University of Texas at El Paso is moving forward with plans to establish a law school—an effort that could have major ripple effects across the border in southern New Mexico, where a severe shortage of attorneys is already straining the justice system.
The university recently announced a $5 million contribution from El Paso-based firm Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro, P.C., adding to a separate $5 million challenge grant from the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation. That brings total funding for the proposed law school to $10 million so far.
UTEP officials say they will now seek approval from the University of Texas System Board of Regents and the Texas Legislature, with a potential formal request expected during the 2027 legislative session.
While the project is based in El Paso, its impact could be felt immediately in southern New Mexico—where access to legal education and practicing attorneys remains deeply limited.
A “Legal Desert” Crisis in New Mexico
New Mexico’s attorney shortage is not just anecdotal—it is well-documented. A 2025 report by KOAT-TV found that the state ranks fourth in the nation for so-called “legal deserts,” areas with little to no access to attorneys.
According to the report, four counties—Catron, De Baca, Harding, and Hidalgo—have zero active lawyers. Even more striking, only about 15 percent of New Mexico’s 5,153 licensed attorneys practice outside of Albuquerque and Las Cruces, while nearly 80 percent are concentrated in the Albuquerque metro area alone.
The consequences are significant. Many New Mexicans facing serious legal issues—from eviction to child custody disputes—are forced to represent themselves in court. New Mexico Supreme Court Justice C. Shannon Bacon noted that more than 88 percent of family court litigants in the state go without legal representation, often leading to devastating outcomes.
Why the Shortage Exists
At the core of the issue is a structural pipeline problem.
New Mexico has only one law school: the University of New Mexico School of Law. For students in southern New Mexico, that typically means relocating to Albuquerque or leaving the state entirely.
The nearest out-of-state option is often Texas Tech University School of Law—still hundreds of miles away.
This geographic barrier disproportionately affects students in rural and border communities, particularly those who are first-generation college students or who rely on staying close to family support systems. Many simply never pursue law school at all.
At the same time, older attorneys in rural New Mexico are retiring faster than they can be replaced, and fewer young lawyers are choosing to practice in small communities. The result is a widening gap between urban and rural access to justice.
Why UTEP Could Change the Equation
A law school at UTEP would provide a dramatically closer option for southern New Mexico residents—within commuting distance for many.
That proximity could lower financial and logistical barriers, allowing more students from the region to enter the legal profession without uprooting their lives. Just as importantly, law graduates trained in the region are more likely to stay and practice locally, helping to fill critical shortages in district attorney offices, public defender agencies, private practice, and even the judiciary.
New Mexico has already attempted to address the issue through initiatives like its Rural Justice Initiative, which offers financial incentives for attorneys to work in underserved areas. But as officials have acknowledged, long-term solutions require expanding the pipeline of new lawyers—not just redistributing the existing ones.
A Regional Turning Point
If approved, UTEP’s proposed law school could represent a rare and meaningful shift in that pipeline.
For southern New Mexico—where entire counties lack a single practicing attorney—the development could begin to reverse years of decline in legal access.
State Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), Piñon Post‘s publisher, wrote on Facebook following the news, “This is exciting news for our region! Having more graduates of law schools in the region (including New Mexico), will help create a better judicial system and create more qualified candidates for the positions (DA’s, district court judges, public defenders, private defense attorneys, etc.) we need to fill to make that a reality.”
What happens next will depend on approvals from Texas officials, but the early momentum suggests this is more than just a concept.
For a state grappling with a growing justice gap, the expansion of legal education just across the border may prove to be one of the most consequential developments in years.
We do not need more British Bar associates. We need American attorneys for Consitutional law
The country, not just NM, needs law schools that teach the Constitution and produces lawyers who respect it and will uphold it. Unfortunately, most law professors are radical leftists, e.g., see UNM School of Law faculty.
It’s the economy. You have a welfare state, with the feds and and state as the top employers. Then you have lots of contractors dependent on that system.
It takes a ton of money to set up a law practice and to keep it going with crooked courts deciding cases, staffed with progressive judges and clerks. Most importantly it requires paying clients to stay in business.
If you want lawyers who aren’t employed by the feds or the state or will do work other than suing insurance companies, you need an economy where people prosper and see the value in paying for lawyers.
It’s still 1873 in NM: who will get the government contract….
Im thinking New Mexico has too many lawyers to begin with!