Attorneys in Odessa

Hourly work is priced lawyer by lawyer. For a yardstick, full-time private practitioners statewide reported a median of $368 an hour in the State Bar's 2025 survey, so ask any Odessa lawyer to put the rate and any retainer in writing.

If an injury lawyer works on contingency instead, remember that a Texas contingent fee contract must be in writing and signed by both of you, and must state how the fee is calculated, any different percentages for settlement, trial or appeal, and which expenses come out and when. The Texas lawyers guide covers fees in full.

For a low-cost start, the State Bar's Lawyer Referral & Information Service, (800) 252-9690, refers callers to a lawyer for a consultation of up to 30 minutes for no more than $20. TexasLawHelp.org has free self-help guides, forms and a legal aid directory.

Look up the lawyer on the State Bar's Find a Lawyer directory, which you can filter by board certification, languages and fee options. The Bar's grievance pages show a lawyer's disciplinary history, recent actions and the Ineligible Attorney List.

A Texas lawyer may advertise as 'Board Certified' only if certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization or an organization it accredits. Specialty areas include Personal Injury Trial Law, Family Law, Criminal Law and Civil Trial Law, and the directory filters by them.

Solicitation after an Odessa accident

Texas generally bars lawyers from sending written personal injury or wrongful death solicitations about an accident before the 31st day after it. Soliciting clients in person or by phone, or paying someone to do it, is barratry, a third-degree felony. A client whose contract came from barratry can void it and recover fees paid plus a $10,000 penalty. If someone approaches you at the hospital or the scene, keep their details.

A Texas personal injury suit generally must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, and a wrongful death suit within two years of the death. A claimant found more than 50 percent responsible recovers nothing; below that, damages are cut by the claimant's own share.

Claims against a government run on shorter clocks. Under the Texas Tort Claims Act, a governmental unit is entitled to notice within six months, and a city charter can set a different notice period. If your claim involves the City of Odessa or Ector County, ask a lawyer about that deadline early.

Filing in Ector County

The Ector County District Clerk is listed at the Ector County Courthouse, 300 N. Grant Ave. The county also lists a courthouse construction project, so confirm where the office is before you file in person. If you live in the Midland County part of Odessa, your filing county may be Midland instead.

Divorce in Texas is available on no-fault grounds when the marriage has become insupportable, and a court generally can't grant it until the 60th day after filing, with exceptions for certain family violence cases. These rules change and turn on facts; confirm how they apply to you with a licensed Texas lawyer.

If a home sale or purchase is part of the legal question, see real estate agents in Odessa. You can also compare attorneys in Midland, and the Odessa local guide lists county offices. The list above is ordered by public review data, explained in our terms of service; it doesn't rank legal skill or results.