Fernando Leal-Calandra is an experienced personal injury attorney with positive results in and out of trial.  He has represented clients against some of the largest insurance companies, helped defend the rights of criminal defendants, and guided individuals through the complex immigration process. His years of experience handling personal injury cases from start to finish gives him a unique perspective and efficient results.

Before starting LEAL-CALANDRA LEGAL, Fernando received his Juris Doctorate from UNT Dallas College of Law, where he served as President of the Criminal Law Society.  Fernando was an avid competitor in mock trial tournaments.  His team won the first annual North Texas Mock Trial Competition, where Fernando earned the Best Advocate of the Competition Award.  He  also gained practical experience as a student attorney with the Dallas Public Defenders Office.

Fernando worked at several Dallas-area law firms.  Those experiences provided him valuable insights into client case management, and an opportunity to see how different-sized law firms ran their operations.  This allowed Fernando to create Leal-Calandra Legal with a clear purpose in mind: empower, educate, and protect members of his community.  Fernando is committed to providing you with personalized service and working your legal problem carefully from start to finish.

Edward Tapia Jr. joins LEAL-CALANDRA LEGAL as a Texas personal injury attorney who represents individuals and families who have been seriously injured due to the negligence of others. His practice focuses on motor vehicle accidents, commercial trucking collisions, premises liability claims, and dog bite cases throughout Texas. Over the course of his career, Edward has handled a wide range of personal injury matters and has played a key role in complex, high-exposure litigation. Notably, he helped a personal injury case survive dismissal based on res judicata, allowing the claim to move forward on its merits. Edward is also known for applying sustained pressure in negotiations, continuing to press insurance carriers when they delay or insist that no better offer is available.

Edward earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law, where he attended from 2019 to 2022. While in law school, he was a member of the Hispanic Law Student Association and distinguished himself as an advocate by winning the inaugural UNT Dallas Kastle Law Mock Trial Competition in 2020 as part of the four-member championship team. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration. During his undergraduate studies, Edward was a member of the Veterans Association and received Dean’s List recognition.

Before entering the legal profession, Edward served ten years in the United States Army, enlisting at the age of twenty. He served as a parachute rigger, conducting airborne operations, and later as a human intelligence collector, a role that required advanced analytical training and the study of Farsi. His military service included assignments at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as assignments in California, Arizona, and Texas. Edward deployed three times in support of U.S. operations in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He also served on a military burial team, providing full military honors for fallen veterans; an assignment he considers one of the greatest honors of his service.

As a personal injury lawyer at LEAL-CALANDRA LEGAL, Edward brings the discipline, preparation, and accountability developed through military service into every case he handles. He approaches each matter with the expectation that it will be tried to a jury, a mindset that drives thorough case development, strategic litigation positioning, and strong advocacy on behalf of his clients. Edward is committed to clear communication, meticulous preparation, and achieving meaningful results for injured Texans.

This page is general information about legal services and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. In contingency fee cases, the client may be responsible for case costs and expenses. Responsible attorney: Fernando Leal-Calandra, Princeton, Texas.