Experienced Arbitrator & Mediator

Mr. Peña began his practice as a commercial and personal injury litigator. As a young lawyer, his idea of successfully resolving a case was winning at trial. As he gained more experience, he quickly learned that the litigation process — particularly trials — took an emotional and financial toll on his clients. He also learned that formulating and implementing a realistic and cost-effective resolution and settlement strategy saved his clients time and money. He learned that obtaining a good outcome achieved through negotiation was just as satisfying to the client as winning at trial.

Experienced litigators know that in addition to preparing for trial, they must prepare a realistic settlement strategy. Preparing a realistic and flexible settlement strategy goes hand-in-hand with trial preparation. Selecting an experienced arbitrator or mediator is an important part of an effective resolution strategy. It should not be an afterthought. Mr. Peña learned as an advocate that working with the right neutral allowed him to negotiate better outcomes for his clients.

Mr. Peña has more than 37 years of experience arbitrating and mediating cases. A former member of the Texas Judicial Council, he knows and understands the litigation process very well.

He currently serves as an arbitrator on the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) Labor Panel and the National Mediation Board (NMB) Panel of Arbitrators. He also serves as an arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Labor, Employment, Commercial and Consumer panels. He is also an Independent Hearing Examiner for the Texas Education Agency.

Mr. Peña is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas, the Tarrant County Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, the Arlington Bar Association and the San Antonio Bar Association. He is also a member of the Tarrant County Association of Mediators, the Association of Attorney-Mediators and is credentialed by the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association.

Mr. Peña has had an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell—the highest possible rating for an attorney. He has earned awards for his representation of indigent clients.

In 2021, Fort Worth Magazine named Mr. Peña one of Tarrant County’s Top Alternative Dispute Resolution Attorneys and Expertise.com named him one of the best Employment Lawyers in Arlington. In 2005, Scene in San Antonio rated Mr. Peña one of the best labor & employment attorneys in San Antonio.

Mr. Peña is qualified under the Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code to mediate all manner of cases including:

Labor & Employment Cases

Few neutrals have Mr. Peña’s extensive litigation and arbitration experience in labor & employment matters. He has litigated employment discrimination cases of all kinds in Texas state and federal courts and has tried more than eighty-five labor arbitrations. He has also appeared before the National Labor Relations Board. He also has experience with the EEOC, the Texas Commission on Human Rights and the Texas Workforce Commission. Mr. Peña also has experience dealing with compensation and benefits claims arising under the FLSA, the Texas Pay Day Act and ERISA. He has also served as an arbitrator on many labor and employment cases in Texas and other jurisdictions.

Business & Commercial Disputes

Throughout his career as a Dallas Fort Worth mediation attorney, Mr. Peña has represented individuals, small family-owned businesses and Fortune 500 corporations in various kinds of contractual, business and real estate disputes. He understands the challenges these disputes place on businesses and for that reason he works hard to work out practical resolutions. He has experience with contractual issues, trade secret disputes, privacy breaches, unfair competition claims, tortious interference claims, insurance coverage questions, real estate disputes and consumer litigation.

School Law & Education Disputes

Mr. Peña has experience mediating school and education disputes particularly educator discharges and suspensions. His experience as an Independent Hearing Examiner enhances his ability to help parties resolve school related disputes.

Wrongful Death & Personal Injury Cases

Mr. Peña has represented plaintiffs and defendants in wrongful death and serious personal injury cases. His experience representing both sides in these cases provides him with a balanced understanding of the challenges associated with these disputes.

As a mediator, Mr. Peña is a pro-active Dallas Fort Worth mediation attorney carefully and compassionately facilitates workable resolutions.

If you need an experienced and skilled mediation attorney in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, please consider Diego J. Peña. Mr. Peña had mediated disputes in Fort Worth, San Antonio, Waco, Dallas and Austin.