• 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 in the Miami office, and one of the firm’s four Managing Partners. He has worked in many practice areas throughout his career, but today his practice is focused mostly on the defense of high exposure cases in the areas of medical malpractice and general liability. He has represented all of the major hospital systems in South Florida, as well as many of the major primary and excess insurance carriers.

 An academic who grew up playing chess with his grandfather, Oscar applies that same strategic thinking to his legal practice. He enjoys the strategy of litigation, and has a unique ability to look at the whole picture of a case and develop an early strategy to obtain success. Chess has taught him that every move, whether a pawn or a bishop, is important to a successful end result. Oscar was born in Havana, 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 as a trial lawyer for forty years, and has tried cases in every courthouse from West Palm Beach to Key West.

Oscar enjoys representing clients during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Whether he is representing a doctor, a truck driver, or a small business owner, he places a high priority on developing relationships with the individuals that he represents. Many times over the course of his career, former clients have stopped Oscar at the grocery store or at social events to thank him for the counsel he provided in helping to save their business or their professional license. It is those moments that he cherishes and that re-affirm his commitment to the practice of law.

In addition to his work as a trial lawyer, Oscar is a leader in the legal community in South Florida and beyond. He is currently serving as Chair of the USLAW NETWORK, Inc., a national legal organization. He has held various leadership positions in the American Board of Trial Advocates, including as a member of the national Board of Directors, and as past president and executive committee member of the Miami chapter. Oscar has also held section-chair and vice-chair positions within the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. From 2019 to 2022, he served as Chair of the Trial Tactics and Procedure Section for the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel and now serves as Chair Emeritus.

Oscar has been honored by Best Lawyers in America^© as the Miami Lawyer of the Year in Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants in 2018, 2022, and 2024, and as the Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants in 2023. He also holds an AV Preeminentrating from Martindale-Hubbel.

• 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