Biography

Steven A. Lopez is a trial attorney who has spent his career fighting on behalf of those injured by the wrongful conduct of individuals and corporations.

Prior to law school, Steven worked for the City of San Antonio’s Economic Development Department as an Economic Development Specialist, assisting small and local businesses gain access to public contracting opportunities.

In law school, Steven was an Executive Editor of the Baylor Law Review and a member of the school’s prestigious mock trial program. In 2012 he and his partner won a National Championship at the American College of Trial Lawyers National Trial Competition.

After law school he worked for a large personal injury firm in Dallas, Texas, representing victims of wrongful death and catastrophic injuries in Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. He moved to San Antonio in 2014 and became a partner in a personal injury firm specializing in auto, commercial vehicle, and serious injury cases. In 2021 he founded Lopez Law Firm where he continues to serve injured clients in Texas and beyond.

Steven is active in the San Antonio community and has served on the board of several non profit organizations including New Leaders Council San Antonio and Jump-Start Performance Company. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for MOVE Texas Action Fund and is an active member of the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association. He is a five-time Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star.

• Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2017 – 2021
• National Trial Lawyers Top 100, 2019 – 2021
• Texas Young Lawyers Association President’s Award of Merit, 2019
• YMCA of Greater San Antonio Outstanding Service Award, 2016

Articles in a Periodical

• “Why I Coach,” Subpoena, Official Newsletter of the San Antonio Bar Association, July 2015

Presentations

• Social Media Investigations & Evidence, Presentation to the Mexican American Bar Association of San Antonio, 2018

Biography

Michael V. Malone received his LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from St. Mary’s University School of Law after earning his J.D. Michael is a currently practicing attorney and, in addition to being an Adjunct Professor of Graduate International Relations, is also a member of St. Mary’s University School of Law’s practicing faculty, where he teaches comparative constitutional law. Michael’s research interests include comparative constitutional law (with an emphasis on freedom of expression), national security law and public international law.

• U.S. Foreign Policy
• International Law and Treaties
• National Security
• Comparative Law (St. Mary’s University School of Law)
• Legal Language/Legal Method (St. Mary’s University School of Law)
• Legal Research and Writing
• American Legal Studies
• Topics in International Law

Biography

After graduating from St. Mary’s, Jaime Parker (J.D. ’86) served as a briefing attorney for Ted Z. Robertson at the Texas Supreme Court. He then practiced as a trial lawyer at Fulbright & Jaworski for two years, concentrating on tort and business litigation.

Parker thereafter accepted a position as the Staff Counsel of the United States Supreme Court, working in the office of Chief Justice William Rehnquist. After almost three years at the Court, he returned to San Antonio, where he has been in private practice for the last 25 years.

In addition to working for a large firm with a nationwide practice during that time, Parker also had his own small boutique litigation firm for almost 15 years.

He is currently a partner in the San Antonio office of Naman Howell Smith & Lee, LLP, which has a statewide litigation practice. Parker is Board Certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has handled both trial and appellate matters in every corner of the state.

• Martindale-Hubbell “AV Preeminent” Rated

Biography

Marisol L. Pérez (J.D. ’00) began practicing law in 2001 as an associate for De Mott, McChesney, Curtright & Armendáriz, L.L.P., where her primary concentration was deportation defense, Violence Against Women’s Act cases and general family immigration.

In 2004, she took a staff attorney position in the Southwest Regional Office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). She served as an immigrants’ rights attorney handling litigation and legislative matters for nine states.

While at MALDEF, Pérez participated in several lawsuits defending immigrant rights around the country.

Notably, she represented plaintiffs in the lawsuit Vicente v. Barnett, an action on behalf of 16 individuals to recover damages for injuries inflicted upon them by vigilante ranchers along the Arizona-Mexico Border. In February 2009, a civil jury found in favor of the women plaintiffs and awarded damages on their claims of assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Pérez also represented plaintiffs in a series of successful lawsuits brought forth to challenge actions of the City of Farmers Branch, the first Texas town to adopt an anti-immigrant law.

In 2010, Pérez returned to De Mott, McChesney, Curtright & Armendáriz, L.L.P. where she is a partner and handles a wide range of immigration cases for the firm. Pérez is Board Certified in immigration and nationality law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS).

• LULAC National President’s Community Leadership Award in 2009

Biography

Xavier Rodriguez is a former Texas Supreme Court Justice and currently sits on the bench as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. He was a partner in the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright). He was board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps and has served on the board of directors of several charitable organizations across Texas. Judge Rodriguez is a frequent speaker on continuing legal education seminars and has authored numerous articles regarding employment law, discovery, and arbitration issues. He is the editor of Essentials of E-Discovery (TexasBarBooks 2d ed. 2021). He is a member of The Sedona Conference Judicial Advisory Board, the Georgetown Advanced E-Discovery Institute Advisory Board, the EDRM Global Advisory Council, and serves as the Distinguished Visiting Jurist-in-Residence and adjunct professor of law at the St. Mary’s University School of Law. He is a Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Section and Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Committee.

• Member, American Law Institute
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, Past Chair
• State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Section, Past Chair
• State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Committee, Past Chair
• Texas Bar Foundation’s Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award, 2021
• TexasBarCLE’s Pat Nester Innovation in Professional Development Award, 2021
• State Bar of Texas Gene Cavin Award for Excellence in CLE, 2017
• Rosewood Gavel Award for Outstanding Judicial Service, 2011

Books

• Essentials of E-Discovery, Xavier Rodriguez ed. (2d Ed. TexasBarBooks 2021)
• Essentials of E-Discovery, Xavier Rodriguez ed. (TexasBarBooks 2014)
• Written Employment Contracts, Texas Employment Law (co-author) (James Publishing, Inc.) (various editions all prior to 2001)
• Independent Contractors, Defense Research Institute Employment Law Basics (author) (various editions all prior to 2001)
• Texas Legal Assistant Handbook, member, Editorial Advisory Board (James Publishing, Inc.) (Various editions all prior to 2001)
• The Employment At-Will Doctrine, TAB Employment Law Handbook (author) (various editions all prior to 2001)

Shorter Works

• The Sedona Conference Cooperation Proclamation: Resources for the Judiciary, Third Edition (June 2020). Judicial Reviewer and author of various portions of this publication.
• Fifth Circuit Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions (Thompson Reuters 2015) (Chair of the Committee on Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions and co-author of various instructions)
• Fifth Circuit Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions (Thompson Reuters 2012) (Member of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions and co-author of various instructions)
• Employment Discrimination Law, EEOC Administrative Process, 2000 Cumulative Supplement (contributor) (Bureau of National Affairs)

Articles

• Xavier Rodriguez, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Practice of Law in Texas, Vol. 63 S. Tex. L. Rev. (Fall 2023)
• Xavier Rodriguez, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Practice of Law, 24 Sedona Conf. J. 783 (2023)
• Anthony P. Ng and Xavier Rodriguez, Basic Electronic Discovery (Practicum Press 2023)
• Xavier Rodriguez, Discovery in Criminal Cases: New Fed. Crim. P. 16.1 is insufficient to address the amount of data collected and should be produced – A Proposal for a Rule 16.2 (Duke Univ., Bolch Judicial Institute 2023)
• Xavier Rodriguez, Examining Heslin and Lewis v. Infowars and Alex Jones, Circuits, State Bar of Texas Computer & Technology Section (Jan. 2023)
• Xavier Rodriguez, My Responses to these Discovery Requests were Reasonable, Right? Navigating Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(g)(1), Vol. 101 (Winter 2022), The Advocate, State Bar of Texas Litigation Section
• Xavier Rodriguez & Anthony Ng, Sanctions under the Civil Rules of Procedure (2022), News for the Bar, State Bar of Texas Litigation Section
• Xavier Rodriguez, Ensuring a Fair Cross-Section of the Community in the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Lawyer (November/December 2021)
• Xavier Rodriguez, When Machines Can be a Judge, Law360’s Expert Analysis Series. A review of Katherine Bolan Forrest’s “When Machines Can Be Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Justice in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” (Law360, May 19, 2021 at https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/1385565
• Essentials of E-Discovery, Xavier Rodriguez ed. (2d Ed. TexasBarBooks 2021)
• Xavier Rodriguez, A Profile of Roy R. Barrera, Sr, Journal of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society (Vol. 10, No. 2 Winter 2021)
• Xavier Rodriguez, The Attempted Integration of Mansfield, Texas, Nathaniel Jackson, et al v. O.C. Rawdon, a Necessary Precursor to Little Rock, Journal of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society (Vol. 10, No. 1 Fall 2020)
• Xavier Rodriguez & Anthony Ng, Sanctions under the Civil Rules of Procedure (2022), News for the Bar, State Bar of Texas Litigation Section
• Xavier Rodriguez, Ensuring a Fair Cross-Section of the Community in the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Lawyer (November/December 2021)
• Xavier Rodriguez & Stephen Malouf: Technology in the Courtroom: Demonstratives. The Advocate, Vol. 90, Spring 2020
• Xavier Rodriguez & James Wes Christian, Making a Plan: Select discovery issues. 82 Tex. Bar J. 174, March 2019
• Xavier Rodriguez & David L. Horan, Meta-Discovery: Allegations of an Incomplete Document Production, 19 Sedona Conf. J. 745 (2018)
• Steven S. Gensler & Xavier Rodriguez, Discovery: Form Fights: Battles over Content and Proportionality, ABA Pretrial Practice & Discovery, Spring 2018
• Steven S. Gensler & Xavier Rodriguez, Discovery: What the form are we fighting for? 80 Tex. Bar J. 774, December 2017
• Xavier Rodriguez, Brookshire Brothers: Cleanup on Aisle 9. The Current Messy State of Spoliation Law. 46 St. Mary’s Law Journal 447 (2015)
• Xavier Rodriguez, New Federal Court Rules: Listen, Be Prompt, Be Prepared, No Throwing a Fit. San Antonio Lawyer (May-June 2015)
• Essentials of E-Discovery, Xavier Rodriguez ed. (TexasBarBooks 2014)
• Xavier Rodriguez, The Decline of Civil Jury Trials: A Positive Development, Myth, or the End of Justice as We Now Know It? 45 St. Mary’s Law Journal 333 (2014)
• Paralegal Overtime: Yes, No or Maybe? American Bar Association GP Solo, Vol. 19, No.1, January/February 2002
• Supreme Court Issues New Guidelines, American Lawyer Media, October 2, 2000
• Have Discrimination Cases Gotten More Difficult? Texas Lawyer, September 27, 2000
• Paralegal Overtime: Yes, No or Maybe? 63 Tex. Bar J. 266, March 2000
• Developments in the Substantive Law: Employment Law, Texas Lawyer, December 20, 1999

Presentations

• Frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education presentations throughout the United States and overseas. In this capacity he has written numerous CLE articles discussing discovery, civil procedure, employment law, and the U.S. federal courts.
• Delivered presentations and presented articles on more than 450 occasions throughout Texas, United States and Europe. 

Biography

Roberto “R.C.” Rondero de Mosier provides expert counsel to emerging high-growth businesses and their entrepreneurs and investors. R.C. also serves as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of The Gober Group, where he manages firm operations and client services.

Prior to entering the legal profession, R.C. graduated from Stanford University in Palo Alto and entered the booming start-up sector. R.C.’s knowledge of business management, along with his sales background, has provided him the needed experience to help clients address both their individual and business growth needs.

Upon finishing law school, R.C. worked in the corporate sector for Thomson Reuters and worked in a division later acquired by Leeds Equity. He then founded a corporate transactional law practice, which he grew and sold within three years. As an owner of a few small business ventures and a member of the leadership of justlegal.com, R.C. continues to advise small businesses and startups across the country from multiple perspectives.

R.C. maintains consistent community involvement in Austin, having served on several nonprofit boards from Latinitas, Inc. to the Austin Symphony BATS. He currently serves on the board of The Merivis Foundation and volunteers time to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and Austin Pets Alive. In 2015, R.C. was honored as an Austin Under 40 Awards finalist, recognizing Austin’s emerging professionals and community leaders.

Biography

A Wilmington, Delaware native, Simon graduated from University of Delaware with a degree in Political Science and Economics. After working in the United States Senate, Simon attended law school at Wake Forest University. While at Wake Forest, Simon found his passion for criminal defense and trial advocacy while competing for the #3 nationally ranked trial competition program. He completed his Law School career with the distinct honor of being named a member of the Order of the Barristers.

On January 7, 2018, Simon was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Simon spent four years on active duty. After demonstrating his tremendous oral and written advocacy skills at Schriever AFB, and earning #1 JAG in the legal office on three consecutive officer evaluations, Simon became one of the youngest Area Defense Counsels in Air Force history.

Simon has prosecuted and represented clients at all levels of Courts-Martial facing serious felony charges. Simon’s work-ethic, professionalism, and abilities led to his supervisors assigning him the most complex, highest visibility, and toughest cases. Due to Simon’s tenacity in the court room, as well as going above and beyond for his clients, he left a lasting impact on the Air Force’s Defense community, as Simon separated from active duty as the #1 Area Defense Counsel in the entire Air Force, as well as earning Company Grade Officer of the year.

Simon is currently a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and works for Dan Conway & Associates, defending military members of all six services world-wide.

Biography

Justice Beth Watkins (J.D. ’02) was elected to Place 2 on the Fourth Court of Appeals in 2018. Before joining the Court, she represented clients in more than 200 appeals to state and federal appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and most intermediate appellate courts in Texas. Justice Watkins has been Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law since 2008.

Justice Watkins is a committed community servant. She is a Past President of the San Antonio Bar Association, San Antonio Bar Foundation, and Community Justice Foundation. She has served on the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee, the Amicus Committee of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Boards of Directors of the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association and St. Mary’s Law Alumni Association. She is a Life Fellow of both the San Antonio Bar Foundation and Texas Bar Foundation. She currently serves on the Board of Editors for the Texas Bar Journal.

In addition, Justice Watkins has held several teaching positions at her alma mater, St. Mary’s University School of Law. She currently teaches constitutional law. She also taught legal research and writing to first-year law students from 2006 to 2016. From 2005 through 2008, she served as the Associate Director of the Office of Academic Excellence, and from 2015 until 2017, she served as the law school’s Institutional Legal Research Manager.

Justice Watkins was born and raised in San Antonio. She enjoys her hometown’s vibrant arts, culture, and restaurant scene. In her free time, she loves to visit far-flung locales and experience new and different cultures.

• Super Lawyer-Appellate Law-Texas Monthly, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• Rising Star-Appellate Law-Texas Monthly, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• Best Lawyers in San Antonio-Appellate Law-Scene in SA Monthly, 2007-2019
• Outstanding Young Lawyer of San Antonio-San Antonio Young Lawyers Association, 2007