President-Elect
Adriana Leal was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas El Paso, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Sociology. She was a recipient of the El Paso Federal Bar Association scholarship, awarded to students pursuing a career in law for their dedication. Since coming to El Paso in 2002, she fell in love with the city’s rich culture and beautiful mountain views. Ms. Leal knew El Paso would be the best place to raise her family and has called El Paso home since then.
Ms. Leal obtained her law degree from St. Mary’s University, School of Law, in 2016. As a law student, she obtained invaluable experience through legal internships. Ms. Leal had the opportunity to work with attorneys specializing in immigration, probate, criminal defense, family, corporate, and employment law. She interned at the Executive Office of Immigration Review and various civil and criminal law firms throughout law school.
A first generation American, Ms. Leal is fluent in Spanish. In addition to her work through legal internships, Ms. Leal sought volunteer opportunities where her skills would be most useful. She volunteered with organizations such as The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) helping monolingual Spanish-speaking persons prepare U.S. Citizenship applications. She volunteered with private firms offering pro bono legal services to immigrant detainees at the Karnes County Detention facility. Ms. Leal also helped clients with immigration matters at the St. Mary’s Center for Legal & Social Justice as part of her law school curriculum. Ms. Leal obtained the Pro Bono and Public Service Certificate for her pro bono work as a law student.
As an attorney, Ms. Leal practiced law at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) from 2016 through 2018. TRLA is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the nation and offers free legal services to qualified individuals across sixty-eight Texas counties. At TRLA, Ms. Leal was assigned to the Pro Bono team and was a Staff Attorney on the Family team, practicing family law.
Since becoming an attorney, Ms. Leal has always strived to remain involved with the legal community. Ms. Leal is a member of the American Bar Association, American Inn of Courts, State Bar of Texas, the El Paso Bar Association, and the El Paso Women’s Bar Association. Ms. Leal is also a committee member for the Local Bar Leaders section of the State Bar of Texas. Ms. Leal was the EPWBA's President from 2020-2021 and now returns as President-Elect of the El Paso Women’s Bar Association for the 2022-2023 bar year. Ms. Leal also co-directs the Mentors in Law and Equality Program of the EPWBA.
Ms. Leal joined The Law Office of Diana Macias Valdez as an Associate Attorney in 2018.Since joining the firm, she has practiced exclusively labor and employment law, catering to businesses of all sizes and industries in the El Paso/ Chihuahua area. Ms. Leal consults in English and Spanish on all employment related matters.
In her free time, Ms. Leal enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She enjoys taking road trips with her husband and two sons. Ms. Leal’s favorite place to visit is Mexico, and she maintains close ties with her family there. Having grown up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Ms. Leal has experienced the life and culture of two border cities. Her experience as a Mexican American and border resident gives her a unique perspective on the legal needs of border communities.