Justin B. Hales

Justin B. Hales is a partner in the firm’s Tallahassee, Florida and Thomasville, Georgia offices where he handles matters throughout Florida, the panhandle, and throughout the State of Georgia. Born in Indianola, Mississippi and raised in Thomasville, Georgia, Justin attained his undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Georgia in 2008. Justin went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2012.

He focuses his practice on general liability matters including wrongful death, products liability, negligent security, construction defect, premises liability, and trucking/automobile liability. He practices in both State and Federal Courts throughout the States of Florida and Georgia.

Before joining Conroy Simberg, Justin was an Assistant Public Defender in Lee County, Florida for nearly four years before joining a plaintiff’s personal injury firm in Lee County, Florida for three and a half years.

Education:

J.D., Florida Coastal School of Law
B.A., The University of Georgia

Representative Experience:

2025 - Justin won summary judgment in a premises liability trip and fall case in Miller County, Georgia. Plaintiff, represented by one of America’s largest injury firms, claimed he went to the Defendant’s property to obtain cargo to transport when he tripped on a scale causing him to sustain injury. The defense successfully moved for summary judgment based on the scale being open and obvious as it was surrounded by a bright yellow line, and Plaintiff had traversed the scale on three prior occasions.
2025 – Justin won summary judgment in a wrongful death case following a coverage dispute regarding uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage where there was not a notice of nonrenewal letter provided by the insurance carrier. The Court ruled that O.C.G.A. §33-24-45(3) which requires written notice before refusing to renew coverage, did not apply in this case because the evidence reflected that the uninsured/ underinsured insurance carrier was willing to renew the policy with the Plaintiff’s employer who chose not to renew the policy and failed to pay the premium which rendered the policy not in effect on the date of loss.
2025 – Justin won a defense verdict in a Chatham County, GA case where plaintiffs alleged causes of action for trespass, nuisance, negligence, attorney’s fees, and punitive damages. Plaintiffs contended that the defendant failed to maintain her property and caused dead or dying trees to fall onto Plaintiffs’ property over a period of five years, destroying structures and endangering lives. Plaintiffs also argued that the defendant maintained raccoons and rats on her property inside of a dilapidated house and caused the creatures to invade the plaintiffs’ property attacking the plaintiffs and their pets. Defendant contended that the suit was merely a pretext for Plaintiffs to obtain the Defendant’s waterfront property. After a four day trial, Plaintiffs asked the jury to award $500,000 plus punitive damages and attorney’s fees. The jury returned a defense verdict in less than 90 minutes.
2025 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a negligent security and negligent hiring, training, and supervision case based on workers' compensation immunity following an employee's assault on another employee which resulted in a skull fracture and surgery.
2024 – Justin secured a directed verdict in a trip and fall case in Hillsborough County, Florida against one of America’s largest injury firms, where the Plaintiff claimed a scraper mat outside of a convenience store was a dangerous condition which caused his fall. The Plaintiff received a lumbar laminectomy and had an ACDF surgical recommendation. Medical expenses totaled $120,000 with another claimed $130,000 in future medical expenses. Plaintiff was seeking $1,500,000 at trial. The defense disputed liability, causation, and damages. Following the close of the Plaintiff’s case-in-chief, the defense moved for a directed verdict on the basis that the Plaintiff had not proven the scraper mat was a dangerous condition. Before the defense could complete its case-in-chief, the court granted the directed verdict in favor of the Defendant.
2024 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a private whistleblower action where he argued the employer did not qualify as an “employer” as defined, and even if the employer qualified as an “employer”, there were legitimate non-discriminatory reasons for the employee’s termination.
2024 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment based on an “Act of God.” He successfully argued that Plaintiff’s injury caused by a flying tent on the Defendant’s property was caused by a rogue wind and that the Defendant had no duty to warn Plaintiff of such a potential hazard.
2024 – Justin prevailed on a motion to dismiss with prejudice wherein Plaintiff filed a suit in 2017 and sought to add his client as a Defendant in 2023. He successfully argued the statute of limitations had expired and the naming of the client as a Defendant did not relate back to the original filing of the Complaint in 2017.
2023 – Justin prevailed on a Motion for Final Summary Judgment in a fourteen-count employment discrimination and breach of employment contract suit, wherein Plaintiff alleged she was terminated due to her gender and pregnancy status and was subject to a hostile work environment. The Defense argued that Plaintiff had executed a valid release in Defendant’s favor which related to the nine contractual counts. The Defense further argued that Plaintiff was terminated for legitimate non-discriminatory non-pretextual reasons. After a ten-hour evidentiary hearing the Court granted final summary judgment in the Defendant’s favor.
2023 - Justin prevailed on a Motion to Declare the Defendant Immune from Civil Action pursuant to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” Law. He successfully argued that while there was an altercation at the Defendant’s place of employment, Defendant had no duty to retreat, Plaintiff’s spittle and forehead hit the Defendant and placed the Defendant in imminent fear for his safety, and the Defendant was immune from prosecution as he was authorized to stand his ground and use non-deadly force when he struck Plaintiff.
2023 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a wrongful death action where the Plaintiff claimed Defendant committed an intentional tort during the course and scope of Plaintiff’s employment which caused the decedent to contract COVID-19 and perish. He successfully argued Plain-tiff was not a survivor under the wrongful death act and had no claim.
2022 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a wrongful death premises liability negligent security claim where he argued that the Defendant’s apartment complex breached no duty owed to the Plaintiff because the incident was not foreseeable, and, even if there was a breach of duty, the Defendant was not the proximate cause of the decedent’s death.
2022 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a premises liability slip and fall accident where he argued that Plaintiff was a trespasser, and the Defendant breached no duty owed to the Plaintiff.
2022 - Justin obtained a defense verdict in an admitted liability case involving a semi-tractor in Spalding County, Georgia following a three-day jury trial. Plaintiff claimed that the crash led to his need for a reconstruction of his mandible and asked for $1.8 million at trial. Defendant argued that Plaintiff's mandible reconstruction was caused by a preexisting condition and that Plaintiff was not injured in the crash. The jury came back with a defense verdict in 2 hours.
2022 - Justin prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a pedestrian versus motor vehicle accident case in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia where he argued that Plaintiff walked into oncoming traffic without regard for the right-of-way and assumed the risk associated therewith. An offer of settlement was served by Defendant resulting in a claim against the Plaintiff for defense fees and costs.

Practice Areas:

Bar Admissions:

Florida, 2013
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
Georgia, 2016
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Georgia
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia

Education:

Honors and Awards:

Representative Experience:

Insights

Practice Areas:

Bar Admissions:

Hollywood Office

West Palm Beach Office

Orlando Office

Fort Myers Office

Miami Office

Pensacola Office

Tallahassee Office

Tampa Office

Jacksonville Office

Naples Office

Thomasville, GA Office

Columbus, GA Office

Dahlonega, GA Office