Practice Areas: Business Litigation, Appellate, Constitutional Law; view more
Licensed in Texas since: 1997
Education: Texas Tech University School of Law
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2024 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2007 - 2010 Details
At the helm of Bustos Law Firm, P.C., Fernando M. Bustos navigates the complex realms of constitutional and commercial litigation, intellectual property, labor and employment law, receiverships, and appeals. He operates out of Lubbock, Texas, and offers services to the local community. Alongside his legal work, he actively manages trademark and copyright registrations and has successfully mediated and arbitrated employment discrimination disputes.
Mr. Bustos began his legal journey at Texas Tech University School of Law, graduating in 1997. He honed his legal acumen as a briefing attorney for the Honorable Sam R. Cummings at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Before establishing Bustos Law Firm, P.C., he was a partner at one of Lubbock’s most venerable law firms, where he further refined his legal prowess.
With legal credentials from Texas since 1997 and New Mexico since 2018, Mr. Bustos is authorized to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States Tax Court, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He has also served as a receiver for the SEC case involving over 250 investor victims, while also securing a $150 million judgment in a separate investment fraud case.
Mr. Bustos’ leadership capabilities are evidenced by his former role as chairman of the Federal Court Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas – a prestigious group of attorneys that provides counsel on practice issues to the federal courts. From 2000 to 2013, he enriched minds as an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University School of Law, teaching civil rights law and the art of client counseling .
A knowledgeable professional, Mr. Bustos is peer-review rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell, underscoring his professional excellence. He is also proficient in Spanish, adding a valuable dimension to his professional capabilities.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Business Litigation, Appellate, Constitutional Law, Employment & Labor: Employee, Employment Litigation: Defense, Intellectual PropertyFocus areas
Appeals, Copyrights, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law - Employee, Employment Law - Employer, Intellectual Property Law, Labor Law, Non-Compete Agreements, Patents, Retaliation, Sexual Harassment, Trade Secret, Trademarks, Unions, Wage & Hour Laws, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
- 50% Business Litigation
- 10% Appellate
- 10% Constitutional Law
- 10% Employment & Labor: Employee
- 10% Employment Litigation: Defense
- 10% Intellectual Property
First Admitted: 1997, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://www.bustoslawfirm.com/attorneys/fernando-m-bustos/
- Member, Court Advisory Committee, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 2008
- Bar Association for the Fifth Federal Circuit Lubbock County Bar Association
- Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals, 2024-2027
- Treasurer, Lubbock County Republican Party, 2006-2008
- Member, Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the Reappointment of United States Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig, 2006
- Chairman, United States Magistrate Judge Selection Panel, Northern District of Texas, 2016
- Member, Federal Court Advisory Committee, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 2006-2008
- Texas, 1997
- New Mexico, 2018
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 2017
- United States District Court of New Mexico, 2016
- United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, 1998
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, 1998
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 1998
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 1998
- United States Tax Court, 2006
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1999
- Supreme Court of the United States, 2001
- American Board of Trial Advocates, President, Lubbock Chapter, 2019
- Chairman, Court Advisory Committee, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 2009 - 2011
- Director, Lubbock County Bar Association, 2004-2007
- Jose Miguel Guemez v. Charles Hodges, et al; No. 017-233898-08
- Nutrition Physiology Corp. v. Enviros Ltd., 87 F. Supp.2d 648 (N.D. Tex. 2000)
- Nat’l Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Ass’n v. Black, 107 F.4th 415, No. 23-10520, 2024 WL 3311366 (5th Cir. Jul. 5, 2024)
- Williams v. Viswanathan, 64 S.W.3d 624 (Tex. App. C Amarillo, 2001, no. pet.)
- Williams v. Viswanathan, 65 S.W.3d 685 (Tex. App. C Amarillo, 2001, no. pet.)
- Galindo v. Dean, 69 S.W.3d 623 (Tex. App.C Eastland, 2002, no pet.)
- Dow AgroSciences LLC v. Bates, et al., 205 F. Supp. 2d 623 (N.D. Tex. 2002)
- Wamco XXVIII, Ltd. v. Casa Grande Cotton Finance Co.; Chickasaw Cotton Oil Co. and Michael D. Hicks, Substitute Trustee, 314 F. Supp. 2d 655 (N.D. Tex. 2004)
- Lentz v. Spanky’s Restaurant II, Ltd., d/b/a Double Nickel Steakhouse, 491 F. Supp. 2d 661 (N.D. Tex. 2007)
- Teague v. Norcold, Inc., 774 F. Supp. 2d 817 (N.D. Tex. 2011)
- Venture Cotton Cooperative et al. v. Freeman, et al., 435 S.W.3d 222 (Tex. 2014)
- Nat’l Fed. Of Indep. Bus. v. Perez, No. 5:16-CV-00066-C, 2016 WL 3766121 (N.D. Tex. June 27, 2016)
- Wetherbe v. Tex. Tech Univ. Sys., 699 F. App’x 297 (5th Cir. 2017)
- Wetherbe v. Goebel, No. 07-16-00179-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 1676 (Tex. App. – Amarillo, Mar. 6, 2018)
- Wagner v. FedEx Freight, Inc., No. 5:17-CV-264 M-BQ, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80264 (Apr. 17, 2018)
- In re Gilbreath, No. 07-20-00244-CV, 2021 WL 450970 (Tex. App.— Amarillo Feb. 8, 2021, orig. proceeding.)
- Nat’l Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Ass’n v. Black, 53 F.4th 869, No. 22-10387, 2022 WL 17075011 (5th Cir. Nov. 18, 2022)
- In re Westchester Surplus Lines Ins. Co., No. 07-22-00329-CV, 2023 WL 4488269 (Tex. App.—Amarillo Jul. 10, 2023)
- Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, Lubbock County Bar Association, 2003
- Lubbock Magazine Top Attorney 2019
- 2005-2011 Texas Monthly “Texas Rising Star” Attorney
- 2014-2023 Texas Monthly “Super Lawyer”
- 2016 Lubbock Business Person of the Year – Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
- Brigham Young University, Kennedy School of International Studies, Provo, Utah, Bachelor of Arts major in International Relations & minor in Spanish, 1994
- · Texas Tech University School of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence, Lubbock, Texas (1997)
- Voir Dire, American Board of Trial Advocates – Texas Chapter, September 13, 2022, Lubbock, Texas, .5-hour seminar
- Fifth Circuit Survey—Civil Rights Law, 33 Tex. Tech. L. Rev.756 (2002)
- Fifth Circuit Survey—Civil Rights Law, 38 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 743 (2006
- Fifth Circuit Survey—Civil Rights Law, 39 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 719 (2007)
- 2001 Suing and Defending Governmental Entities MCLE Course, State Bar of Texas, July 26–27, 2001, San Antonio, Texas, “Making a Federal Case of It: Pleadings in Federal Court”, .5 hour seminar/paper presented
- 17th Annual Advanced Evidence and Discovery Course, State Bar of Texas, April 29, 2004, Houston, Texas, “Cookin’ With HB 4”, .5 hour seminar/paper presented
- Demystifying the Fifth Circuit and Federal Practice Bar Association of the Fifth Federal, Circuit September 24, 2010, Lubbock, Texas, 1 hour seminar
- 35th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course, State Bar of Texas, August 24, 2012, Dallas, Texas & October 19, 2012, Houston, Texas, Federal Law Update
- Firearms Seminar, Amarillo Bar Association, April 19, 2013, Amarillo, Texas, Constitutional Law/Second Amendment, .5 hour seminar/Paper presented
- The Seventh Amendment Right to a Jury Trial and Legal News You Can Use, American Board of Trial Advocates, October 24, 2019, Lubbock, Texas, Academic First Amendment Issues, .5-hour seminar/Paper presented
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2024
- Rising Stars: 2007 - 2010
