El Paso Inc. reporter
Throughout the pages of this, the fourth annual special Legal Issue of El Paso Inc., readers will find stories, photos and advertisements reflecting a few interesting aspects of El Paso’s vibrant legal community.
From Luis Rios, the newspaper’s audience and engagement reporter, you’ll read an overview of the laws guiding gun buying, ownership and advice from a local attorney on passing the firearm on to another generation as part of an estate. A few precautions are suggested for keeping your firearm stored, and avoiding charges should it be picked up and used by the wrong person.
El Paso Inc. Staff Writer Sara Sanchez gives readers a pleasant story on the historic corridor along Montana Avenue, where dozens of early El Paso homes have been converted throughout the century into picturesque law offices and buildings. She also gives a few tips for lawyers looking for a place of their own to practice.
I wrote the feature piece of this year’s legal edition, which delves into AI and its impact on the law. El Paso is home to a lawyer “technologist” and Artificial Intelligence expert – Felix Valenzuela, a federal attorney who has presented at dozens of national conferences on this topic. He shared some of his insight on this quickly evolving technology. Also contributing to the story is Jacob Noah Rey, president of the El Paso Young Lawyers Association, and William Brewer, an influential New York City attorney and an advocate for AI’s wide adoption in the legal field.
While their voices articulate a cautionary tale for this unprecedented technology, they also express excitement for the future of a legal industry now endowed with AI’s powerful tools.
On the lighter side, El Paso Inc. Managing Editor Victor “Vic” Martinez shared in his story the role of humor in the practice of law.
For readers familiar with this annual legal edition, you’ll know this is my first year at the helm. Vic Martinez was the previous editor, and he graciously allowed me this role when I came onto El Paso Inc. as one of its fulltime journalists.
My initial task as editor of this edition was to look at attorney representation in El Paso and compare it with the rest of the state. It’s an interesting snapshot.
State Bar of Texas information shows a diverse group of about 1,200 El Paso County attorneys in 2025-2026. Men outnumber women, 64% to 36%. Statewide, men represent 60%, and women 40%, indicating a slightly more pronounced underrepresentation of women attorneys in El Paso. Ten years ago, Texas women represented 35% of attorneys statewide, and in El Paso they were at 30%, both increasing their presence about 5% over the previous decade.
The growth of El Paso attorneys has been slower than the rest of the state. From 2015 to 2025, Texas had an 18% increase in its population, and the number of in-state attorneys grew 15%. El Paso’s population grew by 5% and had a 0% increase in attorneys. Austin had a 31% population growth and an increase of 21% in attorneys. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington grew by 19% and its attorney numbers by 18%.
Despite being the state’s fifth largest metropolitan area, El Paso is lagging in attorney density. Austin has one attorney for every 184 residents. Dallas, one for every 268. El Paso has one attorney for every 689 of its residents. The statewide average is one lawyer for every 313 residents.
There’s been a noteworthy racial shift for El Paso attorneys. In 2015-2016, the census-defined “White” demographic comprised a slight majority of local attorneys -- 51%, compared with 44% for Hispanic attorneys. By 2025-2026 there’s been a reversal, with Hispanic attorneys now at 54%, and White attorneys at 40%.
During the past decade, the number of Latina attorneys in Texas has grown 3%, from 10% in 2015-2016 to 13% in 2025-2026. It would be interesting to see data on the increasing number of Latina lawyers in El Paso, but the state bar has not published that category at the county level. By all accounts, this group has growing influence, particularly in border communities like El Paso, so it would behoove the State Bar of Texas to include localized data on this important attorney demographic.
As with previous issues, we’re including the list of local attorneys who earned The Texas Super Lawyers distinction – an honor awarded annually to the top 5 percent of attorneys in the state, and published in Texas Super Lawyers Magazine, as well as in a special section of Texas Monthly magazine. Also in our pages is the list of El Paso’s “Rising Stars” – the Super Lawyers’ selection of high-performing attorneys under 40 and practicing law ten years or less.
We’re pleased to offer you this year’s special Legal Issue of El Paso Inc., and we welcome your opinions and feedback.