About Daniel De La
Daniel De La Garza earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2011 and went on to complete his Juris Doctor at South Texas College of Law in 2014. His academic path kept him in Texas law circles, where classroom experience and local legal networks shaped his entry into criminal law practice. He completed law school the same year he began working in criminal defense.
He began practicing criminal defense in 2014 and has worked at De La Garza Criminal Defense, PLLC. Over the years he has handled matters in both state courts and federal courts. He is licensed to practice in Texas and admitted to appear in the Federal Western District of Texas and the Federal Southern District of Texas. Those credentials allow him to take cases that span municipal charges through more complex federal investigations.
De La Garza’s professional associations include memberships in the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the San Antonio Bar Association. He has held those memberships since 2014. The local and statewide groups give him access to continuing legal education and peer discussions on criminal practice in Texas.
His day-to-day work covers the usual phases of criminal cases: initial consultations, arraignment, discovery review, motions practice, plea discussions and trial preparation. He represents clients at hearings and trials and handles the procedural work that follows pretrial litigation. He deals with matters that arise in both state and federal dockets, which often require attention to differing procedural rules and timelines.
Colleagues and clients describe him as practical in the courtroom. He tends to present arguments plainly and to press for resolution where possible, while reserving trial work for cases that require it. He focuses on the strategic choices that arise in criminal cases—when to challenge evidence, when to seek suppression, and when to test the government’s proof at trial—rather than relying on one-size-fits-all approaches.
Outside the courtroom he keeps current through professional association programs and local legal events. He also maintains ties to the San Antonio legal community through the San Antonio Bar Association and the city’s criminal defense bar. He currently practices criminal defense at De La Garza Criminal Defense, PLLC, representing clients in state and federal courts.
