Principal Attorney, Lawman Legal

Roberto M. Garcia is a lifelong resident of the Rio Grande Valley, making his home in McAllen, Texas. He received his BA degree in Government from Texas A & I University in Kingsville, Texas in 1972 and his Juris Doctor degree from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas in 1976. He was licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas in May of 1976, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in March of 1977 and the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in June of 2003. In 2006 was trained by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service as a Labor Arbitrator. He entered the United States Army National Guard in 1970 while in college and was honorably discharged in 1976 with the rank of Sp 4.

Throughout his legal career Mr. Garcia has actively represented law enforcement employees and their respective unions on a contract basis at the municipal, county, state and federal levels. The law enforcement unions include the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA), Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC). Mr. Garcia was instrumental in forming and establishing the first police officer union in McAllen, Texas, South Texas Organization of Police (STOP/IUPA), and in spearheading successful civil service and collective bargaining referendums. Mr. Garcia has also successfully negotiated police collective bargaining agreements in the cities of McAllen, Harlingen, Weslaco and Brownsville, Texas. Mr. Garcia has represented law enforcement unions and employees in all forums including arbitration tribunals, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), as well as state and federal courts. Mr. Garcia has represented numerous law enforcement agents and officers before independent hearing officers (arbitrators) in arbitrations and in hearings before commissions concerning issues such as absence/leave, alcohol/drug abuse, bonuses, classification, demotion, discharge/removal and suspensions, discrimination, grievances, management rights and past practice.

Mr. Garcia also has extensive experience as an employee advocate in handling internal investigations, critical incident responses, officer involved shootings, death in custody matters, federal suspension and removal proceedings, disciplinary appeals, arbitrations, grievances, and EEOC and MSPB matters. Mr. Garcia also represents federal officers/agents in Department of Justice Civil Rights Investigations, Federal Grand Jury Civil Rights Investigations as well as investigations before the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS/OIG). Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility (ICE/OPR), Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility (DHS/CBP/OPR). Mr. Garcia also represents municipal police, county deputy sheriffs, county deputy constables and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers before their respective Office of Professional Responsibility, Disciplinary Review Boards, Shooting Review Boards, Civil Service Commissions and Independent Hearing Examiners.