Cesar Ornelas: The Qualities of a Great Lawyer and What It Takes to Succeed

By  //  August 29, 2022

Cesar Ornelas was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and he was raised in a mobile home park in Kyle, Texas. It was during this time that Cesar and his father would go around selling watermelons locally in order to provide for his family. Through this life lesson, Cesar learned the value of hard work and discipline.

These values translated through to his education through both college and law school, during which he supported himself by successfully starting and operating multiple companies and took active interest in helping other underprivileged Texas youth find opportunities to realize their dreams.

Cesar Ornelas started to practice law after graduating from St. Mary’s Law School in record time. He has been handling catastrophic personal injury and death cases since his first day in practice. Since becoming a lawyer, Cesar Ornelas has done significant work for his clients throughout the state of Texas and the United States.

In addition to being a member of the State Bar of Texas, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Cesar Ornelas has been named as a life member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. The Million Dollar Advocates Forum is recognized as one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States and less than1% of U.S. lawyers are members.

In the spring of 2021, Cesar Ornelas was selected to be a part of The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, an invitation-only program extended exclusively to those trial lawyers practicing civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense law.

What qualities do you think a good lawyer should have?

The qualities a good lawyer will have are attention to detail, the ability to actively listen, and adaptability. The details of a case can really make or break it so if an attorney is not actively listening to a client, they may not end up with the best outcome for them.

Things are constantly changing and an attorney needs to be able to swivel and pivot with the changes to maintain a positive outcome. 

I believe the number one quality that a good lawyer will have is the ability to care. In this profession, you must truly care for your client in order to be a good advocate for them.

At The Cesar Ornelas Firm, we are constantly representing underprivileged people against Fortune 500 companies. You have to truly care about your client, their story, and their case in order to be successful against these large corporations. 

What types of lawyers succeed at your firm and why?

The attorneys that really flourish in the environment that we’ve created at my firm are those that take initiative to learn what they might not know yet, share knowledge, and are willing to ask questions. Having an open mind and eagerness to share what you know helps to not only build your own expertise and knowledge bank but the team of people around you. 

Which area of law is the most interesting to you and why?

Personal Injury is definitely the most interesting area of law to me, and that’s the reason I went into it. I see personal injury law as a David vs. Goliath story. We have the ability to give a true voice to the voiceless and fight for those who are unable to fight for themselves. Coming out victorious for them is the greatest reward. 

What kinds of things give you the most satisfaction in your work?

What satisfies me the most is knowing that my team and I did all we could for a client and were able to take care of their needs. It’s so gratifying to see my team taking the right steps to put a client’s life back together after they’ve encountered such a terrible situation. 

What changes do you expect to see in the firm over the next five years?

I am expecting tremendous growth in the firm over the next five years. We have already grown at an astronomical rate and I anticipate that we will continue to do so.

My team cares about our clients and that’s what has helped the firm to stand out among the rest. The best thing about this growth is knowing that we are helping more and more people.