Daniela Peinado Welsh
AssociateAbout
Daniela is a first-chair litigator and trial lawyer who is passionate about serving clients’ short- and long-term needs. She represents families and businesses in complex cases ranging from $20K to $20M at issue. She is licensed to practice in Texas, California, and D.C.
Daniela looks for cost-effective ways to resolve issues, but welcomes a trial, having taken cases to verdict in federal court, state court, and arbitration. She handles all phases of a civil suit – from pre-suit investigations, injunctions, demand letters, pleadings, lis pendens notices, motions, hearings, depositions, discovery, mediation, settlements, trials, to class action and multidistrict litigation. She also manages post-judgment and appellate litigation.
Before joining the full-service litigation team at GDHM, Daniela had several formative experiences. She worked for household names at a global law firm. She received a world‑class legal education during federal clerkships. And she studied at Notre Dame Law School, where she was one of ten students invited to join both the Law Review and Moot Court Board. She was also Co-President of the Hispanic Law Students Association.
Daniela credits her resolve to being a woman of faith and descendant of Bolivian immigrants. She and her husband met over a decade ago on a fateful bus ride from Barcelona to Madrid. They are the parents of two spunky girls.
Professional Qualifications
Daniela has the following credentials:
- Education:
- Notre Dame Law School (2018 Juris Doctor, with honors): Law Review; Moot Court Board; Dean’s Awards, Legal Writing I & II; Co-President, Hispanic Law Students Association; Assistant Rector, Lyons Hall
- University of San Diego Law School (2014 Post-Baccalaureate Paralegal Certificate, with honors): Ranked First in Class
- University of California at Santa Barbara (2013 Bachelor of Arts): Attended Full-Immersion Program at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona
- Experience:
- Judicial Clerk, Hon. Lee Yeakel (2020–2022)
- Litigation Associate, Morrison & Foerster LLP (2018–2020); Summer Associate (Summer 2016 & 2017)
- Judicial Clerk, Hon. Anthony Patti (Fall 2018)
- Litigation Law Clerk, Suppa Trucchi & Henein LLP (2014–2015)
- Judicial Extern, Hon. Brian Hill (Summer 2012)
- Admissions:
- U.S. District Court for the Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Central, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Representative Matters
Her litigation experience has involved these highlights:
- Obtained successful jury verdict in $20M specific-performance lawsuit
- Chaired federal jury trial for matter of public interest covered by Texas Monthly
- Enforced contract for SaaS technology company through to arbitration award
- Garnered pre-judgment relief to quickly make defrauded business owners whole
- Collected on renewed, ten-year-old judgment using post-judgment receivership
- Achieved rescission of deeds as first-chair lawyer for executors of estate
- Secured First-Amendment victory for historic Baptist church at no cost to client
- Drafted trial and appellate briefs for government officials in Section 1983 litigation
- Briefed and argued pro bono case at U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- Conducted impact litigation for children’s rights in conjunction with nonprofit
- Managed plaintiff- and defense-side litigation in complex, multiparty disputes
- Exercised proficiency in multidistrict litigation on behalf of local homeowners
- Defended Fortune 5 company in class action involving customer data
- Provided antitrust counseling for Fortune 100 company
Community Affiliations
Daniela loves cultivating community, participating in the groups below:
- Austin Bar Association, Civil Litigation Board & Trial Notebook Committee
- Alpha Phi Board
- Calvert Inn of Court
- Cafecito Network of Austin
- Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association
- Mother Attorney Mentoring Association
- Mueller Neighborhood Association
- Notre Dame Club of Austin
- Providence Church
- LeadershipSBOT, Class of 2024–2025
Press
Publications and Presentations
Daniela values staying ahead of legal developments. She has written or spoken on:
- “The Ins and Outs of Following the Disclosure Rules,” Texas Bar CLE (forthcoming 2024)
- “What Lawyers and Clients Should Know about Texas’s Business Courts,” Land & Mineral Owner Seminar (2024)
- “Are Business and Other Specialty Courts Coming to Texas?”, Austin Bar Association (2023)
- “Paths to the Bench,” Cafecito Network of Austin (2023)
- “The Anatomy of a Federal Pleading,” Texas State Bar (2023)
- “Federal Judges Collaborate on Zoom, Ask Attorneys to Do the Same,” ABTL Report (2020)
- “How FDA is Monitoring the COVID-19 Product Market,” Life Sciences Blog (2020)
- “FDA, FTC Actions Against COVID-19 Products Continue,” Class Dismissed Blog (2020)
- “FDA, FTC Send Warning Letters to Companies Marketing Products to Treat Coronavirus; State Attorneys General Follow Suit,” Class Dismissed Blog (2020)
- “The Future of Multidistrict Litigation,” 51 Conn. L. Rev. 769 (2019) (co-authored with Professor Jay Tidmarsh)
- “Contrasting Andean Attitudes toward Foreign Direct Investment,” 1 Glob. Soc’y J. 9 (2013)
Awards
- Super Lawyers Rising Star (Thomson Reuters, 2024)
- Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services (California State Bar, 2020)