• 2004, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
• 1985, Florida; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
• 1984 – 2024, Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

• University of Miami (J.D., 1984)
• Northwestern University (B.A., 1981)

Havana, Cuba

Oscar Cabanas

Oscar J. Cabanas is a Shareholder and one of the four Managing Partners of the firm.  He also serves as the firm’s General Counsel.

Oscar has enjoyed a diverse career which began defending physicians in medical malpractice cases during the time Florida was suffering through an explosion of malpractice filings. Then, with extensive trial experience behind him, his practice evolved to include the representation of hospital and healthcare networks throughout the state.  His extensive trial experience and reputation then led him to be called into high exposure general liability claims, ranging from products liability, transportation, negligent security cases and other miscellaneous claims.  Oscar also has handled non-personal injury cases such as legal malpractice, and bad faith and coverage litigation.

Oscar was born in Cuba, to parents who were both lawyers. He moved to Miami with his mother as a child and pursued a career in law as a way to honor his parents. A fluent Spanish speaker, Oscar has been serving the diverse jurisdictions of South Florida for forty years and has tried cases in every courthouse from West Palm Beach to Key West.

In addition to his work as a trial lawyer, it has been important to Oscar to give back to his community and legal profession in South Florida and nationally.   He became involved with the USLAW Network when it was founded and served in many leadership roles culminating in holding the position as the Chair of the USLAW Board of Directors from 2023 to 2024, where he still serves as chair emeritus.  With his trial experience, Oscar was selected to become a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) where he eventually became president of the Miami Chapter in 2009.  He was then elected to serve on the National Board of Directors for ABOTA.  Oscar has held section-chair and vice-chair positions within the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), including as Chair of the Trial Tactics and Procedure Section.

Throughout his career, Oscar has received numerous awards and rankings from his peers and professional legal organizations. He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been honored by Best Lawyers in America^© from 2018 to 2026 in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Defense, including as the Lawyer of the Year in 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Oscar holds a Band 1 ranking in Chambers and has been recognized by Super Lawyers for years.

Mr. Cabanas is married to his wife Leonor, “Leo”.  He has two grown children.  He enjoys golf, plays guitar, and enjoys reading history.

• American Bar Association
• American Society for Healthcare Risk Management
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Defense Lawyer of the Year, 2020
  • Representative, National Board, 2016-Present
  • Executive Committee, Member
  • Past President, 2010
• American Hospital Association
• Cuban American Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC), 2006-Present
  • Chair Emeritus, 2022- present
  • Section-Chair, The Trial Tactics Section, 2019-2022
  • Vice-Chair, The Trial Tactics Section, 2016-2019
• Florida Defense Lawyers Association
• Florida Hospital Association
• Litigation Counsel of America
  • Senior Fellow, 2017
• Miami-Dade County Bar Association
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• USLAW Network, Inc.
  • Chair, 2024
  • Executive Committee, Membership Management Director, 2021
  • Board of Directors, Member, 2019-Present
  • Vice Program Chair, Professional Liability, 2019 Fall Conference