Diego J. Peña

HE NO LONGER REPRESENTS INDIVIDUALS OR BUSINESSES IN ANY DISPUTES. HE IS A FULL TIME NEUTRAL.

Diego J. Peña currently serves as a full-time arbitrator and mediator. Since establishing the Peña Arbitration & Mediation Group in 2019, he has arbitrated and mediated labor, employment, commercial and consumer disputes in Texas, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington and Washington, D.C.

He began his career in San Antonio, Texas as a commercial and personal injury litigator. As an attorney for more than 39 years, Mr. Peña has represented individuals, small to medium businesses and Fortune 500 corporations in state and federal courts. He has litigated: consumer cases, contract disputes, personal injury & wrongful death cases, insurance claims, federal and state constitutional law claims, civil rights cases, labor & employment disputes, religious discrimination claims, retaliation cases, sexual harassment and hostile work environment matters, real estate disputes, water rights claims, environmental and banking disputes.

In 1989, Mr. Peña joined the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Legal Department, where he specialized in labor & employment matters. For approximately 30 years, Mr. Peña personally tried more than 85 highly specialized labor arbitrations and supervised attorneys on hundreds of arbitrations. He also personally tried and managed attorneys on significant employment disputes, including discrimination, sexual harassment and compensation cases. In 30 years of working as a labor advocate, Mr. Peña earned an excellent reputation for integrity, professionalism and courtesy.

He personally tried more than 50 cases to verdict/judgment and appeared in more than 20 appellate cases before state and federal appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Texas, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Peña represented litigants in more than 300 mediations. As a result of his many years of experience as an attorney and arbitrator, Mr. Peña can quickly identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of a case and articulate his observations positively and constructively. While no one can accurately predict what a judge, jury or arbitrator will do in any case, Mr. Peña will provide an honest and fair assessment of a party’s claims and defenses and case and will work will all parties to achieve a resolution.

Diego Peña’s Personal Statement:

“Before choosing a neutral, advocates need to know the neutral they select will treat their clients with dignity and respect. Advocates need an arbitrator or mediator who will listen. I ask questions. I work hard to find workable resolutions. Litigation is expensive. For that reason, I take my responsibility as a neutral seriously.”

Arbitration & Mediation Training

• FINRA, Public Arbitrator
• Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), Labor Arbitrator
• Mediators of America, Adv. Family Law Mediation Training
• University of Texas Center for Public Resolution, Adv. Mediation Training
• Mediators of America, Basic Mediation Training
• American Arbitration Association, Labor Arbitration & Employment Arbitration.

Mediation Associations

• State Bar of Texas – Member, ADR Section
• Association of Attorney Mediators
• Texas Mediator Credentialing Association
• Texas Association of Mediators
• Tarrant County Association of Mediators
• Dispute Resolutions Services of North Texas – Trainer & Volunteer Mediator

Published Awards

• Clint ISD v Gomez – Findings of Fact and Conlcusions of Law – March 13 2023
• IHE’s Recommendation to Dallas ISD – Re: Nuttal – April 28 2021
• Randolph Sheppard Award – Colorado State Business Enterprise Program et al v. USAF, Schriever Space Force Base – September 29 2022
• City of Denton, Texas Fire Department Civil Service Commission Administrative Appeal – November 18 2022
• Salvo Parenti Grievance – March 6 2022
• Brownsville Fire Fighters Association and City of Brownsville – October 29 2021