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Lawyer & Legal Cost in Texas (2026)

Hiring an attorney in Texas for an uncontested no-fault divorce typically runs $850–$3,500 including (attorney + court fees), with the state bar's non-UBE jurisdiction with a state-specific bar exam. Texas's combination of non-UBE Texas Bar Exam transitioning to NextGen Bar Exam in 2028 (one of the early NextGen adopters), Texas community-property regime requiring mandatory equal division at divorce, 6-month state plus 90-day county residency requirement, Houston + Dallas-Fort Worth + Austin + San Antonio metro concentration of 80%+ of licensed attorneys, integrated mandatory State Bar of Texas membership, $70.45/hr BLS attorney mean (driven by Houston energy-sector in-house and Austin tech-IP bar), and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation IOLTA + Texas Equal Access to Justice Commission funding.

State Texas
Cities Covered 6
Typical uncontested no-fault divorce filing (attorney + court fees) $850 – $3,500
BLS attorney wage $70.45/hr

Texas bar admission, divorce & tort drivers

  • Bar admission pathway: Non-UBE jurisdiction — state-specific bar exam with state-tested essays
  • Bar organization type: Integrated mandatory bar — membership compulsory for active practice
  • UPL enforcement intensity: Very aggressive — active disciplinary docket and broad state-bar UPL standing committee enforcement
  • Divorce grounds available: No-fault or fault — petitioner may choose between no-fault and enumerated fault grounds
  • Divorce residency requirement: 180 days
  • Personal injury statute of limitations: 2 years
  • Civil legal aid funding tier: Moderate — typical LSC + state IOLTA funding tier

Texas bar admission & UPL

  • License status: Statewide license required
  • License board: State Bar of Texas (integrated mandatory bar) — Texas Board of Law Examiners administers Texas Bar Exam (non-UBE, transitioning to NextGen 2028) (official site)
  • Permit: State Bar of Texas membership mandatory; Texas Bar Exam (non-UBE — Texas-specific essays on TX Family Law including community property, TX Civil Procedure, TX Constitutional Law, TX Wills/Trusts/Probate, TX Business Associations plus MBE; transitioning to NextGen Bar Exam in 2028); Texas Government Code Ch. 81 aggressive UPL enforcement; mandatory annual MCLE 15 hours; IOLTA participation mandatory

How legal services costs vary in Texas

State-specific code or insurance rule: Texas is one of only 12 non-UBE jurisdictions and has confirmed transition to the NextGen Bar Exam in 2028 — the new National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) examination — with Texas Bar Exam currently testing 12 areas including Texas Family Law (mandatory community-property division under TX Family Code § 7.001), Texas Civil Procedure, Texas Constitutional Law, and Texas Business Organizations on top of the MBE, and Texas Family Code § 6.001 lists 'insupportability' as the no-fault ground alongside 6 fault grounds (cruelty, adultery, conviction of felony, abandonment for one year, living apart for 3 years, confinement in a mental hospital), plus Texas Family Code § 6.301 requires 6 months Texas residency plus 90 days in the county before filing.

Cities in Texas

Compare legal services pricing for 6 cities across Texas.

Austin, TX

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Dallas, TX

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El Paso, TX

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Fort Worth, TX

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Houston, TX

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San Antonio, TX

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Pricing ranges reflect Texas market labor (BLS OEWS lawyers (SOC 23-1011) state mean $70.45/hr) and Woogoro regional cost modeling. For the most localized estimate, see your nearest city page above.