Mr. Juan Roberto Fuentes is the founder of The Fuentes Firm P.C. He dedicates his practice to the representation of motor carriers. He has practiced civil litigation in Texas since 1999 and is admitted to practice in all state and federal jurisdictions in Texas. Mr. Fuentes has been selected as a 2020, 2021 and 2022 Super Lawyer. Each year, only 5% of Texas attorneys are nominated to join this prestigious list. In addition, Texas Super Lawyers has honored Mr. Fuentes as a Rising Star in the area of Transportation law for 2012, 2013 and 2014.

His litigation experience includes achievement of defense verdicts against plaintiffs in personal injury claims, favorable decisions from Texas Courts of Appeal upholding trial court decisions in his client’s favor, and legal representation of motor carrier interests before the Texas Supreme Court. Additionally, Mr. Fuentes acts as corporate counsel for motor carriers in matters relating to safety, commercial driver contracts, shipping contracts, brokerage agreements, employment matters and cargo claims.

Mr. Fuentes, who is bilingual in Spanish, is a graduate of the University of Texas, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1996. After graduating from the University of Texas, he studied law at the University of Houston Law Center and earned his Juris Doctorate law degree in December 1998. He is licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas since May 1999.

Mr. Fuentes served as a Board Member and then the Chairman of the Texas Trucking Association’s Ad Hoc Tort Reform Committee. These efforts on the part of the industry contributed to significant legislation in 2021, including the newly enacted Actions Regarding Commercial Motor Vehicle chapter of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.

Prior to those efforts, Mr. Fuentes advocated for commercial motor carriers before the Texas Supreme Court in the pivotal In Re North Cypress case. Mr. Fuentes, along with the team at The Fuentes Firm, briefed the Texas Supreme Court on the magnitude of the problem with inflated medical bills that permeate commercial trucking cases. The Texas Supreme Court issued an impactful decision in that case, confirming the right to discovery of insurance reimbursement rates, the most significant standard for evaluating what medical providers are typically paid for their services.

Mr. Fuentes remains actively involved in the trial process, having resumed to trial with the end of the pandemic. Most recently, in February 2022 Mr. Fuentes obtained a very favorable verdict for the defense in Maverick County, just two miles from the Mexican border. Despite three orthopedic surgeons testifying as to the accident being the cause of the plaintiff’s herniation and surgery, Mr. Fuentes was able to demonstrate the accident did not cause any permanent injuries to the plaintiff – through visual storytelling and appealing to jurors’ common sense.

Speaking Engagements and Presentations

• YES Week Presentation, Sentry Insurance, October 20th, 2022
• Hudson Insurance Annual Leadership Conference, August 8th, 2022.
• Texas Trucking Association Webinar Series, Part 3: How to Prepare for a Successful Mediation, December 10th, 2021
• Texas Trucking Association Webinar Series, Part 2: Preparing for Deposition and Protecting Against Reptile Theory Tactics, October 22nd 2020
• Texas Trucking Association Webinar Series, Part 1: Navigating the Litigation Minefield, October 14th 2020
• In Re North Cypress, State Bar of  Texas, 35th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course, July 25th, 2019, August 8th, 2019, and September 5th, 2019

• Guest on podcast Legal Grounds – Conversations on Life, Leadership & Law
• Testified before the Judiciary Committee in support of House Bill 2301, Texas Trucking Association, April 11th, 2017
• Tort Reform Presentation, Texas Trucking Association, Houston Chapter monthly luncheon, January 2017
• Tort Reform Presentation, Laredo Motor Carriers Association monthly meeting, 2017
• Speaking engagement at Texas Trucking Association Safety Management Conference, Texas Trucking Association, September 16th, 2016
• Legislative Regulatory Support Panel Discussion, Texas Trucking Alliance, Texas Trucking Association Annual Conference, July 27th, 2016

Bar Admissions

• Supreme Court of Texas
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Texas Trucking Association – Board of Trustees
• Laredo Motor Carriers Association
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute

Conferences & Seminars

• 2022 DRI Trucking Law Seminar, April 27-29, 2022 | Austin, Texas
• 2022 Hudson Auto Leadership Conference, July 31st- August 2, 2022 in Indianapolis
• Transportation Lawyers Institute Conference, November 9^th, 2018
• Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference & CTLA Midyear Meeting, April 26th-29th, 2017
• American Bar Association Transportation Megaconference XIII, March 8th, 2017
• Transportation Lawyers Association Regional Seminar & Casualty Insurance Boot Camp, January 19th-20th, 2017
• Transportation Law Institute, November 4th, 2016
• Texas Trucking Association Annual Conference, July 27th-29th, 2016