Juan M. Alcalá is a litigator and trial lawyer who 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. Mr. Alcalá also has extensive product liability experience, having litigated dozens of product liability cases involving medical devices and automotive products.

Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Alcalá also concentrates his practice on Latin American matters, representing Latin American clients with business needs in the United States and Europe and assisting American and European clients with business needs in Latin America.

Representative Matters

• Successfully argued appeal of an arbitration award in a federal case involving allegations of fraud and fraudulent inducement. (Netknowledge Techs. LLC v. Rapid Transmit Techs, No. 07-10343, 2008 WL 681694, *1 (5th Cir. Mar. 11, 2008)). 
• Obtained a multi-million jury trial verdict in a real estate development case involving claims of fiduciary duty and fraud. Successfully defended the jury’s liability findings and actual damages award on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. (McBeth v. Carpenter, No. 07-51305, 2009 WL 922071 (5th Cir. April 7, 2009)).
• Attained jury verdict in favor of a document management company sued by subcontractor for breach of contract and fraud.
• Successfully represented public company in a global technology outsourcing dispute centered on claims of fraud and fraud in the inducement. Tort claims survived despite presence of limitation of liability clause, merger clause and Independent Injury Doctrine. (Regus Management Group, LLC v. International Business Machine Corp., 2008 WL 1836360 (N.D. Tex. 2008)).
• Successfully represented Mexican product manufacturer in dispute against distributor, obtaining summary judgment on all claims.
• 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.
• Represented imaging technology and pattern recognition company in the negotiation of Non-Disclosure Agreement with Mexican entity.
• Assisted global pharmaceutical company with analysis of the local laws in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia in clinical trials matter.
• Provided detailed analysis to Fortune 500 company of the local laws in Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Panama in products liability matters filed throughout the United States.

Awards

• 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

Memberships

• Texas Bar Association
• International Bar Association
• US-Mexico Bar Association (Chair of the Litigation Committee)
• Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
• Travis County Bar Association
• Austin Young Lawyers Association

Recent Pro Bono Matters

• Working with Mexican NGO to build a culture of pro-bono.
• Provided assistance to NGO in international human rights matter in support of 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.

Publications

• Arbitrator’s Disclosure Standards: The Uncertainty Continues, 63 Dispute Res. J. 76 (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 (Aug. 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

Seminars

• Class Action and Social Impact, Universidad Panamericana (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Oral Advocacy & Oral English—A Comparative Overview of the Mexican and United States Litigation Systems, Universidad Panamericana (Mexico City, Mexico)
• When Complex International Agreements Go Bad: Lessons Learned, CLE Webinar (Chicago, Ill)
• Update Re. Recent Growth of International Arbitration in Latin America, US-Mexico Bar Association (Mexico City, Mexico)
• 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)

Civic and Charitable

• 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