Austin, Texas
Eric Opiela PLLC
Counsel for Texas Elections, Government & Politics
Board Certified, Legislative and Campaign Law
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
The Firm
Eric Opiela PLLC is an Austin law practice devoted to the law that governs Texas elections, campaigns, the Legislature, and the public officials and governmental bodies that serve Texans. From the county courthouse to the Capitol, the firm counsels candidates, officeholders, political committees, election administrators, and governments through the legal terrain where a misstep carries consequences measured not only in dollars, but in elections and reputations.
The practice is deliberately focused. Clients work directly with an attorney who is Board Certified in Legislative and Campaign Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a certification held by only a small number of attorneys in the state — and who brings decades of experience inside campaigns, party organizations, and the legislative process itself.
Practice Areas
01
Counsel to county election officials, political parties, and those who conduct elections — voter registration, ballot access, early voting and election-day procedure, canvassing, and compliance with the Texas Election Code and federal election statutes.
02
Representation of officeholders, counties, and other governmental entities — general counsel matters, the Open Meetings and Public Information Acts, ethics and conflict-of-interest questions, and guidance at the intersection of public office and political activity.
03
Compliance and defense for candidates, officeholders, and political committees — Federal Election Commission and Texas Ethics Commission reporting, contribution and expenditure rules, PAC formation and administration, and responses to sworn complaints and enforcement actions.
04
Counsel for the legislative arena — bill drafting and analysis, legislative strategy, lobby registration and disclosure under Chapter 305, and compliance guidance for those who advocate before the Texas Legislature and state agencies.
05
Advocacy when the map — or the outcome — is the fight: redistricting counsel and litigation, election contests and recounts, ballot-access disputes, and constitutional and Voting Rights Act litigation in state and federal courts, including emergency and mandamus proceedings where hours matter.
The Attorney
Founder & Attorney at Law
Eric Opiela has spent his career in the rooms where Texas politics becomes Texas law. He is Board Certified in Legislative and Campaign Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, the State Bar's recognition of demonstrated, tested expertise in the field — a credential held by only a handful of attorneys statewide. Eric also serves on the Council for the Constitutional Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
Before founding Eric Opiela PLLC, Eric served as Executive Director and Associate General Counsel of the Republican Party of Texas, where he advised the party, its candidates, and its officeholders on election law, ballot access, and campaign finance matters across the state. Eric has served as counsel to two Texas House Speakers, and has represented close to half of the members of the Texas House of Representatives in matters. He successfully represented the Texas Republican Congressional Delegation before the United States Supreme Court in statewide redistricting litigation, represented clients before the Texas Ethics Commission and the Texas Legislature, and advised county governments and election officials across rural and urban Texas alike. Eric currently serves as a gubernatorial appointee of Governor Greg Abbott as the Presiding Officer of the Texas Funeral Service Commission.
A fifth-generation Texan, Eric raises cattle on his family's ranch in Karnes County and brings a working knowledge of rural Texas — its counties, its courthouses, and its people — that few Austin lawyers can claim. His practice reflects that range: equally at home counseling a county election administrator, a statewide officeholder, or a campaign in its final seventy-two hours.
Eric additionally serves his community as President of the Board of Fire Commissioners for Travis County ESD 4, President of the South Texans' Property Rights Association, and Chairman of the Catholic Community Foundation for the Archdiocese of San Antonio. He also serves as Wing Legal Officer for Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol.
Contact
Telephone
(512) 791-6336Office
9415 Old Lampasas Trail
Austin, Texas 78750