| Average annual pay | $76,951 |
| Share of US law offices | 0.17% of 165,491 |
| Employees per office | Offices |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 205 |
| 5 to 9 | 46 |
| 10 to 19 | 20 |
| 20 to 49 | 11 |
| 50 or more | Not published |
271 offices have 1 to 19 employees. The published classes add up to 282, so one office sits in a class of 50 or more that the Census Bureau doesn't publish, to protect its confidentiality. Twelve offices have 20 or more employees in all.
CBP counts only offices with paid employees, not firms, and excludes lawyers working alone: the Census Bureau's Nonemployer Statistics count 451 legal services businesses with no paid employees in the metro area in 2024, more than the offices with staff. Government lawyers are counted under government, not here. No El Paso law firm is an SEC-registered public company.
What the State Bar of Texas says about El Paso's lawyers
The State Bar of Texas's Department of Research and Analysis publishes a statistical profile of active members in El Paso County, as of 31 December 2025, with comparisons to 2015 and to all active Texas attorneys. Not every attorney reports every item, so percentages are of those who did.
| Measure | El Paso County | All active Texas attorneys |
|---|---|---|
| Active attorneys, 2015 | 1,278 | 98,671 |
| Active attorneys, 2025 | 1,278 | 118,430 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 54% | 11% |
| Median age | 52 | 49 |
| Older than 65 | 26% | 21% |
| Solo practitioners | 26% | 20% |
| At firms of more than 60 attorneys | 1% | 13% |
| Government attorneys | 22% | 10% |
| Corporate or in-house counsel | 3% | 12% |
| Members of the immigration law section | 3% | 1% |
Four things follow. The bar is flat: no net growth in a decade, against 20% statewide. It's older, with a quarter of active attorneys past 65, so succession and practice sales will shape the next ten years. It's a solo, small-firm and public-sector bar: the State Bar counts nine El Paso attorneys at firms of more than 60, and 217 in government. And it's a border bar: Hispanic or Latino attorneys are a majority, and the immigration law section draws more than twice the statewide share of members.
Choosing an El Paso lawyer
- Check State Bar of Texas membership and any public discipline. Membership is required to practice law in Texas.
- Ask which states they practice in. Several firms that rank for this search advertise offices in both El Paso and Las Cruces. A Texas lawyer needs a New Mexico license (or the court's permission for a single case) to appear in New Mexico courts, and the reverse.
- Ask about language if you or your witnesses are more comfortable in Spanish.
- Expect a small firm. With 205 of 283 offices under five employees, ask who covers your case when your lawyer is in trial.
- Get the fee in writing before you sign.
The Borderplex Alliance, the region's economic development agency, works across El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juárez, a reminder that many local businesses, and their legal needs, cross the state and national lines.
Prospecting El Paso law firms
The market is small enough to research every account. Most of it is owner-run: 251 offices have fewer than ten employees, and the lawyer who owns the practice makes the decision. The 31 offices with 10 to 49 employees usually have an office manager. The government side (district and county attorneys, public defenders, federal agencies) is a second market that buys through procurement. Selling to law firms covers buying roles at private firms; selling to government covers the public offices.
Illustrative example. The company, prices and results are invented.
Franklin Mountain Interpreting (franklinmountain.example) provides certified Spanish interpreters for depositions, client meetings and hearings. It targets the 77 offices of 5 to 49 employees (46 + 20 + 11) and the busiest solo practices in family, criminal and immigration law, and runs a separate track for public defenders and county legal offices. For the 77 firms, one contact each (the managing attorney, or the office manager who books interpreters) at a 10% reply rate gives seven or eight conversations; if three try the service on a deposition, and two book monthly, that's two steady accounts. In a flat bar of 1,278 attorneys, word of mouth does the rest, so the first jobs matter more than the volume of outreach.
Hi [first name], it's [your name] with [company]. Quick question: when [firm] needs a Spanish interpreter for a deposition, who books it, and how far ahead? We keep certified interpreters on call in El Paso and can usually confirm within two hours. If you have one coming up, I'd like to quote it.
Sources to use
- State Bar of Texas, El Paso County attorney statistical profile (2025 to 2026): the local bar by age, ethnicity, occupation, firm size and section.
- State Bar of Texas research pages: profiles for other counties and the state.
- The Borderplex Alliance: regional economic data for El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juárez.
- County Business Patterns: the federal count by size.
For the state picture, see law firms in Texas.
Next step: a small market rewards depth over volume; see how to sell to small businesses.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Nonemployer Statistics, 2024 (metro area file), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- El Paso County: Attorney Statistical Profile (2025-26), State Bar of Texas, Department of Research and Analysis, data as of 31 December 2025, accessed 30 October 2026
- Demographic and economic trends, State Bar of Texas, accessed 30 October 2026
- The Borderplex Alliance, The Borderplex Alliance, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many law firms are in El Paso?
Census County Business Patterns counted 283 law offices with paid employees in the El Paso metro area in 2023, employing 1,297 people, and 282 of them were in El Paso County. Another 451 legal services businesses had no paid employees in 2024, including solo practices. The State Bar of Texas counted 1,278 active attorneys in El Paso County at the end of 2025.
How many lawyers are in El Paso County?
The State Bar of Texas counted 1,278 active attorney members in El Paso County as of 31 December 2025, exactly the number it counted in 2015. Over the same decade, active attorneys across Texas grew from 98,671 to 118,430. Of El Paso attorneys who report an occupation, 22% work in government and 26% are solo practitioners.
Are there big law firms in El Paso?
Few. Census data for 2023 shows only 12 law offices in the El Paso metro area with 20 or more employees, and 205 of the 283 offices have fewer than five. The State Bar of Texas's 2025 profile counts nine El Paso attorneys at firms of more than 60 lawyers, about 1% of those reporting, against 13% statewide.
Do El Paso lawyers handle New Mexico cases?
Only if they're licensed in New Mexico too. Each state licenses its own lawyers, so a Texas license alone doesn't cover a case in a New Mexico court such as Las Cruces. Several El Paso firms advertise offices or practices in both states. Ask which states your lawyer is admitted in, and check each state's bar records before you hire.