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Micah Galindo is a homegrown attorney—born, raised, and educated in San Antonio.
And he’s happy to have found a unicorn opportunity in his hometown through hard work and fate. He is currently associate general counsel of enterprise litigation for USAA, a Fortune 500 leading financial services company that serves the military community. The company’s San Antonio roots and military-focused mission are a perfect fit for Galindo, who grew up with friends who served and whose grandfather served in the Marines.
Through a nontraditional legal path, he learned lessons that have made him an asset in his role. He handles high-profile class action, consumer finance, and intellectual property litigation, providing business advice and serving as a trusted partner for USAA Bank, one of the company’s three lines of business, which also include property and casualty insurance and life insurance.
Galindo is a firm believer that everyone’s experience matters. However, he admits that he wrestled with this idea as it related to his own journey. An interest in constitutional law drew him to law school, but upon graduation, he struggled with how to begin his career. He ended up at a small general civil litigation firm, where he was hired to support a partner. “On my first day, I remember them being like, ‘Well, you’re on your own now,’ and expecting me to bring in business,” he recalls.
“I’ve always dealt with imposter syndrome, but doing the work on my own taught me to believe in myself and . . . about the consumer finance world. I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have that experience of having only myself to rely on.”
Micah Galindo
Though it was a challenge, Galindo learned to build his own practice and litigate. While most early-career associates were drafting motions or working on discovery, he had the opportunity to work all kinds of civil law cases from beginning to end.
His next role involved taking on consumer finance litigation work for the first time. It’s also where he was thrown another career curveball. The firm’s senior managing partner and staff left the firm abruptly a few months after Galindo started, leaving him to handle cases and wind down the firm’s local office on his own. He managed it well, retaining part of the client base, which led to him starting his own firm.
“I’ve always dealt with imposter syndrome, but doing the work on my own taught me to believe in myself and . . . about the consumer finance world,” he reflects. “I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have that experience of having only myself to rely on.”
Galindo went on to serve as the vice president of legal at Assessment Technologies, a property tax consulting firm. There, he was a jack of all trades, working in litigation, building the company’s client base, negotiating contracts, and handling collections for delinquent accounts. These experiences now inform his work today, where he is the lead litigation attorney for USAA Bank.
“When you’re open to different or diverse points of view, you’re open to more out-of-the-box solutions.”
Micah Galidno
He advises young attorneys to have self-confidence. “Even in those times when you don’t believe you have a shot, you just have to close your eyes and take the next step to put yourself out there,” Galindo says.
Beyond his legal role, he is a leader who brings people together and makes them feel like they belong by valuing their experiences. “I’ve made it my goal to further integrate my litigation team with the subject matter experts and the business client so we can learn from each other’s knowledge and perspectives,” the AGC explains.
As a result, Galindo has helped foster a greater level of cross-departmental collaboration. He also has helped effectively navigate lawsuits by maintaining an open mind.
“When you’re open to different or diverse points of view, you’re open to more out-of-the-box solutions,” he observes. “In litigation, you’re dealing with courts and opposing and outside counsel. But, at the end of the day, you’re really dealing with people who have different perspectives on things. When you’re more open minded, it helps make the litigation process smoother because you can understand where people are coming from instead of creating a more adversarial situation.”
“Micah is a pleasure to work with as outside counsel. He is thorough and clear, and his knack for developing innovative legal strategies while staying focused on the bigger picture makes him stand out. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.”
—Megan Starace Ben’Ary and Daniel T. Plunkett, Partners
“Micah has unparalleled vision and provides thoughtful and pragmatic solutions on a wide range of complex issues. His legal instincts and acumen are second to none. It is an honor to have gained Micah’s trust and confidence for so many years.”
—Marc D. Cabrera, Shareholder
