rising stars 2013: birmingham lawyers profile section

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Daniel Eduardo ArciniegasWiggins Childs Quinn & Pantazis

Daniel Eduardo Arciniegas was born and raised in Birmingham. A 1998 graduate off Mountain Brook High School, Arciniegas received a bachelor in arts from Rhodes Col-lege in Memphis in 2002, and received his juris doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2006.

Arciniegas joined the firm Wiggins, Childs, Quinn, & Pantazis, LLC in 2007. His practice is varied including, but not lim-ited to: civil rights, employment litigation, and whistleblower lawsuits. In his five years of practice Arciniegas has had the opportu-nity to represent thousands of clients in over thirteen federal trials in Alabama, Nebraska, and Iowa in discrimination, retaliation and collective action wage and hour cases. Ar-ciniegas speaks Spanish and is dedicated to providing legal services to the Spanish speak-

ing community.Arciniegas is involved in a number of

civic organizations and is looking forward to his firm’s debut in the Exceptional Founda-tion’s 2013 Chili Cook-off, an organization that he believes provides an invaluable ser-vice to the community.

Outside the office, Arciniegas spends his time with family, friends, and his two dogs, Trouble and Cole. He enjoys photography, live music, and enjoys learning new skills like welding.

Samantha (Sam) NicolleHuie Fernambucq & Stewart

Samantha (Sam) Nicolle is from Ha-zel Green, Alabama, and is an associ-ate in the firm. Her practice focuses primarily on automotive product li-ability defense and workers’ compensation. While in law school, Nicolle was a member

Young Attorneys on the Rise B-Metro’s annual look at the next generation of legal leaders.

Daniel Eduardo ArciniegasWiggins Childs Quinn & Pantazis

Samantha (Sam) NicolleHuie Fernambucq & Stewart

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of the nationally ranked Trial Advocacy Team and was a member of the winning team at the 2011 National Trial Advocacy Competi-tion. She was also a member of the Ameri-can Journal of Trial Advocacy, and served on the Student Bar Association for three years. Nicolle has an undergrad degree from Au-burn University and her law degree from Cumberland School of Law.

Rebecca BeersHaskell Slaughter

Rebecca Beers’ law practice primarily fo-cuses on securities litigation. She has repre-sented broker-dealers as well as institutional and individual investors in state and federal courts and in FINRA arbitration. She also has additional and substantial experience in complex commercial litigation, class actions, gaming litigation, insurance defense litiga-tion, and labor and employment litigation in state, federal, and appellate courts and before arbitration panels. Beers has successfully me-diated multiple controversies of significance, taken and defended numerous depositions, and served as court-appointed counsel for a multi-million dollar company in a share-holder dispute. She joined Haskell Slaugh-ter in 2008 after serving as Law Clerk to Senior United States District Judge William M. Acker, Jr., Northern District of Alabama. Beers is a summa cum laude graduate

of Birmingham-Southern College and a cum laude graduate of Washington & LeeUniver-sity School of Law. At Birmingham-Southern, she was a member of the Honor Council and also attended the British Studies Program at St. John’s College at Oxford University. In addition to her law practice, Beers serves as chair of the Birmingham-Southern Col-lege Young Alumni Advisory Council and sits on the Birmingham-Southern College Alumni Executive Board. She also cur-rently sits on the Junior Board of Directors for Urban Ministry, Inc., an organization dedicated to providing assistance for mem-bers of Birmingham’s West End community. Beers is a member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham and is a volunteer with Ro-taract’s Ready2Read program, with Birming-ham’s Homeless Experience Legal Protec-tion (HELP) Program, and with the Junior League of Birmingham. She is also a mem-ber of the Executive Board of the Birming-ham Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Sec-tion and was appointed to the Birmingham Bar Association’s Grievance Committee. Beers was named to the Birmingham Bar Association’s 2011 Future Leaders Forum and the 2012 Class of Leadership UAB and also was selected for membership in the Bir-mingham Inn of Court. Most recently, she was named Birmingham-SouthernCollege’s Outstanding Young Alumni for 2012.

Natalie R. BollingBaker Donelson

Natalie Bolling is a litigation and labor and employment lawyer in Baker Donelson’s Birmingham office. Bolling advises clients in business and real estate matters, and defends them against breaches of contract charges and business torts. She spends a significant amount of time representing financial insti-tutions and mortgage servicers in disputes such as consumer finance matters alleging deceptive trade practices, wrongful foreclo-sure actions and ejectment proceedings. In her employment law practice, Bolling represents employers in various employment litigation disputes. Her federal employment litigation practice includes defending em-ployers against cases brought under Title VII, including claims of sexual harassment, race, gender, age, national origin and religious discrimination, the Family Medical Leave

Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Em-ployment Act (ADEA). Bolling counsels and trains employers on the best ways to comply with federal and state laws including proper discipline procedures, proper pay, recording hours, and documentation for employee re-cords. Bolling has experience representing employers at trial, in arbitration and media-tion proceedings and before administrative bodies. Before joining Baker Donelson, she served as a clerk to the Honorable Karen Wells Roby of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

J. Adam ClaytonFarris Riley & Pitt

Adam Clayton joined the law firm of Far-ris, Riley & Pitt LLP following his admission to the Alabama Bar in 2007. He received an undergraduate degree in International Busi-ness from Auburn University and his juris doctorate from the Cumberland School of Law. As a trial attorney, Clayton focuses his practice on civil litigation involving injury claims and violations of state and national wage and hour claims. While he is licensed to practice in all Alabama state and federal courts, his practice also includes collective and class action litigation in California and Colorado, as well as multi-district litigation in Texas.

Rebecca BeersHaskell Slaughter

Natalie R. BollingBaker Donelson

Megan Stephens Burr Forman

Ryan RobichauxBradley Arant Boult & Cummings

Laura MontgomeryThe Crittenden Firm

J. Todd MinerNajjar Denanburg, P.C.

Jennifer McEwenMaynard Cooper and Gale

Hope S. Marshall White Arnold &Dowd

Maggie LesterJohnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP

Benjamin S. GoldmanHand Arendall, LLC

Greg W. FosterHollis, Wright & Couch

Sara Beth DeLisleCarr Allison

J. Adam ClaytonFarris Riley & Pitt

Christopher J. NicholsonWhite Arnold & Dowd

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Clayton is active in the Birmingham area and works with several local civic and chari-table organizations. Most recently, Clayton was re-elected to the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club’s Board of Directors and will serve the upcoming year as Vice Presi-dent of the organization. He also serves as a voting member on the selection committee for the Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award which recognizes the nation’s most deserving NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision head coach.

Clayton is an avid runner, helping to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As a St. Jude Runner, he will participate this April in his second 400-mile fundraising run that starts at the Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and concludes at Battleship Park in Mobile, Alabama.

Sara Beth DeLisleCarr Allison

Sara Beth DeLisle is an associate in the Birmingham office of Carr Allison. DeLisle’s practice is devoted to civil litigation with a focus on complex litigation, class actions, labor and employment, products liability, professional liability and workers’ compensation.

Prior to joining Carr Allison, DeLisle served as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Robert S. Vance Jr., a civil circuit judge in Birmingham. She earned her juris doctorate in 2010 from the University of Alabama School of Law, where she served in several leadership roles and was active on the Trial Advocacy Competition Team.

DeLisle received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and French from Wake Forest University, where she played Division I volleyball on an athletic scholarship. After graduating from Wake Forest, DeLisle worked in Washington, D.C., and Madrid, Spain.

DeLisle participates in several young professional organizations throughout Birmingham and the state of Alabama. In addition to serving on the Executive Board of the Young Lawyers Sections of the Birmingham Bar Association, she serves as a Board Member of the Birmingham International Center and as the Chairman of the Young Professionals Group of

the Birmingham International Center, which supports international economic development and intercultural education throughout Alabama.

Her hobbies include traveling, yoga, reading, enjoying good food and wine, horseback riding, and spending time with friends and loved ones. Her habits include taking her dog, Mishka-Hernani, everywhere.

Larry Fantroy, Jr. Starnes Davis Florie

Larry Fantroy is a second year associate at Starnes Davis Florie LLP. He devotes his practice to civil litigation with a focus on defending physicians and other health care providers in various medical malpractice claims. At Starnes, Larry works with some of most experienced and skilled trial attor-neys in the state of Alabama. He is also a member of the firm’s recruiting committee. Larry currently serves on the Birmingham Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee, was recently nomi-nated to become a member of the inaugural Judge James Edwin Horton Inn of Court at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, and has also served on the Junior Board of the Fresh Water Land Trust. Na-tionally, Larry serves on the planning com-mittee for the Defense Research Institute’s annual Diversity for Success Seminar, which is an innovative program aimed at examining how diversity can expand a firm’s base and increase a firm’s value to its clients. Larry is a graduate of Samford University’s Cum-berland School of Law, Auburn Univer-sity Montgomery, and the University of Al-abama-Birmingham. Prior to attending law school, Larry was employed by the Southern Company as an electrical engineer.

Greg W. FosterHollis, Wright & Couch

Greg Foster practices with the law firm of Hollis, Wright & Couch, P.C. He was named National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 in 2012 and was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2011 and 2013. His practice areas include: personal injury, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, elder abuse, financial fraud, medical negligence, prescription errors, invasion of privacy, business torts, and damage to property.

Currently, Foster is the incoming Chair of the Emerging Leaders Caucus of the Alabama Association of Justice. The Emerging Leaders are committed to justice in the courtroom and the community. This past year they sponsored a clothing drive to benefit the Easter Seals’ workforce development program.

Foster graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2007. Prior to law school Foster graduated, summa cum laude, from the University of Alabama Col-lege of Commerce and Business Administra-tion with a major in International Finance and a minor in Spanish. He then completed a Master in Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government with a con-centration in International Financial Policy.

Foster lives in Birmingham with his wife, Julie, and their daughter, Anna Bella.

Benjamin S. GoldmanHand Arendall, LLC

Ben Goldman, a partner in the law firm of Hand Arendall LLC, has represented over fifty Alabama governmental entities, includ-ing municipalities, utilities, and development boards. He presently holds appointments as the Tarrant City Attorney and Prosecutor and as the Mulga Town Attorney. Goldman’s work for the Tarrant and other local munici-palities has drawn praise in Alabama and in-ternationally. In 2012, Goldman was named the top public lawyer under 40 in the U.S. and Canada by the International Munici-pal Lawyers Association. In addition to this personal recognition, the Alabama League of Municipalities bestowed on Tarrant its 2012 Municipal Quality of Life Award. Both awards recognized programs that Goldman developed to alleviate the effects of blight in Tarrant’s neighborhoods. The success of his “Fight the Blight” campaign proves that ener-getic and civic-minded attorneys add value to the municipalities they represent.

In addition to his governmental work, Goldman has served as corporate counsel to local, regional, and national businesses, rep-resenting them in such matters as contract negotiations, employment issues, and collec-tions, and he has represented and advised lenders and large creditors in bankruptcy proceedings. Currently, Goldman represents one of the largest creditors (approximately

Since founding Farris, Riley & Pitt, L.L.P. in 1996, we have attracted attorneys with a broad array of talent and experience. Each mem-ber of our firm shares a common belief that through the practice of law we can serve and protect the rights of our clients by employ-ing a proactive and aggressive litigation standard, while striving to meet the individual needs of those we represent. Our attorneys concentrate their efforts in personal injury, wrongful death, Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

In addition to representing injured clients, our firm is committed to being a legal resource to our community. We’ve partnered with Fox 6 WBRC to provide LawCall, which airs on Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m., and the Clear Channel Radio Network to provide The Birmingham LawLine. Lawcall features guest attorneys from across the state, and allows area viewers the opportunity to ask a wide range of legal questions to a live attorney. The Birmingham LawLine provides the community ready access to general legal questions and is available twenty-four hours a day.

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

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Farris, Riley & Pitt, L.L.P.Located in the Historic Massey Building

2025 Third Avenue NorthSuite 400• Birmingham, Alabama 35203205.324.1212

www.DeliveringJustice.com

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$100 million exposure) in the largest munici-pal bankruptcy in U.S. history, the Jefferson County, Alabama, bankruptcy.

Goldman is a member of the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of North Cen-tral Alabama and the Chair of its Board Development Committee, President of the

Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of Birmingham, a member of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Hospitality Network, a member of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Grievance Committee, and a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. He is married to Chrissie Hudson Gold-

man, and they have two children, Evelyn and Anne Turner.

Maggie LesterJohnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP

Maggie Lester graduated from the Uni-versity of Alabama School of Law and joined Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP this September. She practices in the firm’s Litiga-tion and Health Care practice groups. As a member of the Health Care practice group, Lester is focused on the defense of physi-cians, nursing homes, assisted living facili-ties, and other specialized care institutions in cases alleging medical malpractice. Ad-ditionally, her health care practice includes matters concerning compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements and state licensure issues. Recently, Lester was part of the team that drafted an Amici Curiae brief to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals re-questing a rehearing of a case that impacted current Certificate of Need law in Alabama. The team’s efforts were successful in per-suading the court to vacate its prior opinion, which could have had a significant impact on the state’s Certificate of Need review process. Lester is also involved in Johnston Barton’s Litigation practice group where she assists in general commercial litigation matters. Outside of the office, Lester is actively in-volved in the Birmingham Bar Association with her recent election to the executive committee for the Young Lawyers Section in December. She is also a member of the Junior Board for Court Appointed Special Advocates (“CASA”). CASA volunteers assist the courts in ensuring the well-being of chil-dren in Alabama.

Hope S. Marshall White Arnold &Dowd

Hope S. Marshall joined the law firm of White Arnold & Dowd P.C. in 2007. Mar-shall’s practice focuses on criminal defense, white collar criminal defense, and general civil litigation. She represents companies and individuals in connection with criminal in-vestigations, as well as parallel civil and crimi-nal proceedings. She practices in municipal, state and federal courts, including appellate courts. She is a graduate of the Birmingham School of Law and received her undergradu-ate degree, cum laude, from Wesley College

Hannah C. Thompson White Arnold & Dowd


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The attorneys at Gorham & Cason have combined over 60 years of experience in practicing law. The firm’s areas of ex-pertise include: Domestic Relations (Divorce, Family Law, and Child Custody), Probate Law & Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Personal Injury, Surety Defense, Civil Liti-gation, Social Security-Disability and Real Estate. We have a team of experts available to advise our clients in all their legal affairs.

Charles W. Gorham graduated from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and has been practicing law for over 40 years exclusively practicing in the Domestic Relations field for the last 25 years. He represents clients in divorce ac-tions, custody, child support and post-judgment matters. He served 26 years in the Army Reserve retiring as a Colonel in the JAGC. He served on the Executive Committee of the Birmingham Bar Association and was President of the Ala-bama Chapter of American Academy of Matrimonial Law-yers. The Birmingham Legal Secretaries Association voted him “Lawyer of the Year” in 1995. He is a member of the Ala-bama State Bar, the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, American Bar Association and the Birmingham Bar Association.

Kay L. Cason is a member of the Alabama State Bar Associa-tion, Birmingham Bar Association, Municipal Judges Asso-ciation and National Organization of Social Security Claim-ants’ Representatives. Ms. Cason is respected for her legal abilities in probate and administration of estates, surety liti-gation, social security, as well as general civil litigation. She was appointed General County Administrator of Jefferson County, a position which she held during 2005 and 2006.

Kelly R. Knight joined the firm as an associate in 2010 and brings experience and expertise in matters of divorce, post-divorce, child custody, child support, family law, real estate and personal injury. She is a member of the Alabama State Bar, American Bar Association and Birmingham Bar Associa-tion. Mrs. Knight graduated with honors from Birmingham School of Law, has practiced law for eleven years, and has been working in the legal profession for a total of 30 years.

At Gorham & Cason, we put our mission statement into prac-tice, representing our clients with credibility, integrity and ex-perience.

Credibility, Experience, and IntegrityL to R: Kay L. Cason, Charles W. Gorham and Kelly R. Knight

Gorham & Cason, LLC505 20th Street North, Suite 1650• Birmingham, Alabama 35203

(205)-251-9166 • www.gorham-cason.com

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in Delaware. A member of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Leadership Forum (2010), she also co-chairs the Diversity Committee.

Jennifer McEwenMaynard Cooper and Gale

Jennifer McEwen grew up in Mobile and went to Wake Forest University for under-graduate (2002-2006) where she majored in political science. McEwen went to the University of Alabama for law school (2006-

2009) and then to NYU for a masters in tax law (2009-2010). After finishing up at NYU, she moved to Birmingham, got married and started working at Maynard, Cooper and Gale with the Trusts and Estates practice group. She specializes in estate planning (i.e. drafting wills and trusts and administering estates), business planning (i.e. creating, running and dissolving businesses), and tax law (mostly federal income, gift and estate taxes). Currently, she serves as secretary on

the junior board for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which spreads aware-ness and raises money for Type I diabetes research. McEwen is also participating in Leadership UAB this year, which is a pro-gram for young professionals.

J. Todd Miner Najjar Denanburg, P.C.

J. Todd Miner is a shareholder of Najjar Denaburg, P.C., practicing primarily in the areas of commercial and general civil litiga-tion and appellate practice. He generally rep-resents creditors in the areas of collection, foreclosure and ejectment, and commercial and residential landlord-tenant law. His rep-resentative clients include banks and finan-cial institutions, loan servicers, real estate de-velopers, property management companies, and owners of various small businesses. His litigation experience is diverse, having repre-sented clients in state and federal cases in-volving issues such as contract disputes, tort claims, equitable remedies, real estate, and probate estates. More recently, he has gained extensive experience in post-foreclosure litigation. A native of Birmingham, Miner served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1993 to 1997, where he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Car-olina, and in Okinawa, Japan. He attended Birmingham-Southern College and earned a B.S. degree in Political Science in 2000. He received his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 2003. While at Cumberland, he served as Student Materi-als Editor of The American Journal of Trial Advocacy. He is admitted to the Alabama State Bar, the Mississippi State Bar, and the United States District Court of the North-ern and Middle Districts of Alabama. He is also a member of the Birmingham Bar Asso-ciation, having served on the Public Service Committee. He has also served on the fac-ulty of continuing legal education seminars pertaining to real estate foreclosure. Miner and his wife, Stacy Waldrep Miner, live in Homewood, raising their children, Graham, Caroline, and Britton. He has been very in-volved at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood, serving on the Administra-tive Board and as the leader of the Leader-ship Team of Trinity Men, the church’s men’s ministry. He has also coached tee-ball

Ginny WillcoxBalch & Bingham

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Pittman, Dutton & Hellums is a civil litigation law firm with a long history of successfully serving its clients. For over 25 years, the attorneys at Pittman, Dutton & Hellums have been fighting for individuals involved in a wide variety of accidents at both the state and federal levels. Pittman, Dutton & Hellums handles cases ranging from vehicular accidents and insurance fraud to medical malpractice and complex product liability. Several years ago, the firm extended its traditional practice to include pharmaceutical litigation, defective medical prod-ucts and litigation outside the State of Alabama.

The attorneys have achieved national promi-nence in the field of mass torts by standing up against pharmaceutical giants and the manufactur-ers of medical devices and equipment. The firm is currently handling mass torts involving Avandia (diabetes medication), Hydroxycut (dietary sup-plements), Transvaginal Mesh products (TVM) and Mirena IUDs. In 2012, the firm settled ap-proximately 150 cases against manufacturers of hormone replacement therapy medications on be-half of women that contracted cancer and/or other injuries.

Additionally, the firm has made a significant commit-ment to representing individuals who received a metal on metal hip implant as part of a total hip replacement proce-dure. Currently, the attorneys are pursuing claims against DePuy Orthopaedics concerning the ASR and Pinnacle hip implant systems and also against Stryker over the Rejuve-nate and ABG II hip implant systems.

Over the years, Pittman, Dutton & Hellums has honed its reputation as successful courtroom advocates while vig-orously litigating single event cases. Although centrally lo-cated in Birmingham, the attorneys have handled cases in every county in Alabama and in each of its federal districts. While the attorneys successfully settle numerous cases ev-ery year, they strongly believe that oftentimes the best re-sults can be achieved by a willingness to take a case to trial. According to the Alabama Jury Verdict Reporter, the attor-neys at Pittman, Dutton & Hellums have consistently tried more cases to verdict than any other plaintiff ’s law firm in the State since 2002, and was the “most prolific” plaintiff ’s trial law firm in 2010. In 2012, attorneys Carter Clay and Lucas Griffin obtained a $3 million jury verdict in Madison County, Alabama on behalf of an individual that was in-jured in a motor vehicle accident.

Pittman, Dutton & Hellums also believes in giving back to the community. Each year, the attorneys donate both time and money to local charities, churches and arts orga-

nizations. The attorneys at Pittman, Dutton & Hellums provide scholarships to various educational institutions and donate re-sources to various organizations throughout the state. The law firm is not only committed to serving their clients, they are com-mitted to making Birmingham a better place.

Pittman, Dutton & Hellums is located at 2001 Park Place


left to right): J. Chris Cochran, W. Lee Pittman, C. Carter ClayNot Pictured: Tom Dutton, Chris T. Hellums, Leigh King Forstman, Michael C. Bradley, Booth Samuels, Lucas W. Griffin, Jonathan S. Mann, James H. Davis

Notable Jury Verdicts aNd accomplishmeNts $23 million class action fraud settlement

$7 million medical malpractice award (Jefferson county, alabama)$2 million product liability award (deKalb county, alabama)

$1.6 million product liability award (mobile county, alabama)$1.6 million insurance fraud award (chambers county, alabama)$1.45 million insurance bad faith award (perry county, alabama)

$1.4 million vehicle accident award (leon county, Florida)$6 million Fela award on behalf of injured railroad worker (clarke

county, alabama) $3.5 million wrongful death award (dallas county, alabama)

$3.5 million fraud award (Jefferson county, alabama)$3 million vehicle accident award (madison county, alabama)

Pittman, Dutton & Hellums2001 Park Place North • Suite 1100 Park Place Tower • Birmingham, AL 35203

866-515-8880 • www.pittmandutton.com

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in the Joy League in Homewood. Inspired by the memory of his sister-in-law, Brittany Wal-drep, Miner and his family are very involved with the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation, which focuses on raising funds for ovarian cancer research.

Laura MontgomeryThe Crittenden Firm

Laura Montgomery grew up in Mem-phis, Tennessee, but has already deemed Bir-mingham her second home. Montgomery is a 2006 cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama where she also earned her Juris Doctorate. She began working at The Crit-tenden Firm as a Family Law Attorney in September 2010.

Professionally, Montgomery is a member

of both the Alabama and Tennessee Bar and actively involved in the Birmingham Bar As-sociation family law section and young law-yers section. Montgomery is also a member of the Alabama Bar Association and Ameri-can Bar Association.

In addition to her work, Montgom-ery currently serves her community as the Social Director on the Board of Directors

Kary Bryant WolfeJones Walker

Starr Turner Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.

Najjar Denaburg, PC is located on historic Morris Avenue in a renovated 1800’s warehouse, with the firm’s origin dating back to the early office sharing arrangement between Charles Denaburg and Tom Najjar which began in 1962. The ex-isting firm was formed in 1985. The firm’s philosophy is to forge client relationships that will last a lifetime by putting the client first and by offering beneficial solutions to the legal problems presented by their client. Ad-herence to this approach has enabled it to maintain lasting relationships with individual and business clients, which in-clude representative clients across the nation in a wide array of industries, including banking, finance, real estate development and manufacturing. The firm’s attorneys possess extensive ex-perience in varied practice areas including: Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution; Matrimonial and Family Law; Real Estate; Foreclosure; Corporate and Business Law; Insolvency and Restructur-ing; Litigation; Construction; Landlord-Tenant Law; and Estate Planning and Pro-bate. Najjar Denaburg is Alabama’s only member of the Legal Netlink Alliance, an international alliance of carefully selected, midsized, general practice, independent law firms across the globe. Shareholders Charles Denaburg, Steve Wright, Robin Burrell, Richard Theibert, Marty Franklin and Karen Knowlton are rated AV (the highest rating) by Martindale Hubbell, as is Steven Corenblum, who is of coun-sel. Charles Denaburg, Steve Wright and

Robin Burrell are recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® and have been for many years. Charles Denaburg is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. Steve Wright is a fellow in the Interna-tional Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, USA Chapter, and Robin Burrell and Steve Wright are Fellows in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The firm’s bankruptcy department includes at-torneys certified in Creditor’s Rights Law, Business Bankruptcy Law, and Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification. The firm’s shareholders are also very involved in the Bar, including committee participation and leadership and volunteer pro bono work at the state and local levels. Charles Denaburg was the

recipient of the 2011 Birmingham Bar As-sociation Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to outstanding and distinguished members of the BBA based upon service to the Bar and the community and professional achievement. In Decem-ber 2012, Robin Burrell was elected by her peers as President-Elect of the Birming-ham Bar Association. The firm congratu-lates shareholders Charles Denaburg, Steve Wright and Robin Burrell for being named among Birmingham’s Top Lawyers by B-Metro, along with Todd Miner for being featured in B-Metro’s 2013 Rising Stars of the Bar. To meet Najjar Denaburg’s at-torneys and review additional information about their areas of practice, you may visit the firm’s website at www.najjar.com.


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Najjar Denaburg, P.C.2125 Morris Avenue

Birmingham, Alabama 35203205-250-8400 • www.najjar.com

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for the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, Bir-mingham’s premier young professional or-ganization. Prior to being selected as Social Director, Laura served as the Director of Membership Development. Laura is also a member of the Birmingham Zoo Junior Board, Junior Patrons of the Museum of Art

and a founding member of the Delta Zeta Birmingham Alumni Chapter.

She resides in the Highland Park area and enjoys golfing, running, reading, and all the unique events and places Birmingham has to offer.

Christopher J. NicholsonWhite Arnold & Dowd

Christopher J. Nicholson graduated with a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia in 2003, and from the Univer-sity of Alabama School of Law in 2006. Fol-lowing law school, he clerked for the Hon-orable Tom King Jr. in Alabama’s Tenth Judicial Circuit and is now a shareholder with White Arnold & Dowd P.C., where his practice focuses primarily on commer-cial litigation. He believes strongly that it is the responsibility of every attorney to ensure equal access to justice for all citizens, regard-less of financial means. During his career, Chris has served on the Board of Direc-tors of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Program, co-chaired the BBA’s Pro Bono Committee, and served on the Alabama State Bar’s Pro Bono Cel-ebration Task Force. He will chair the Birmingham Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee for 2013. Chris has provided pro bono representation to clients in mat-ters involving military law, landlord/tenant issues, automobile accidents, and mortgage foreclosures.

Ryan RobichauxBradley Arant Boult & Cummings

Ryan Robichaux is an associate in the Governmental Affairs and Litigation Prac-tice groups. While based in the firm’s Bir-mingham office, he represents clients be-fore the executive and legislative branches of government in Montgomery, Alabama, and Washington, D.C., Robichaux gradu-ated from the University of Alabama School of Law. At Alabama, he was a member of the Campbell Moot Court Board and served as the Symposium Chair for the Jour-nal of the Legal profession. He also served as President of the Federalist Society and was involved in the Blackburn Institute. Prior to law school, Robichaux served as a political analyst in the United States Senate and the British Parliament. For two years, he served as a Legislative Aide and Legislative Correspondent for United States Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) where he specialized in trade and manufacturing policy. Prior to that, Robichaux served as a Research Assistant for Member of Par-liament Nigel Waterson of Eastbourne.

Christopher C. Yearout Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC

FIRM EXPERIENCE: The lawyers at Hollis, Wright & Couch bring great litigation experience to serve our client base. Focused on representing individuals and business clients all over the country, the lawyers of Hollis, Wright & Couch are strongly committed to providing legal services in the following practice areas: CatastrophicPersonalInjury WrongfulDeath Construction&WorkAccidents Truck&AutoAccidents AlcoholRelatedInjuries EnvironmentalDumping AutoDefects&Designs DefectiveProducts Drug&PharmacyClaims County&CityGovernmentClaims CommercialBusinessDisputes MedicalNegligence FinancialFraud BadFaithInsurance MassTort&ClassActions


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Hollis, Wright & Couch, P.C.505 North 20th Street, Suite 1500 Birmingham, AL 35203

(205) 324-3600 or toll free (877) 324-3636 www.hollis-wright.com

Experience = Results

In the last eleven years, the firm has represented over 25,000 clients in individual cases and multi-party claims. The firm takes on single-party cases and also represents small businesses and claims involving thousands of clients at one time (called mass tort actions). We believe in representing each client with compassion and attention, which is consistent with the firm’s motto: “Work hard every day to ‘“level the playing field” for in-jury victims, consumers, and businesses with ethical and tena-cious advocacy.”

FIRM RESULTS:The lawyers that make up the firm are responsible for, or have participated in, cases rendering verdicts, awards, or settlements throughout their professional careers in an amount totaling over $305 million. Although such previous recoveries are not indica-tive of future results, the lawyers at Hollis, Wright & Couch are proud of their history of verdicts, awards, and settlements. Ex-perience does equal results!

Watch on Sunday Nights

PROMOTION

Front Row (L to R): Partners Tyler Vail, Josh Wright and Steve Couch.Back Row (L to R): Associates Bo Bell, Josh Firth, Greg Foster and Mallory Schneider

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Robichaux received his Bachelor of Arts de-gree in Politics from the Catholic University of America in 2004 where he was the Presi-dent of the Undergraduate Student Govern-ment. He is currently a member of Catholic University’s Board of Governors.

Megan Stephens Burr Forman

Megan Stephens has been at Burr and Forman since graduating from law school in 2009. Practicing in the firm’s financial ser-vices group, Stephens has developed an ex-pertise in commercial and financial services litigation, defending financial institutions, credit card, and mortgage companies in state and federal courts across the country as well as in arbitrations. Stephens is also dedicat-ed to providing pro bono legal services as a member of one of Burr and Forman’s pro bono services teams. In addition to her prac-tice, Stephens serves on the firm’s Recruit-ing and Marketing Committees. Since she has been at Burr and Forman, she has been admitted to practice law in three states: Ala-bama, Florida and Arkansas.

A native of Aiken, South Carolina, Ste-phens received her B.A., cum laude, from the College of Charleston and received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. While at Cumberland, she was a member of Cum-berland’s nationally ranked Trial Team. She also served as an Executive Board member of Cumberland’s Trial Advocacy Board, a Justice on the Honor Court, and a distin-guished Caruther’s Fellow.

Stephens is also involved in a number of professional and civic organizations in the community. She is a member of several bar associations including: Alabama, Ameri-can, Arkansas, Birmingham and Florida. Stephens sits on the Executive Board of the Young Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association.

Away from the office, Stephens spends her time riding American Saddlebred horses and competing in horse shows throughout the Southeast. As an avid runner, Stephens enjoys participating in races such as the War-rior Dash benefiting St. Jude’s hospital and will run in the Dixie200 Relay as a member of the Burr and Forman team in March. On her down time, Stephens enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends

and her nine year old rescue dog, Gabe.

Hannah C. Thompson White Arnold & Dowd

A native of Roanoke, Alabama, Thomp-son joined the law firm of White Arnold & Dowd P.C. as an associate in 2012. Her practice is devoted to assisting and represent-ing individuals in both civil and white collar litigation. Ms. Thompson has a strong back-ground in accounting, having participated as an audit intern with the accounting firm, Ernst & Young, and having served in the ac-counting department for the firm’s County Conservatorship. Ms. Thompson is a gradu-ate of the Birmingham School of Law and the University of Alabama. She is a volun-teer with the Pro Bono Committee of the Birmingham Bar Association.

Starr Turner Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.

Starr Turner has been a litigation associ-ate at Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. since 2011. Her practice primarily focuses on rep-resenting business in commercial and con-tract disputes in the automotive, healthcare, education, and banking industries as both plaintiffs and defendants. He also represents individuals and businesses in criminal and regulatory investigations.

Originally from Birmingham and a grad-uate of Indian Springs School, Turner ob-tained her undergraduate degree in film at Emory University in Atlanta. After working at a veterinary clinic in Atlanta for a year, she enrolled at the University of Alabama School of Law.

Before coming to Maynard, Cooper & Gale to practice, Turner clerked for Judge James Graham in the Southern District of Georgia for two years. Working for Judge Graham allowed her to gain perspective on the courts’ review and interpretation of lawyers’ arguments. While clerking, she acquired her licenses to practice law in Ala-bama, Georgia, and Florida, and earned her private pilot’s license as well.

Outside of her law practice, she is a mem-ber of The Rotaract Club of Birmingham, a grassroots level young professionals program that is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bir-mingham. She also serves on the board of YP Birmingham, another organization for young professionals that encourages commu-

nity involvement in Birmingham. Addition-ally, Turner serves on the Executive Board of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section.

Ginny WillcoxBalch & Bingham

Ginny Willcox is an associate in the Bir-mingham office and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment and Litigation Prac-tice Groups. Willcox’s primary labor and employment practice includes representing management and employers in litigation and appeals. Ginny has experience in mat-ters arising out of numerous federal and state laws. As a member of the firm’s Litigation Section, Willcox has experience in title in-surance litigation, real property litigation, healthcare litigation, and construction liti-gation. She is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Focus Group.

Willcox has co-chaired the Birmingham Bar Association, Women Lawyers Section, Membership Committee. A graduate of Cumberland School of Law, she received her undergrad degree from the University of Alabama.


Kary Bryant Wolfe is a Special Coun-sel at Jones Walker, and was previously a partner at Walston, Wells & Birchall, LLP before the two firms merged. The focus of Wolfe’s practice is assisting businesses with human resources management, from advis-ing on legal compliance issues and prepar-ing employment contracts, to drafting per-sonnel policies and conducting supervisory training. Wolfe frequently guides employers through internal complaint investigations with a focus on avoiding costly litigation. When litigation occurs, Wolfe is experienced in advocating for her clients in federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies, and has defended claims alleging violations of Title VII, the Family and Medi-cal Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and many other civil rights laws, state statutes, and common law torts. Outside the office, Wolfe serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Elizabeth Perry Rushton Child Development Center, a private, not-for-profit preschool in downtown Birmingham. Wolfe relishes the

time she spends with her twin boys and her husband, Brad Wolfe. Wolfe received a Bachelor of Science degree from Samford University in 1996 and a juris doctor from the Cumberland School of Law in 1999.

Christopher C. Yearout Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC

Christopher C. Yearout joined Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC as an associate in 2011, where his practice is devoted to many aspects of civil litigation but with a pri-mary focus on products liability, medical malpractice and toxic torts. Yearout graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Economics in 2008 and then earned his J.D., cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law at Sam-ford University in 2011. While at Cumberland, Christo-pher served as Symposium Editor of the Cumberland Law Review, for which he authored a published comment on various issues surrounding the Medicare Secondary Payer Act.

Yearout currently serves on the executive commit-tee of the Birmingham Bar Association Young Law-yers Section. He is also a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Cumberland School of Law Chapter of the American Inns of Court, and the Cathedral Church of the Advent, where he serves as an usher and the athletic director of the youth basketball program.

William S. Starnes, Jr, Starnes Davis Florie LLP

Will Starnes, a native of Birmingham, is an associate at Starnes Davis Florie LLP. Will graduated from Auburn University cum laude in 2007, where he majored in Eco-nomics and minored in Business Administration. Before attending law school, Starnes served as an intern for the Honorable Judge Tom King, Jr., Jefferson County Civil Circuit Court Judge. In December 2010, Will graduated from Cumberland School of Law and business school at the Brock School of Business, earning his J.D./M.B.A.

He joined Starnes Davis Florie as an associate in Sep-tember 2010. His practice is exclusively devoted to civil litigation, where he focuses primarily in the areas of medi-cal malpractice defense and commercial litigation. As part of Starnes Davis Florie’s collegiate sports group, Will also represents universities in NCAA compliance investiga-tions. Starnes currently serves on the Birmingham Bar As-sociation Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee. He is also actively involved in the Alabama State Bar, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Re-search Institute, and the American Bar Association.

Starnes and his wife Stefanie live in Homewood and attend The Cathedral Church of the Advent. In his spare time, Will enjoys playing golf, exercising, hunting, and reading.

William S. Starnes, Jr, Starnes Davis Florie LLP

Premier Group, Inc., an aviation company based in Birmingham focusing on aircraft sales, acquisition and brokerage, is announcing the formation of a strategic partnership with Corporate Flight Management (CFM) located in Smyrna and Nashville, TN.

“Premier Group and CFM share a lot of similar values, “said Steven Allen, Jr., Premier Group CEO. “We met three years ago through a mutual client and have developed a good working relationship. This alignment will allow both companies to offer aircraft charter services on demand.”

Allen cites CFM’s solid reputation in the aviation industry for safety and maintenance. Premier’s worldwide expertise in sales

and leasing, marketing and business development combined with CFM’s proficiency in charter, FAA technical requirements, certifications and safety inspections creates a turn-key one-stop shop for corporations with flight operations.

The partnership of these two highly- regarded aviation firms, which will build upon the history of strong customer service from both companies, creates a joint fleet of over thirty airplanes, including

single engine pistons, twin turbines, light, mid-size, super mid-size, and large cabin corporate aircraft. The joint partnership creates one of the largest fleets in the mid-south region. The planes range from four-passenger capacity to over thirty-passenger capacity.

Additionally, the partnership will accelerate expansion to smaller regional and municipal airports, including the Birmingham-Metro area, Huntsville, Montgomery, Destin, Pensacola, Mobile/Gulf Shores and the Panhandle. Allen said the partnership with Corporate Flight Management out of the Nashville/Smyrna area, “We will be able to offer a major savings in maintenance and fuel, crew, and insurance,” said Steve Allen, Sr., President

and Founder of Premier Group. “A full-service company can more efficiently manage a physical asset and spread the costs over a lot of customers.” Steven added that the strategic partnership will enhance efficiencies of scale and buying power for companies looking to acquire.

All of this will be boosted by a full-time safety department with a Director of Safety. Inspections can be done in-house at a certified, accredited facility saving money and time and ensuring the highest attention to detail.

The strategic partnership is not just about managing airplanes and flight operations, it’s also about people. “After all, when you’re looking to someone to handle your flight operations, it’s very personal,” said Steven Allen, Jr. Trust, integrity and expertise are vital. Common cultural values are important.

That’s why it’s not surprising to find that there are strong bonds between Premier and CFM. Both companies have second-generation aviators at the helm-- Steven Allen, Jr., at Premier Group and Allen Howell, CEO, at CFM. Both grew up in aviation families. Allen Howell’s father started out as a crop-duster and had an uncle who had an airplane he flew out of a cow pasture. Both attended college and majored in business. Their love of aviation pulled them into the business.

Founded in 1982, CFM (flycfm.com) has grown to include locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi and soon to be in Destin. Howell says that Alabama has always been of interest to him since he is from Montgomery and attended Auburn-Montgomery. After graduation, he joined his father in Tennessee and was the first employee of CFM 30 years ago. They bring successful operating infrastructure on a large scale to provide private air charter to both small and large groups. They are in the top 100 operators in the US with safety Platinum standards that exceed the FAA with ARGUS and IS-

BAO Industry audits and DOD approved.

Allen, Jr. said Premier Group is growing, CFM is growing and now is the perfect time to capture one-another’s strong suits that play hand in hand to both grow business, expand private charter usage in the southeast and abroad, and expose our clients to the idea and feel of turn key.

“Barry Lambert, COO and director of Aircraft Sales and Acquisitions, joined in 2010 and administers all aircraft research, sales and acquisitions,” he said. “Ryan Waguespack recently came on board to handle the partnership with Corporate Flight Management and will be a direct contact for charter clients and aircraft owners.” “Our goal is to offer aviation that is simple, affordable and turn-key,” he said. “Aircraft owners can add their plane or planes to our charter fleet to help offset the cost of aircraft ownership and reduce the burden of maintaining all of the due diligence that goes with aircraft ownership. Our crews will operate the aircraft, we can do all maintenance in-house, and manage all associated due diligence. If you need it, you call us and we give you the hourly rate and take care of everything. All you have to do is show up.”

This Premier Group/ Corporate Flight Management partnership is a perfect combination of expertise and passion, paying big dividends to corporations and aviation enthusiasts throughout the Southeast.

PREMIER GROUP, INC. 205.841.6720 Premiergroupinc.com

Premier Group Teams Up to Offer Charter Services on Demand and Turn Key Aircraft Service

SPECIAL PROMOTION SPECIAL PROMOTION

Ryan Waguespack Barry Lambert Steven Allen, Jr Allen Howell, Jr. Steve Allen, Sr. [email protected]@premiergroupinc.com [email protected]@premiergroupinc.com [email protected]

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PROMOTION

Helmets for Kids: Teaming up for Bicycle Safety From the time the training wheels come

off, skinned knees , bumps, and bruises are just part of the learning curve as a child learns to ride a bike. Unfortunately, many serious ac-cidents also occur. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than two hundred fifty thousand children are injured in bicycle related crashes each year. Head injuries are among the most serious and many of those in-juries involve children who were not wearing helmets. Wearing a helmet has long been rec-ognized as the single most important safety precaution a bicycle rider can take.

When attorneys at Birmingham law firm Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris learned that Children’s of Alabama needed more bi-cycle helmets for their Safe Kids program, the firm donated one thousand helmets to the hospital’s program that provides bike hel-mets to patients who otherwise may not have a helmet. That was in the summer of 2012. A few months later, the firm pitched in to help Children’s with their bicycle safety tent at the

United Way’s Read and Romp event, and since that time, the law firm has expanded its Helmets for Kids program, partnering with other agencies and non-profits to provide a total of more than two thousand bicycle hel-mets for Birmingham area children who need them.

The Helmets for Kids program is part of the firm’s Cory Watson Cares initia-tive. Through Cory Watson Cares, the firm partners with local non-profit organizations that expand educational opportunities, raise awareness of injury prevention, improve the community and help people live healthier, safer and happier lives.

“We care about keeping kids safe and bicycle helmets are part of that,” said Ernest Cory of Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris. “The community education component is also very important; we partner with others who are interested in helping kids and pro-viding safety education.” Children who re-ceive helmets through the Helmets for Kids program are provided age-appropriate safety booklets, a coloring book for younger chil-dren, and a brochure for older kids.

Buzzy the Safety Bee Spreads the Buzz about Accident

Prevention After talking with educators and leaders

in the non-profit sector, the firm accepted the recommendation that they create a mascot, a friendly character that kids could relate to and respond to. Children were given a chance to vote for their favorite mascot, and Buzzy the Safety Bee got the most votes and became the firm’s official ambassador for child safety and accident prevention. A friendly little bumble bee, Buzzy always wears his helmet, and he uses his Facebook page and Twitter account to provide safety tips , news about local enter-tainment options for families, and links to community agencies that serve children and their families.

TEMPO! Family Fun Festival at Railroad Park

The Cory Watson team is looking for-ward to sponsoring TEMPO!, a Family Fun Festival, presented by Childcare Resources on Saturday, April 13th. . The event at Railroad Park is free and open to the public. Cory Wat-son is providing free bicycle helmets to the first five hundred children who visit the bi-cycle safety tent. TEMPO! will offer families unique entertainment, healthy food choices, bicycling activities, games and community resources. The event will engage the com-munity in building awareness and promoting strong, healthy families.

PROMOTION

Jerome and Kelli Tapley with daughters Madeline and Harper

Case descriptions, recoveries and testimonials presented here are not an indication of future results. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances as they apply to the law. Litigation outcome and valuation depend on many factors including jurisdiction, venue, witnesses, parties, testimony and documentary evidence. Furthermore,

no representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

dossierPROMOTION

Class Actions • Mass Torts • Environmental LitigationWE HANDLE THE HARD STUFF

Cory Watson attorneys have been appointed to serve as Lead Counsel, Class Counsel and to numerous other leadership roles in high profile mass torts litigation and class actions. We have recovered more than $1.25 billion for our clients and we remain committed to advocating for

those injured by the wrongful conduct of others.

Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris is AV-Rated™ by Martindale-Hubbell® and our attorneys have been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®, Benchmark Litigation®,

Top 100 Alabama Trial Lawyers and Top Birmingham Attorneys.

COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY SERVICEThe firm is committed to giving back to the community; we partner with local non-profit organizations that expand educational opportunities, improve our communities, and help

people live healthier, safer and happier lives.CoryWatsonCrowderDeGaris

Cory, Watson, Crowder & DeGaris, P.C. 2131 Magnolia Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35205

www.cwcd.com (205) 328-2200

CoryWatsonLaw

Litigators RepresentingClients Across the United States•Complex Litigation •Catastrophic Personal Injury •Multidistrict Litigation•Class Actions •Products Liability •Commercial Litigation•Pharmaceutical Drug Litigation •Defective Medical Device Litigation•Environmental Litigation•Shareholder Disputes •Mass Torts

Front row L to R Leila Watson, Ernest Cory, Annesley DeGaris. Back: Rick DiGiorgio, Kristian Rasmussen, Jerome Tapley, Jon Conlin, Douglas Dellaccio, Jason Shamblin

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Pro Bono

How law firms make the city better. by Richard James

Birmingham’s law firms, as most across the United States, have pro bono components built into their DNA, but many firms and individual attorneys have gone beyond the classic definition of a prescribed number of hours of legal work to become deeply involved in chari-ties and cultural initiatives that make Bir-mingham a better place.

Leila Watson, a partner in the Bir-mingham law firm Cory Watson & De-garis, is one of those types of attorneys.

“My husband Robert and I are private supporters of many charitable organiza-tions. We prefer local charities – where the money, the workers and the benefi-ciaries are all in the same community. It makes Birmingham a better place and it adds accountability. We prefer organiza-

The classic definition of pro bono is professional work undertaken

voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public

service. Pro bono service, unlike traditional volunteerism, uses the

specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are

unable to afford them.


dossierPROMOTION

Gathings Law2204 Lakeshore Parkway, Suite 406

Birmingham, AL 35209 205.322.1201

www.gathingslaw.com

Lloyd Gathings founded Gathings Law more than 20 years ago on the basic concept that every person, regardless of social or economic status, is entitled to receive the best representation in court and a level playing field when they enter the litigation arena. This remains our guiding principle today, and we believe this principle, together with the outstanding results we have achieved for our clients, is the foundation for our continued growth and success over the years.

Other lawyers, both in Alabama and across the country, have recognized the expertise of Gathings Law and

have associated Gathings Law to serve as lead counsel in thousands of cases. Gathings Law has obtained many recoveries for its clients in excess of a million dollars, as well as recoveries in the multi-millions. Indeed, while we welcome direct calls from new clients, most of our work is due to other lawyers associating us to help obtain the best result possible for their clients.

Areas of legal representation: Products Liability, Wrongful Death, Personal Injury, Fraud, Divorce and Consumer Law.

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tions that focus on young children, and pro-viding them a sound education, good health and fun opportunities, because we believe it takes a village to raise the child. Our other focus has been on local organizations that make Birmingham a safe, healthy and fun place for families to live – hence we believe in things like an art museum, a zoo, the Mc-Wane, the farmers market, etc”

Watson has been on the board of Child-care Resources for 6 years. Currently, she is co-chair of the TEMPO Family Fun Festival for Childcare Resources, which is set for April 13. She has co-chaired the Children’s Advocate Award Luncheon for two or three years for Childcare Resources. Watson has also been on the board of Studio By The

Tracks since 2010 and the Alabama Civil Jus-tice Foundation, as well as the legal advisor to the Komen Race for the Cure for almost a decade. She is also active in fund raising for Alabama Appleseed.

From a purely legal perspective, Watson has done pro bono work through the Ala-bama Bar Volunteer Lawyers Project.

Unique to this landmark year in Bir-mingham, Watson is also a member of the Journey for Justice Project, an effort by the Birmingham Bar Foundation, the Magic City Bar Foundation and the Birmingham Bar Association to commemorate the attor-neys who worked the legal challenges that helped the civil rights movement win victo-ries in Birmingham.

Journey for Justice Project is a 26-minute documentary film being made by producer Mike Letcher at the University of Alabama Center for Public Television. Some attorneys faced serious death threats to fight in court for civil rights protesters. The Birmingham Bar Foundation will unveil the film at the Journey for Justice Gala, which will be held May 4 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center.

Volunteers from the legal community will also screen the film at area high schools and talk to students about it, The film proj-ect will honor the works of 28 lawyers, both black and white, who worked for civil rights in the Birmingham area.

The lawyers honored in the film include

Leila Watson and Ernie Cory

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Clarence Jones, an attorney for King who helped sneak King’s famous Letter from the Birmingham Jail from the jail, and white attorney Chuck Morgan, who shuttered his practice and moved from the city after speaking out publicly about the climate of hate in Birmingham in the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Other lawyers and judges honored in the project are Oscar W. Adams Jr.; Norman Amaker; James K. Baker; Abe Berkowitz; Orzell Bill-ingsley; Harvey Burg; U.W. Clemon; Jerome “Buddy” Cooper; J. Mason Davis; Edward Friend Jr.; Peter A. Hall; Charles Hamilton Houston: Frank M. Johnson; Paul Johnston;

Tom King Sr.; Thurgood Marshall; Nina Miglionico; Constance Baker Motley; Deme-trius Newton; Vernon Patrick; J. Richmond Pearson; Arthur D. Shores; C. Erskine Smith; Robert Vance; David Vann; and W.L. Williams Jr.

Law firms have institutionalized their pro bono and charitable work so that these types of efforts have become ingrained in the institutions themselves.

Take for example. Sirote Supports, a Sirote & Permutt initiative, provides sup-port to programs that strengthen the com-munity and positively impact the areas of health, education and the arts. Sirote & Per-

mutt has always believed that its success is intertwined with the success and prosperity of the communities in which its lawyers live and practice law. Having a dedicated divi-sion focused exclusively on charitable giving allows Sirote to bring attention to these well-deserving non profits, and the incredibly im-portant work they are doing.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (BABC) has a long history of supporting charitable, educational, and civic organi-zations. This commitment is expressly in-cluded in the firm’s core values. BABC con-tributions to charitable organizations were approximately $1 million in each of 2010

JC and Carmen Conlin with daughter Grace

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Journey through time to a pre-historic land, Dino Discovery, at the Birmingham Zoo. Go on an expedition down a trail filled with 14 life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs, some at heights of almost 20 feet.

Explore, search for fossils in the Dino Dig and get your picture taken with a dinosaur. Don’t miss this limited time exhibit!

Follow us

birminghamzoo.com

DISCOVERY!

PRESENTED BY

FEATURED PARTNER


Taylor & Taylor2130 Highland Avenue • Birmingham, Alabama 35205

205-558-2800 • taylorlawyers.com

Trust, Respect and Results.The foundation of our society is built on trust. We trust other drivers to follow the rules of the road. We trust manufacturers to follow established safety standards. We trust financial advisors and consultants to honestly lead us and protect our financial interests. We trust insurance companies to pay our claims after we have faithfully paid our premiums. And when that trust is violated, we expect the wrongdoer to make good. If we can’t reach a resolution on our own, it sometimes helps to consult a lawyer.

But not just any lawyer. You want a lawyer that you respect and that you can trust – someone with extensive experience handling the kind of case you are facing. You’ll find that kind of lawyer at Taylor & Taylor, where we’ve represented plaintiffs in wrongful death, car and trucking accident, personal injury, product liability, bad faith and fraud cases for more than 40 years.

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and 2011. Our attorneys and staff contrib-uted approximately 21,000 hours in 2010 and 28,000 hours in 2011 for the benefit of organizations in their communities. BABC’s support of charitable organizations and the extensive volunteer efforts on the part of our attorneys and staff have benefited numer-ous community organizations in the areas of education, health care, medical research, homelessness, diversity, and many other im-portant causes.

The Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Foundation was established in 2010 to man-age the firm’s charitable giving more effec-tively and to facilitate a greater degree of interaction among BABC, its attorneys and staff, clients, and the charitable and civic or-ganizations supported.

The Birmingham firm, Baker Donelson, is another that has taken pro bono and char-itable efforts to heart.

Since 2008, the firm has doubled the yearly number of hours our attorneys devote to pro bono work, and is aiming even higher. Baker Donelson attorneys receive up to 50 hours of billable credit from the firm for work they do for our pro bono clients.

Pro bono projects at Baker Donelson are overseen by the firm’s Pro Bono Shareholder, Lisa Borden, and by the Pro Bono Commit-tee, whose members include both sharehold-ers and associates representing all of Baker Donelson’s geographic locations. Each of-fice also has a Pro Bono Coordinator who assists attorneys in the process of identifying pro bono matters where the firms believes it can make a difference. Efforts include work on a wide variety of matters, including ad-vocating for the homeless and organizations that serve the homeless, death penalty liti-gation, providing corporate legal services to non-profit organizations, and much more. Attorneys and the firm have received numer-ous awards and accolades for their exem-

plary pro bono efforts.

According to Lisa Borden, our communi-ties are home to thousands of nonprofit organizations that address a wide range of health, arts,

education, charitable and community needs. All are faced with complicated and con-stantly changing compliance issues and legal requirements. Most have voluntary boards of directors who need to be knowledgeable about a variety of laws and regulations affect-ing them, but also have shoestring budgets and therefore lack the legal counsel they need to avoid well intentioned but risky guesses on important issues. To help com-munity nonprofits to meet these important needs, the Baker Donelson Nonprofit Insti-tute was formed – a program in which our attorneys provide these basic legal services on a pro bono basis, allowing nonprofit orga-nizations to conserve valuable resources and apply them to meeting their goals.

Attorneys in the Birmingham office pro-vide a wide variety of pro bono services to their community. The Birmingham office is very active in pro bono work with the Bir-mingham Volunteer Lawyers Program and the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program, and spearheaded the cre-ation of HELP’s two weekly shelter clinics in Birmingham. The successful program, which is in its fourth year of operation, is coordi-nated by Pro Bono Shareholder Lisa Bor-den, and includes volunteers from many law firms across the city. Birmingham associate Kevin Garrison is expanding advocacy for Birmingham’s homeless and indigent popu-lation by representing plaintiffs in class ac-tion litigation designed to stop the operation of unconstitutional debtor’s prisons in mu-nicipalities in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Birmingham attorneys also were instru-mental in the Alabama State Bar’s highly successful Pro Bono Celebration Weeks in 2009 and 2010, helping to organize legal clinics for the poor around the state.

Alabama Appleseed also benefits from a great deal of effort by Baker Donelson at-

torneys, who have participated in many Ap-pleseed projects including efforts to reform Alabama’s antiquated constitution, studying ways to better provide health care coverage to the poor, and assisting low income fami-lies who own their property and are strug-gling with title issues. Birmingham attorneys are currently representing two indigent Ala-bama death row inmates in post-conviction proceedings.

Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) enlists local attorneys, law stu-dents, and law firm secretaries and parale-gals in cities across the country to provide pro bono legal assistance to homeless indi-viduals.

This assistance often takes the form of a single consultation but occasionally extends further, depending on clients’ needs. Volun-teers meet with their clients at local shelters and other social service organizations that are accessible to the homeless population.

H.E.L.P. began in New Orleans in early 2004, when a newly appointed federal dis-trict court judge, Jay Zainey, accompanied his fellow judges to serve a meal at a local shelter. While serving the meal, Judge Zainey began to think how much more an attorney could do for the shelter clients, and how that kind of service could change people’s lives.

With that simple but electrifying thought, H.E.L.P. was born. Judge Zainey began to round up volunteer lawyers to staff a weekly clinic at the shelter, and had more success than he had ever imagined. Soon he had hundreds of lawyers, clinics in more than one shelter, and the desire to do even more. H.E.L.P. began to expand to other cities, prodded and encouraged by Judge Zainey and helped along by law firms who were volunteering in New Orleans but also had offices in other cities. Today, H.E.L.P. volunteers are providing free legal services to the homeless in over 15 cities, and the list continues to grow.

The Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest legal advocacy organization whose mission is to work for systemic policy reforms that achieves justice and fairness for low-income and unrepresented and other vulnerable populations that usually have little, or no, voice in developing or changing policies that impact their lives.

The mission of Alabama Appleseed is

Since 2008, the firm has doubled the yearly number of hours our attorneys devote to pro bono work, and is aiming even higher. Baker Donelson attorneys receive up to 50 hours of billable credit from the firm for work they do for our pro bono clients.

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8newattorneys

7Martindale-HubbellAV Rated attorneys

3SuperLawyers® 2Rising

Stars®

1newpartner

1new officein Los Angeles

2012 By the Numbers

Our Representation CountsAlabama • California

Georgia • New Jersey • New York

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of the legal services performed by other lawyers.


Morris, Haynes, Hornsby, Wheeles & Knowles3500 Colonnade Parkway, Suite 100 • Birmingham, AL 35243

(205) 324-4008 • www.mhhlaw.net

Most people who need to hire a lawyer never expected that they would need one. Ex-perts at all phases of the civil litigation process, the attorneys at Morris, Haynes, Hornsby, Wheeles & Knowles have developed their practice with one goal in mind – to ensure that their clients have the best chance for a successful recovery with regard to their legal claims. We handle a wide variety of civil litigation, ranging from tractor trailer accidents to car wrecks to product liability claims to commercial litigation to environmental claims.

A crucial part of the firm’s structure revolves around client service and satisfaction. Our attorneys and staff pride ourselves upon our ability to inform our clients of the ups and downs of their legal situation, honestly assess the possibilities of success in pushing forward with a claim and to make the process of litigating a civil matter as smooth for the client as possible. Testimonials from some of our clients can be viewed at our web site, www. mhhlaw.net, as can a sampling of the many successful verdicts and settlements we have achieved for our clients.

At Morris, Haynes, Hornsby, Wheeles & Knowles, each attorney’s case load is kept at a level that allows him or her to know each client by name and as a person, not as an anonymous claim number. Another unique aspect of our firm is its two offices, one in Birmingham and one in Alexander City. Having two offices gives the firm a greater geographical reach than most plaintiffs’ firms. In addition, our firm has a department devoted solely to researching the many legal issues and motions that arise in every case, ensuring that we have cutting edge knowledge of the latest legal opinions in most areas of the law.

In order to better serve our clients, our firm also has one of the only evidence storage warehouses owned and operated by a law firm for the pur-pose of preserving evidence in the cases that we handle, and a full time warehouse technician to maintain that evidence. The storage of vehicles or equipment following a car accident or product claim at off-site storage facilities can be quite expensive; owning our own facility helps keep our clients’ litigation costs down.

Your first consultation with us is always free of charge, and in many cases we are able to work with you on a contingency fee basis, which means that we do not charge you a fee unless we are successful in prosecuting your case.

Todd Wheeles, Nancy Eady, Clay Hornsby, Larry Morris, Randall Haynes, Jeremy Knowles

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to work for systemic policy reforms that achieves justice and fairness for low-income and unrepresented and other vulnerable populations that usually have little, or no, voice in developing or changing policies that impact their lives. The issues Appleseed addresses go to the very fabric of people’s lives touching such human issues as housing, health, financial security, workplace safety, disaster relief, access to justice, and discrimination wherever it arises.

Alabama Appleseed is affiliated with the national network of Ap-pleseed Centers located throughout North America. Appleseed was founded in 1994 with the mission to develop and help sustain a net-work of state advocacy centers that address local issues and develop and promote practical, systemic solutions. Each state center operates independently with its own board of directors and sets its own advocacy agenda. Appleseed offers the state centers support in developing its or-ganizational structure and processes and in a limited way with identify-ing national funding sources. Although new state centers receive some financial support from Appleseed during the first three years, it is the responsibility of each state center to develop and implement its own fund raising plan and to secure funding for its operations and advocacy projects.

The organizing Board of Directors for Alabama Appleseed was brought together in 1999 and has been functioning since that date. The organizing Board consisted of a number of prominent and well-known Alabamians, including former Governor Albert P. Brewer, J. Mason Davis, former Chief Justice C.C. Tolbert, Jr., former Supreme Court Justice Janie L. Shores, and Dean Kenneth C. Randall of the University of Alabama School of Law.

Baker Donelson’s Lisa Borden wrote an op–ed piece in The Bir-mingham News to promote the Bar Association’s annual Pro Bono Week.

“Simply put, “pro bono” is the provision of free legal services to those in need.

“There are few places in our country where the need is greater than right here in Alabama.

“Nineteen percent of Alabamians live at or beneath the federal pov-erty level, and one in four of Alabama’s children are currently living in poverty. Given that the poverty threshold is very low (currently just over $17,000 for a family of three), we know that many more Alabamians are struggling to get by and cannot afford to pay for the services of an attorney when a legal crisis occurs.

“Each year, hundreds of lawyers generously donate their time and resources to help low income Alabamians who would otherwise face the daunting and nearly impossible prospect of facing the court system alone, a circumstance which can hardly be called justice.

“During Pro Bono Week, Birmingham area attorneys will offer free legal clinics, and we will honor our pro bono leaders for their service. But the service of attorneys to the community is not an annual event - it is a daily commitment. The Alabama State Bar and Birmingham Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Programs, and their attorney members, stand ready to offer assistance to low income Alabamians in need of legal representation.”

Whether the community work being done by Birmingham law firms involves legal representation or financial/volunteer support for a charity, the generosity runs deep.

No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Contact: Beau Grenier, Esq., 205.521.8355, [email protected], One Federal Place, 1819 Fifth Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203

WHITE

WHITE “B”

Ryan Robichaux for Being Named in

B-Metro’s“Rising Stars of the Bar”

Ryan RobichauxAssociateDirect Dial 205.521.8619Email [email protected]

BRADLEY ARANT BOULT CUMMINGS LLP

IS PLEASED TO CONGRATULATE

babc.com | AL | DC | MS | NC | TN

Maggie Lester

Congratulations to our Rising Star

of the Bar

IN ACCORDANCE WITH ALABAMA STATE BAR REQUIREMENTS, NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE THAT THE QUALITY OF THE LEGAL SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED IS GREATER THAN THE QUALITY OF LEGAL SERVICES PERFORMED BY OTHER LAWYERS. ARPC 7.2(E)

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JBR-0076-2013-Congrats-BMETRO-3_5x4_centered-2.pdf 8 2/15/13 9:43 AM

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No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of the legal services performed by other lawyers.

whitearnolddowd.com

Great Minds Think Alike.

Protecting natural resources and healthy communities in Alabama and throughout the Southeast.Learn more at SouthernEnvironment.org.

2829 2nd Avenue South, Suite 282 • Birmingham, AL 35233 • (205) 745-3060

Meet our Birmingham Team: Attorneys Gil Rogers, Christina Andreen, Sarah Stokes, and Keith Johnston are all Alabama natives and are passionate about protecting Alabama’s future as a beautiful, prosperous state.

A Powerful Voice for Our Environment

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