Francisco Canales

Quick Look

Francisco “Frank” Canales graduated from The University of Alabama, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree (summa cum laude) in 2014 and his Juris Doctor in 2017. Frank is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Alabama and is a native Spanish speaker.

In law school, Frank was a junior editor of the Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review, successfully auditioned for the Competitive Trial Advocacy class, and competed in the Campbell Moot Court Competition. For his excellent advocacy skills, Frank was selected for the school’s Moot Court Board and selected to represent the school at the HNBA Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition in Miami, where he was judged by Florida state and federal trial court judges and distinguished as the Second Best Oralist from a pool of more than eighty competitors.

Some of his representative experience includes serving as first chair counsel in bench and jury trials—including catastrophic injury cases, drafting appellate briefs and attending oral arguments, obtaining partial directed verdicts, obtaining full summary judgment for a trucking company in a wrongful death case arising from a vehicular accident, obtaining an early and final dismissal on technical grounds for all named corporate defendants in a commercial premises liability case, drafting and arguing numerous substantive and dispositive motions, attending and assisting in construction defect and in car wreck jury trials, negotiating numerous favorable settlements, and taking and attending 200+ depositions, including expert witnesses.

The following is list of Florida cases, where Frank received favorable litigation results for his clients:

Byers v. Estates of Lake Linda (Pasco County)-summary judgment granted to landlord defendant on the grounds of the Open and Obvious Danger Doctrine and lack of proximate cause in this alleged premises liability injury case.

Quintana v. Alamo Construction (Hillsborough County)-summary judgment granted to general contractor defendant on the grounds of no breach of a duty of care and on the Open and Obvious Danger Doctrine in this alleged premises liability and construction zone injury case.

Ballard v. TLC Roofing (Hernando County)-summary judgment granted to general contractor defendant on the grounds of impermissible stacking of inferences and lack of proximate cause in this alleged roofing nail injury case.

Henson, Larraine v. IMH4 (Pinellas County)-summary judgment granted to landlord defendant on the grounds of waiver and pre-activity release in this premises liability injury case.

Kubacki v. Propwash Events (Charlotte County)-summary judgment granted to event manager defendant on the grounds of waiver and pre-activity release in this premises liability injury case.

Jordan v. Jason’s Hauling (Hillsborough County)-summary judgment granted for motor carrier defendant as to direct negligence claims for negligent hiring, training, supervision, and retention in this trucking accident case. 

Carrillo v. Optimum Health (Pinellas County)-voluntary dismissal with prejudice filed by Plaintiff following non-binding arbitration in this motor vehicle accident case.

AIG a/s/o Patrick Zenner v. Sun Beach Services (Lee County)-voluntary dismissal with prejudice filed by Plaintiff following expert disclosures in this negligent pressure washing case.

Frank has also published the following articles in legal journals, discussing defense strategies in trucking and premises liability cases:

Proximate Cause: Framing Liability as a Question of Law, The Trial Advocate, A Publication of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, Volume 21 Number 1 (2023)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Discussion of Strategies to Move for Summary Judgment in a Premises Liability Case in Florida (memberclicks.net)

Frank began his practice at Baumann, Gant, & Keeley, P.A. in March 2021.