For Random Profiles, we randomly pick one of our 87,000-plus attorneys and do a Q&A. We’ve found that every Texas lawyer has an interesting story. Will yours be next?
Most important career lesson: As a litigator, credibility is the coin of the realm. It takes a career to earn it, and it can be lost in a moment.
Latest pursuit: Tried snowboarding recently, but that didn’t work out too well. I’ll stick to skiing.
Best thing about being a lawyer: Helping people in crisis moments of their lives, and helping people resolve disputes — being a peace maker.
Favorite album: Travelling Wilburys.
Favorite music/musician: Sting.
Favorite place to find albums: iTunes.
If you could be anyone else for a day, who would it be? A negotiator with the State Department.
Family: Married to wife of 18 years, Holley, and our nine kids aging in range from 16 years to 18 months old.
Areas of practice: Commercial and employment litigation, with a specialty in receivership work.
Education: B.A. Brigham Young University, J.D. Texas Tech University School of Law.
Bet you didn’t know: That I spent a year in Hawaii surfing during my first year of college.
Another little known fact: I have also been an adjunct professor of law since 2000 at Texas Tech, teaching Civil Rights Law.
Bad habit: Over committing to too many projects.
Culinary talent: Chocolate chip pancakes for my kids.
Community Involvement: Former Treasurer, Lubbock County Republican Party, and Scout Master, Troop 500, South Plains Council.
Mentors/heroes: Honorable Sam R. Cummings, United States District Judge, and Pete Baker, my mentor and partner from my former law firm.
Current Project: Winding up a stint as a Receiver in an SEC receivership involving over 250 investor victims and approximately $50 million in losses.
Favorite TV program: Special Report with Bret Baier.
Favorite artist: Minerva Teichert.
Favorite composers: Tchaikovsky.
Favorite saying/quote: “Pigs get fat, but hogs get slaughtered.”
Pet peeve: Having to wait for things to happen in the law.
Secret for staying young: Surround yourself with lots of small children.
Favorite movie: Lawrence of Arabia.
The last movie I saw: Unknown.
Favorite magazine: Wall Street Journal.
Favorite sport: Tennis.
Favorite restaurant: Lisa West’s Double Nickel Steakhouse in Lubbock, Texas.
Talents (besides law): Pretty good at guessing people’s ages.
Hobbies: Travel and reading. Generally like to read classics that I skipped reading in high school over last summer’s vacation to San Diego.
Books: The Classics; President Bush’s Autobiograhy.
If you weren’t an attorney, what profession do you think you would be in? I would like to work for the diplomatic corps in the State Department.
What has changed the most technologically or practice wise since you have been licensed? Email. It’s great because you can get crisp clear copies of attachments and access it easily. It’s also horrible because I receive a deluge of it daily, and there are high expectation levels for immediate turnaround on all emails.
How do you think the practice will change in the next 15 years? There will hopefully be fewer law schools, fewer lawyers, and lawyers will be forced to think more like business people in terms of making sound business decisions in terms of billing and servicing clients’ needs.
Fernando practices at the Law Offices of Fernando M. Bustos, P.C. in Lubbock.
You can also view Fernando’s TexasBar.com profile.
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Opinions and statements expressed in these profiles are those of their subjects – not the State Bar of Texas.