
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HE NO LONGER REPRESENTS INDIVIDUALS OR BUSINESSES IN ANY DISPUTES.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.”
J.D., University of Texas at Austin School of Law
B.A., University of Notre Dame
M.A. (History), University of Texas at San Antonio
State of Texas
U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
US District Court – Southern District of Texas
US District Court - Western District of Texas
US District Court – Northern District of Texas
US District Court – Eastern District of Texas
State Bar of Texas
Member Since: 1983
Texas Bar Foundation
Member Since: 2005
College of the State Bar of Texas
San Antonio Bar Association
Member Since: 1983
Current Member and Former Director
Dallas Bar Association
Member Since: 2009
Tarrant County Bar Association
Member Since: 2018
Arlington Bar Association
Member Since: 2018
St. Thomas More Society – Dallas Catholic Lawyers
Member Since: 2010
Life Member
American Inns of Court – San Antonio Chapter
Former President
San Antonio Catholic Lawyers Guild
Member Since: 2000
Former President
San Antonio Young Lawyers Association
Former Vice President
San Antonio Bar Foundation
Former Trustee
Federal Bar Association – San Antonio Chapter
Former Director
American Inns of Court - Fort Worth Chapter (Eldon B. Mahon Inn) - Master
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.
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