Daniel O. Canales

• First-chaired the defense of a nationwide collective action alleging a retailer misclassified security guards as independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois state laws before the chief judge of the Northern District of Illinois. Led all discovery and motion practice to dismiss collective action allegations. At jury trial, won a complete defense verdict on all of the named plaintiff’s claims, and won on the retailer’s counterclaim for unjust enrichment.°
• First-chaired prosecution of a former employee’s violations of the Illinois Workplace Violence Prevention Act and Civil No Contact Order Act on behalf of a national nonprofit and its president in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. Obtained emergency, preliminary, and plenary orders of protection for the company and president, and won three orders of contempt against the former employee, resulting in monetary and injunctive relief, including the former employee’s incarceration.°
• First-chaired the defense of a securities company and bank against a former employee seeking over $10 million before a three-member FINRA panel in Florida. Led discovery, motion practice, and arbitration, including over 20 witnesses and competing experts. Received defense verdicts on wrongful termination and breach of contract claims, and a verdict on a defamation claim wherein the panel rejected the claimant’s request for attorney’s fees and awarded less than 1% of claimant’s monetary demand.°
• First-chaired the defense of a global food company against wage garnishment claims seeking over $1.4 million in Winnebago County, Illinois. Handled all phases of discovery, motion practice, bench trial, and appeal, leading to a settlement.°
• Defended a state municipal association against a former employee’s age and gender discrimination claims in the Northern District of Illinois. Received a directed verdict on the gender claim, a complete defense verdict from the jury on the age claim, and defeated a motion for a new trial.°
• Defended a national bakery against its distributor’s breach of contract claims in the District of New Mexico. After discovery, prepared successful pretrial motions and related pleadings, resulting in a settlement the week before trial.°
• Defended a global energy company and its managers against employees’ discrimination and retaliation claims under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and Illinois law in the Northern District of Illinois. Prepared successful pretrial motions and related pleadings, leading to a settlement on the eve of trial.°
• Defended a national retailer against an employee’s pregnancy discrimination and retaliation claims in the Eastern District of Michigan. Prepared successful pretrial motions and related pleadings, leading to a complete defense verdict from the jury.°

• In a case of first impression under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, defended a global chemical company’s human resources manager against a former employee’s discrimination and retaliation claims in the Northern District of Illinois and Seventh Circuit. After extensive discovery, won a summary judgment and on appeal.°
• In a case of first impression under the Illinois Income Withholding for Support Act, first-chaired the defense of a real estate company against wage garnishment claims. After receiving a defense verdict at bench trial in Cook County, Illinois, won on appeal.°
• In a case of first impression under the Illinois Employee Classification Act, defended a national manufacturer before the Illinois Appellate Court, which affirmed dismissal of a statewide class action.°
• First-chaired the defense of a pest control company against applicant’s race, retaliation, and arrest records discrimination claims in the Northern District of Illinois and Seventh Circuit. Dismissed the complaint and compelled arbitration, which the Seventh Circuit affirmed.°
• Defended a global food company against a distributor’s breach of contract claims in Colorado state trial court and Court of Appeals. Dismissed distributor and its owner’s claims, opposed plaintiffs’ post-judgment motions, won appeal, and received attorney’s fees and costs from both trial and appellate courts.°

• First-chaired the defense of a global manufacturer against a former staffing agency worker’s race discrimination, retaliation, and joint employer claims in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, which dismissed all of the plaintiff’s claims.°
• First-chaired the defense of a technology startup company against a former executive’s claims of breach of contract, unequal pay, and gender and disability discrimination in the Northern District of Illinois. Moved to dismiss claims, leading to plaintiff’s voluntary withdrawal of claims for no consideration.°
• First-chaired the defense of a distributor against a former employee’s FMLA, ADEA, and defamation claims in the District of Nevada, leading to a dismissal of all claims with prejudice.°
• Defended a food company against an employee’s age discrimination claims in the Northern District of Illinois. Dismissed the complaint, resulting in a non-monetary stipulation of dismissal with prejudice.°
• Defended a pharmaceutical company against an employee’s Title VII discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims in the Northern District of Illinois. Conducted an internal investigation and identified dispositive evidence, resulting in a dismissal of the complaint after plaintiff’s counsel withdrew.°
• Defended a bank against an employee’s Title VII claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the Northern District of Illinois. Dismissed the complaint in part and conducted discovery on remaining claims, resulting in a non-monetary stipulated dismissal with prejudice.°
• Defended a chemical company against a former employee’s discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under the FMLA, ADA, and related state law claims in the Eastern District of Tennessee. After a successful discovery motion practice, won summary judgment.°
• Defended a transportation company against a former employee’s disability discrimination claims in the Northern District of Illinois. Dismissed the complaint, resulting in judgment against plaintiff.°
• Defended a retailer against a Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act claim before the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, including filing a motion to dismiss, leading to a settlement prior to ruling.°

• First-chaired the defense of a parking company and its executive against a competitor’s restrictive covenant and tort claims in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. Opposed a motion for TRO and filed a motion to dismiss, leading to a settlement prior to ruling.°
• First-chaired the enforcement of a medical practice’s restrictive covenants and breach of fiduciary duty claims against a former doctor, leading to a TRO in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, and subsequent settlement.°
• First-chaired the defense of a dairy industry consultant against a former employer’s noncompete claims in the Southern District of Iowa. Opposed a motion for a TRO and a motion for permanent injunction, which the chief judge denied with prejudice.°
• First-chaired the enforcement of a chemical company’s restrictive covenants against a former sales representative and subsequent employer in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, resulting in a settlement prior to a preliminary injunction hearing.°
• Enforced a health care company’s restrictive covenants against a former executive in the Circuit Court of Lake County, Illinois, obtaining a TRO and subsequent stipulated injunction order against the executive.°
• Defended a health care sales executive against a former employer’s noncompete claims in the Northern District of Illinois. Moved to dismiss claims, resulting in a settlement prior to the court’s ruling.°
• First-chaired the enforcement of a medical company’s contract claims against a medical supplier, including a successful motion for a TRO in the Northern District of Illinois, leading to a settlement prior to the court’s ruling on motion for preliminary injunction.°
• Defended a commercial glass furnace manufacturer against a customer’s product liability claims in the District of Oregon, including fact and expert discovery leading to a settlement prior to motion for summary judgment.°

• Led negotiations of a three-year collective bargaining agreement on behalf of a health care facility.°
• Led internal investigations into sexual harassment allegations, prepared advice memoranda, and counseled the board of directors and in-house legal and executive teams.°
• Advised a U.S. distributor on an acquisition, addressing labor and employment-related due diligence, APA revisions and negotiations, and employee onboarding strategy and execution.°
• Advised a global employer on a corporate reorganization, including multiple RIFs, plant moves, and plant closures impacting thousands of employees’ rights under the WARN Act, OWBPA, NLRA, and state laws.°
• Led a publishing company’s post-accident investigation of a warehouse employee’s death, including fact investigation, witness interviews, preservation of evidence, and facilitating investigations by OSHA and the deceased employee’s family attorneys.°
• Advised a global manufacturer on an enterprise-wide OFCCP audit, assessing federal contractor and subcontractor status, application of intracompany single entity test, and scope of affirmative action plans.°
• Conducted a wage and hour audit for a U.S. employer on hundreds of positions, policies, and practices for compliance with FLSA and state law.°

°The above representations were handled by Mr. Canales prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

• Deloitte, 2001-2005
  • Senior Consultant, 2004-2005
  • Consultant, 2003
  • Associate Consultant, 2001-2002

• Adjunct Professor, Employment Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, 2022-2025

• Judicial Extern, Hon. Randye A. Kogan, Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County, 2006
• Legal Extern, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, 2007

• Listed, Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Labor & Employment, 2025-2026
• Listed, Illinois Super Lawyers, Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Stars,” 2013-2019

• Director, Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation, 2024-Present
• Member, The Economic Club of Chicago, 2025-Present
• Member, Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, 2018-Present