Ernesto “Ernie” L. Cisneros
Areas of Practice
Ernesto ("Ernie") Cisneros practices in the areas of business transactions, real estate, commercial lending, construction law, administrative and public law, U.S./Mexico trade and investment, and cross-border litigation management in the firm's Business Department. Mr. Cisneros represents domestic and foreign manufacturing companies and financial institutions in connection with their operations and transactions in the U.S. and Mexico. Mr. Cisneros has worked on U.S.-Mexico transactions, both in-bound and outbound, for over 20 years. Having worked in Mexico City for a prominent Mexican law firm and on numerous projects around Mexico, he has developed relationships with attorneys and other professionals in every major market in Mexico. The scope of his representation includes corporate structuring, maquiladora establishment and permitting, shelter and contract manufacturing, labor and employment matters, property acquisition and leasing, acquisitions, joint ventures, customs compliance and seizures, trademarks, secured lending, construction law, dispute resolution, and litigation management. Being a U.S. and Mexican citizen, and having lived most of his life on the U.S.-Mexico Border, Mr. Cisneros is bicultural, fluent in Spanish, and highly sensitive to the nuances of working in Mexico. Mr. Cisneros is also general counsel to several water utilities. He advises them on all administrative, water, and governmental law matters. He is past Co-Chair of the National Association of Credit Management, El Paso Mex-US Group and is a member of the State Bar of Texas International and Business Law Sections, the El Paso Bar Association, the U.S.-Mexico Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Cisneros received a B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985 and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1989. He also completed the University of Houston Law Center's Mexican Legal Studies Program in Mexico City in 1988.
Professional Affiliations
- State Bar of Texas, International and Business Law Sections
- Texas-Mexico Bar Association
- El Paso Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Bars & Courts
- Texas, 1989
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Education
- University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 1985
- University of Houston, Mexican Legal Studies Program,
- Mexico City, 1988
- University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1989
Professional and Civic Involvement
In 2009, Mr. Cisneros was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to serve on the Supreme Court Task Force on International Law Practice in Texas. The Task Force reviews the Texas rules on the admission requirements for foreign lawyers, make recommendations on revisions to the rules, and draft proposed amendments.
