An El Paso personal-injury law firm is putting serious money behind UTEP's long-running bid for a public law school. Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro, P.C. has pledged $5 million to The University of Texas at El Paso to help establish the program, a gift unveiled at a campus celebration on April 8. The pledge follows months of planning and fundraising and, when combined with an earlier $5 million matching commitment, pushes private support for the prospective school to roughly $10 million. University officials say the donations are meant to cover early operational costs and strengthen UTEP's pitch to state authorities, building on a legislature-commissioned feasibility study that laid out a multi-year startup plan and funding needs.
Partners James Tawney, Alejandro Acosta and Daisy Chaparro Cavazos announced the pledge alongside UTEP President Heather Wilson, according to UTEP Newsfeed. In the university's statement, Tawney said, "El Paso is ready for a law school that matches the scale, talent and needs of our region." The release framed the gift as part of the firm's 10-year anniversary and as a push to expand access to legal education for first-generation and Hispanic students in the Borderland.
Matching Grant Pushes Total To $10 Million
The new $5 million pledge pairs with a $5 million challenge grant announced last fall by the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation, bringing private fundraising for the law school proposal to about $10 million, as reported by KVIA. Hoodline highlighted Foster's original pledge in October 2025 in an earlier story: UTEP receives $5M pledge. Local leaders say the growing stack of private commitments is designed to signal momentum and nudge state lawmakers toward action.
Study Outlines Timeline, Costs And Need
A Texas legislature-commissioned feasibility study completed in November 2024 estimated that a UTEP law school would need about $20 million in operational funds over its first 10 years and projected the program could become financially sustainable after that startup period, according to UTEP. The report found that a law school on the campus could "fill a gap in the region's and state's need for legal services" and noted that preliminary capital estimates for a dedicated building would run into the tens of millions. The study sketches out multiple enrollment and expense scenarios and flags community philanthropic support as a key way to reduce risk.
What Happens Next
UTEP officials plan to keep working with the University of Texas System Board of Regents and the Texas Legislature on formal approvals and additional capital, and could submit a formal request during the 2027 legislative session, as reported by KVIA. The university has discussed planning scenarios that anticipate a multi-year ramp-up to roughly 100 first-year students per class, a detail noted in coverage by The Texas Lawbook. Actual timelines will hinge on legislative decisions, accreditation steps and continued fundraising.
Why El Paso Stands To Gain
Supporters argue that a local law school would help keep homegrown talent in El Paso, expand bilingual legal expertise along the U.S.-Mexico border and chip away at gaps in legal services that are now often handled from larger Texas metros. Local attorneys and civic leaders who have pushed the idea for years described the Tawney gift as a potential tipping point, while stressing that more private donors and firm backing from the state will still be needed to build and staff a full program. For now, UTEP officials and the firm say the contribution is about building momentum and inviting other community partners to join the effort.
