San Antonio Automotive Litigator to Join Dykema

Daniela Gonzales Aldape, a San Antonio litigator with significant experience representing clients in the automotive industry, is joining Dykema as a member on Aug. 1, the firm announced recently. 

Aldape, who practiced the last 17 years at San Antonio trial boutique Prichard Young, gains a national platform with the move to Dykema, which has 13 offices and is headquartered in the Motor City. 

“Dykema is a natural fit for my experience and relationships in the automotive industry,” Aldape said. “I’ve been aware of Dykema’s excellent reputation in the automotive space for years and this seemed like a wonderful opportunity to expand my practice and further enhance Dykema’s automotive presence in Texas.” 

Aldape focuses her practice on product liability and commercial litigation matters and has tried cases in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Her clients are primarily original equipment manufacturers. 

When asked what is keeping her clients up at night, Aldape answered “discovery, motions to compel and then more discovery.” 

“Sometimes the best way to handle multifarious and burdensome discovery is knowing when to fight and when to compromise,” she said. 

“Texas may be a big state, but the automotive practice world here is small and I have been fortunate to have excellent working relationships with opposing counsel across the state. Those relationships took years to build, but they provide a solid foundation of mutual respect that helps resolve discovery issues outside of the courtroom.” 

In-house counsel across industries are also watching to see how juror attitudes and tendencies have changed since March 2020, Aldape said, especially as jury trials begin to resume. 

“A lot has happened in our country since that time, including but not limited to the pandemic,” she said. “Trial attorneys and their clients are actively assessing how the changes over the last year will be reflected in jury deliberations and verdicts.”