Juan M. Alcalá handles a wide range of complex business disputes for local, national and international clients in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, in the areas of business torts, partnership conflicts, copyright and trademark disputes, misappropriation of trade secret cases, deceptive trade practices controversies and fiduciary litigation.

Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Alcalá also concentrates his practice on Latin American matters, representing Latin American clients with business conflicts in the United States and Europe, as well as assisting American parties with lawsuits stemming from Latin America. In this latter role, Mr. Alcalá has conducted discovery under the Hague and handled international conflict of laws issues.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Successfully argued appeal of an arbitration award before the Fifth Circuit in a case involving allegations of fraud and fraudulent inducement.
• Obtained a multi-million jury trial verdict in a real estate development case involving claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.
• Defense verdict in favor of a document management company sued for breach of contract.
• Obtained dismissals of products liability claims filed by foreign parties in cases involving tread separation allegations against Fortune 500 company.
• Appellate oversight representation of major manufacturers in over a dozen products liability trials in some of the most challenging venues in South Texas.

RECENT PRO BONO MATTERS

• Provided assistance to NGO in international human rights matter involving a Mexican indigenous community seeking the protection of their communal lands before the Mexican Agrarian Tribunal.
• Represented mother living in Argentina in child custody dispute helping her to reunite with infant daughter after a two year separation.

• National Scribes Best Brief Writing Award, American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects
• Best Brief Award, National First Amendment Moot Court Competition
• Finalist, Susman Godfrey Moot Court Competition
• J. Henry Doscher Endowed Presidential Scholarship
• Daniel E. Hogan Endowed Scholarship

ADMISSIONS

• Texas
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

Adhésions

• Texas Bar Association
• International Bar Association
• US-Mexico Bar Association
• Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
• Travis County Bar Association
• Austin Young Lawyers Association

Publications

• Arbitrator’s Disclosure Standards: The Uncertainty Continues, Dispute Res. J. (August/October 2008) (co-authored with Claudia Salomon and Camilo Cardozo)
• Hall Street Associates, LLC v. Mattel, Inc.: Narrow Legal Issues, Broad Philosophical Divide, DLA Piper International Arbitration Newsletter (August 2007)
• Arbitration in Latin America: A First Look at the Impact of Legislative Reforms, 13 L. & Bus. Rev. Am. 995 (2007) (co-authored with Joshua Briones)
• Products Liability Update 2003, Texas Association of Defense Counsel

Séminaires

• The Impact of US-China Trade on the Maquiladora Industry, US-Mexico Bar Association (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Forum Non Conveniens and Choice of Law in the United States: A Two Tiered Defense, Center for International Legal Studies: Conference on Negligence and Damages in an International Setting (Salzburg, Austria)

Activités civiques et caritatives

• Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee for the US-Mexico Bar Association
• Community Education Consortium (appointed by the Austin City Council)
• Citizen Review Panel (appointed by the Austin City Council)
• Guidance Advisory Panel Committee (appointed by the Austin City Council)
• Hispanic Austin Leadership (Class of 2003)
• River City Youth Foundation Volunteer
• Humanities/Government Magnet for International Studies Law Academy Volunteer