Canales manages a diverse docket and has experience litigating cases involving patents, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, energy, and appellate matters, and has a particular aptitude for cases that raise unique or interesting legal questions. Canales puts clients first, and her responsiveness, reliability, and work ethic, combined with her ability to problem-solve and make people feel valued and respected, is appreciated by all those she works with.
Bilma Canales’s dedicated preparation and attention to detail help her rise above in providing credible courtroom advocacy to her clients.
Canales’s strengths shine when distilling and arguing complex legal issues with clarity and conviction before judges, arbitrators, and juries on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in both civil trial and appellate matters. Canales is a skilled researcher, and her pursuit of overlooked details makes the difference when navigating complicated laws and unique fact patters that must hold up under scrutiny of relevant fact finders.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation | 2025 | Commercial Litigation |
A daughter of immigrants and native Houstonian, Canales is dedicated to giving back to her community and the public interest of the marginalized and those in need. She is committed to pro bono service and maintains an active docket of pro bono matters involving breach of contract, heirship, and voting rights matters. Prior to law school, Canales was a middle school teacher at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston and in 2023 was named a Latino Board Fellow for the Greater Houston area by Latinos for Education. In this role she will use her experience as a teacher and lawyer to address educational inequity and influence better educational outcomes for all children.
Before joining the firm, Canales clerked for the Honorable Roger L. Gregory of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Honorable Gray H. Miller of the Southern District of Texas. In law school, Canales served as a Notes and Comments Editor of the Houston Law Review and competed on the moot court team.
Representative Experience
- Secured a $1.9 million judgment for a minority owner of a closely-held company in a breach of contract and fiduciary duty case after a week-long jury trial in Harris County, Texas. Bilma worked the case up from inception and handled opening statement and examined numerous witnesses at trial.
- Won entry of a permanent injunction following a five-day jury trial in a patent infringement case on behalf of a global industrial minerals company. Trial team member responsible for major briefing in the case and evidentiary arguments at trial.
- Obtained arbitration victory and final judgment on behalf of a truck transportation and container lessor in a breach of contract case against a consignment company. Second-chair attorney responsible for direct examinations of key witnesses and the opening statement in arbitration.
- Obtained dismissal of a US$6 million malpractice suit on behalf of AmLaw 100 law firm. Specific responsibilities included briefing the motion to dismiss briefing that led to a federal court dismissing the plaintiffs in a federal court in Texas.
- Representing an international energy company in litigation related to underpayment of royalties.
- Representing an oil and gas exploration and production company in a breach of contract dispute involving failure to pay outstanding invoices.
- Represent a global energy company in New Mexico state court lawsuit in which the plaintiffs assert claims for alleged royalty underpayment due to improper pricing based on affiliate sales and improper deductions.