San Antonio Attorney Cesar Ornelas Talks About His Greatest Example and Inspiration

Cesar Ornelas was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. In his early years, he was raised in a mobile home park.

It was during this time that Cesar Ornelas and his father would go around selling watermelons 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 Cesar Ornelas supported himself by successfully starting and operating multiple companies.

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

Cesar Ornelas is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Additionally, he has been named as a life member of 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 than 1% 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.

Cesar Ornelas recently was engaged to represent several victims of the November 5, 2021 tragedy at the Astroworld Music Festival that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured.

Another recent case of note, Cesar Ornelas Law filed a lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $10,000,000 on behalf of a toddler sex abuse victim and her family. The court has accepted the lawsuit and the family is working with San Antonio Police and Child Protective Services regarding their investigations.

We had the opportunity to connect with Cesar Ornelas to discuss some of his influences and the inspirations that helped him build a successful personal injury practice.

Why is San Antonio a great place to live and work?

San Antonio is a wonderful city. It is very diverse and a terrific place to raise a family. You can get the big and small city feel all in one. Additionally, the community rallies together when people are in need.

San Antonio has the heart it does because the people who live here actually care about one another, and it shows.

Can you share an example of a recent decision you made and the steps you took to reach your goal?

I recently decided to hire a professional assistant for our firm. I realized that Cesar Ornelas Law was growing, and my travel was increasing. This meant that I needed to have someone on our team who would be able to handle the smaller details of our practice.

The first step I took was establishing the need, and the second was promoting the job via online job boards. The final step was interviewing and selecting the best person for the role – one who I believe will help keep myself organized, but also be able manage the many responsibilities of a busy law firm and support the rest of our team.

Who is the one entrepreneur to be your greatest example and inspiration?  Why?

I have always admired Elon Musk for his hard work and dedication. He is a true visionary, helping to transform transportation on Earth, through electric car maker Tesla — and in space, with SpaceX, a rocket company.

Elon Musk had an idea that he believed could change the world, and he has stopped at nothing to see that his vision becomes a reality. In the process, he has succeeded in providing society with a new and innovate approach to something that most of us do every day.

What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others? 
(include websites, blogs or Twitter profiles, etc. – please don’t include yourself).

Warren Buffet, Robert Kiyosaki and Rockefeller have each influenced my thinking. 

Warren Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and the “Oracle of Omaha” as he is affectionately known, is one of the most successful investors in the history of the world.  He has a net worth of over $117 billion.  Some of the things I admire about Warren Buffett is his consistency, and his ability to translate complicated investing concepts in a way that everyone can understand, where he focuses on value and talent and has an uncanny ability to recognize both.

Robert Kiyosaki was born in Hawaii in 1947.  It’s been 25 years since he published the best-selling book, Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! It taught me to understand that everyone has choices in life. It also shows that learning doesn’t end when you leave school, it is when you leave school that learning really begins.

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, and became one of the wealthiest men in the world and a major philanthropist who used his wealth to improve the world.  His wealth created the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, in memory of his wife, and the General Education Board. The University of Chicago was another large beneficiary of Rockefeller’s largesse.

I believe that these men might be of interest to others because each of them helped pave the way for bigger and better things.