70/100LFR Score
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 182 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in El Paso, TX (2026)
Top 50 of 68 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank
9 of the 50 criminal defense lawyers on this list post 24/7 hours. 24/7 law firms come first, then same-day, each ranked by LFR Score with availability weighted higher.
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
The short answer
- 1
#1 for emergency criminal defense in El Paso: The Matthew James, Attorney at Law, open 24/7.
Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
Top emergency criminal defense lawyers in El Paso at a glance
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
| Rank | Business | LFR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Matthew James, Attorney at Law | 70 | 4.9★ (182) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 2 | Valenzuela Law Firm | 69 | 5.0★ (134) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 3 | West Texas Trial Lawyers | 69 | 4.9★ (152) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 4 | Nava Law Texas | 69 | 4.8★ (140) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 5 | Dunham & Jones | 69 | 4.7★ (120) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 6 | Military Trial Defenders | 66 | 4.8★ (28) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 7 | Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | 64 | 5.0★ (4) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 8 | Law Offices of Ruben Ortiz, PLLC | 62 | 4.7★ (909) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 9 | David J. Nunez, Attorney at Law, PLLC | 58 | 5.0★ (37) | El Paso | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 10 | Mario A. Gonzalez, Attorney at Law | 56 | 4.4★ (7) | El Paso | — |
Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in El Paso now
24-hour hours mean the firm lists itself as open around the clock on Google; that does not show its phone is answered. A lawyer may not be able to visit a jail or appear in court the same day: ask what they can do now and what it costs before you agree.
- #1Call (915) 303-8062
#1The Matthew James, Attorney at Law
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 182 Google reviews
- #2Call (915) 292-3173
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 134 Google reviews
- #3Call (915) 279-0000
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 152 Google reviews
- #4Call (915) 975-7180
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 140 Google reviews
- #5Call (915) 777-7777
Open 24/7 · 4.7 from 120 Google reviews
- #6Call (877) 619-9657
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 28 Google reviews
- #7Call (915) 207-1522
#7Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 4 Google reviews
- #8Call (915) 545-1616
#8Law Offices of Ruben Ortiz, PLLC
Open 24/7 · 4.7 from 909 Google reviews
The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in El Paso, ranked
24/7 first, then same-day service, then the rest. Each group is in LFR Score order on emergency weights. The full ranking of all 68 is on the criminal defense lawyers page.
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
Based in El Paso
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #2 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 134 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 152 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 140 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 120 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
66/100LFR ScoreRanked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 28 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 4 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #8 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.7★ from 909 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
58/100LFR ScoreRanked #9 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 37 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Trial attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
56/100LFR ScoreRanked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.4★ from 7 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
56/100LFR ScoreRanked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 4,595 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#12 Spencer Joe A
Based in El Paso
56/100LFR ScoreRanked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 3.1★ from 42 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
54/100LFR ScoreRanked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 1,594 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
52/100LFR ScoreRanked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 314 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
52/100LFR ScoreRanked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 235 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
51/100LFR ScoreRanked #16 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 266 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
50/100LFR ScoreRanked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 140 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
50/100LFR ScoreRanked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 79 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#19 Joseph Veith Law
Based in El Paso
49/100LFR ScoreRanked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 73 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#20 Joseph Law, PLLC
Based in El Paso
49/100LFR ScoreRanked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 45 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.1★ from 154 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in El Paso
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #22 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 58 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#23 Velarde Ray
Based in El Paso
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 42 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#24 Daniel ROBLEDO
Based in El Paso
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #24 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 28 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#25 Jim Darnell, P.C
Based in El Paso
47/100LFR ScoreRanked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.4★ from 34 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Top 50 of 68 criminal defense lawyers by emergency score
#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile.
How we ranked emergency criminal defense lawyers in El Paso
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 15% | Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it |
| Bar status | 10% | An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded) |
| Review volume | 10% | Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the list |
| Recency | 10% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months |
| Availability | 15% | Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7 |
| Practice focus | 15% | How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name) |
| Proximity | 5% | An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is |
| Claimed profile | 10% | The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same) |
| Law Firms Ranked reviews | 10% | Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there are |
Emergency criminal defense lawyers in El Paso: questions
Which criminal defense lawyers in El Paso are open 24/7?
9 on this list post 24/7 hours, including The Matthew James, Attorney at Law, Valenzuela Law Firm, West Texas Trial Lawyers, Nava Law Texas and Dunham & Jones.
Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in El Paso, TX?
The Matthew James, Attorney at Law is #1, with an LFR Score of 70 out of 100 on emergency weights.
How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in El Paso ranked?
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
What should I do before the criminal defense lawyer arrives?
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
How many emergency criminal defense lawyers here list a phone number?
25 of the 25 law firms ranked in full list a phone number. Tap Call to dial it.
Update log for El Paso
- November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 68 criminal defense lawyers serving El Paso.