I reached some plains so vast, that I did not find their limit anywhere I went, although I travelled over them for more than 300 leagues with no more landmarks than if we had been swallowed up by the sea-there was not a stone, nor bit of rising ground, nor a tree, nor a shrub, nor anything to go by.
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, 1541
The Llano Estacado
"Thet name Llano Estacado means Staked Plain," said the Texan. "It comes from the early days when the Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to San Antone was marked by 'palos,' or stakes. There was only two trails across in them days an' I reckon no more now. Only the Indians know this plain well an' they only run in heah to hide awhile. Water an' grass are plentiful in some parts, an' then there's stretches of seventy miles dry an' bare as a bone." - Zane Gray, The Thundering Herd (1925).
The Llano Estacado is famous for its unique wildlife, expanses of undeveloped grasslands, and majestic canyons that offers a glimpse of Texas past - when the Panhandle was largely unexplored frontier.
Anchored in its center by the modern metropolis of Lubbock, the endless skies and searing beauty offer a vision of what outsiders might perceive Texas to be: rough, tough and unrefined. But surprises lurk just beneath the surface.
A Pioneering Public Defender's Office
Thanks to the tireless efforts of numerous stakeholders, thirteen counties in the Southwest Texas Panhandle banded together to apply for a rural regional public defense grant from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) to assist with the operating costs of a multi-county public defender's office.
This cooperative venture was motivated by the realization that we could no longer rely upon a dwindling pool of appointed attorneys from Amarillo and Lubbock to fulfill the Constitutional duties owed to our less fortunate residents.
Our application was approved June 29, 2023, and the High Plains Regional Public Defender's Office was established shortly thereafter as the first full-time public defender's office dedicated to serving the 116,050 people who call the Llano Estacado home.
We're Hiring!
Now that our chief public defender has joined us, we are eager to move on to the next stage: hiring the team.
To learn more about our open positions, just click on the "Openings" tab. You may submit a resume and a letter of interest via email to hr@hprpdo.org with the subject line, "<Position>– <Last Name>, <First Name>” or apply using our online form.
If you're unfamiliar with our area, please let us know! We'll do our best to arrange a tour to visit the communities we call home. You can also browse the Gallery to view pictures and learn more about the Llano Estacado.
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you.