Best Lawyers in Alabama, United States

Scott is a member of the firm’s Trusts and Estates and Tax Practice Groups. Part of Scott’s practice focuses on estate planning strategies designed to minimize estate and other taxes, as well as ensure that assets left under a decedent’s will or trust for family members can be effectively and efficiently managed. In addition, Scott has significant experience in advising clients with respect to the administration of trusts and estates, and handling trust and estate litigation...

Aiello earned his political science degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Alabama in 1998, followed by a law degree, cum laude, in 2001. Early in his career, he discovered a passion for legal writing and appellate work while practicing at Fees & Burgess and Leo & Brooks. He joined the Morris firm in 2004, focusing on plaintiff’s personal injury cases and serving as the office’s lead brief writer and appellate attorney. Notably, he co-counseled a case resulting in...

Wendell's practice focuses on representing financial institutions in government enforcement actions, regulatory compliance matters, internal audits, and real property controversies. Wendell’s litigation experience is broad, having represented clients in a wide variety of matters but with a particular focus in financial services, consumer finance, real property and construction litigation. In addition to litigation, his practice includes performing internal risk assessments and regulator...

Russell Q. Allison is a founding shareholder of Carr Allison and serves as the firm’s president. Resident in the Birmingham (AL) office, Russ advises and represents clients in a broad range of businesses with an emphasis on clients in the insurance industry. Russ is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Alabama and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Russ sits on the board of the EC Defense Network, which he co-founded in 2016, and is se...

Jesse’s practice focuses on civil defense work with a concentration in premises liability and truck/automobile litigation. Licensed in both Alabama and Tennessee, Jesse routinely defends corporations, individuals, and insurance companies. Jesse is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama, as well as all Courts in the State of Alabama and Tennessee, including the Alabama Supreme Court and Tennessee Supreme C...

Keith Andress, office managing shareholder in the Birmingham office, concentrates his practice in civil litigation, primarily in the areas of business, construction and real estate. He has extensive experience representing financial institutions, title insurers and others involved in loan security and improvements to real property. He has devoted a significant amount of his practice to defending mortgage lenders and servicers against lender liability charges, allegations of mortgage fraud, an...

There’s a lot that goes into it, but to really succeed in this profession, I’ve come to believe these three qualities are 90% of it: courage, humanity, and humility. Courage. You must be unafraid. Following a particularly nasty trial, my wife summed up my job: “They are schoolyard bullies. They’ve already bullied your client once, and now they want to use the trial to do it again. But you walk up, stand next to them, put your hand on their shoulder, steel yourself, and...

Tom Ansley is a shareholder in Dentons’ Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of the Real Estate and Corporate practice groups. He serves as corporate counsel to a diverse range of clients, including real estate developers and investors, commercial and project lenders, and healthcare providers, advising them on the intricacies of state and local laws and regulations, financial matters, industry concerns, and risk allocation. Ansley is involved in the financing, negotiation, e...

Jim Archibald is a partner in the firm's Construction and Procurement Practice Group. Jim has represented general contractors, owners, developers, engineering firms, subcontractors and vendors at every stage of a construction project, including the initiation of the project, the preparation of contract documents, bid preparation, bid mistakes, bid protests, change order negotiations, project correspondence, claim preparation, terminations, and final dispute resolution through negotiation, med...

The focus of Mr. Arnston’s practice is the defense of long-term care and assisted-living facilities, hospitals, physicians, and nurses in professional liability cases. He also defends product manufacturers and trucking companies in personal injury actions, as well as various corporations in general litigation matters.

Leon Ashford has been a trial lawyer for 42 years. Throughout the course of his career, Mr. Ashford has a proven record of consistently obtaining multimillion dollar jury verdicts and settlements for his clients, their families and their small businesses. Though he has always focused his practice on complex litigation involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death, he has recently been called upon to represent family-owned and closely held businesses in litigation which threatene...

Bill Athanas represents companies and individuals in government enforcement matters, focusing on federal grand jury investigations. He has almost 30 years of white-collar experience, roughly a third of which was spent as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. and Birmingham. Bill has handled hundreds of complex criminal cases and represented clients in all facets of those matters – whether as subjects, targets or witnesses, or those who simply receive subpoenas for documents. In repre...

Bill Averett is a member of Dentons Sirote's Landlord's Rights practice in the Birmingham, Alabama office. Bill's extensive trial experience includes representing national banks and lenders in all matters of creditor rights and collection, including appellate and bankruptcy proceedings. His high rate of success consists of obtaining settlements through both formal and informal channels. Bill graduated from the University of Alabama with a BA and from Samford University's Cumberland School of ...

Anne Knox Averitt has extensive experience in labor and employment matters and commercial litigation. She works in the Birmingham office and represents clients of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to family-owned businesses in a number of industries, including retail, automotive, natural resources, manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, communications, construction, and financial services. She also handles cases before arbitrators, administrative law judges, and federal and state court ju...

Jason Avery is a member of the Firm’s Real Estate Practice Group and the Natural Resources and Banking and Financial Services Practice Teams. Unlike many other lawyers who concentrate in either a transactional practice or litigation, Jason represents clients in both areas, splitting his time between real estate transactional matters and real estate and mortgage litigation. This hybrid practice allows Jason to think progressively on transactional matters by understanding potential areas ...

Marc James Ayers is a member of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP's Appellate Litigation Group. He represents individual, corporate and governmental clients before state and federal appellate and trial courts. Marc is listed in Best Lawyers in Americain the field of Appellate Law, and has handled numerous appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and other state appellate courts. He has also represented clients on petitions for certio...

For more than three decades, Joseph P. H. Babington has handled civil litigation in state and federal courts in Alabama and around the country. Joe has tried cases, argued appeals, and prosecuted and defended arbitrations. He has worked on a broad range of complex matters and has deep experience in products liability defense, catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, and business and commercial disputes. Joe presented the winning argument in the United States Supreme Court in Kumho Tire C...

Mr. Baggette advises clients about the formation, acquisition, and sale of businesses and regularly assists clients in the creation of corporations and limited liability companies. He also represents banks and real estate developers in the financing, acquisition, and sale of commercial properties and condominium developments. Mr. Baggette also has experience in state and local tax abatements and incentives for industrial projects. His clients include defense contractors, real estate developer...

James has experience with both debtor and creditor representation in bankruptcy, out-of-court workouts and restructurings, and bankruptcy-related litigation. He also regularly represents commercial lenders and mortgage servicers in federal court commercial litigation. James has represented debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in matters involving numerous complex issues under the bankruptcy code, including termination of employee and retiree benefits and going concern sales free and clear of clai...

Jennifer Baker is a shareholder in Carr Allison’s Jacksonville (FL) office. Her practice focuses on defending matters involving commercial motor vehicle liability and governmental liability, as well as Medicare Secondary Payer issues. Jennifer is admitted to practice in Alabama and Florida and before the US District Court for the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida. Jennifer graduated from the University of Georgia, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. She earned h...

Steve Ball is a shareholder with Carr Allison residing in the firm’s Birmingham, Alabama office. Steve represents local and national clients in their business litigation and corporate matters arising both in Alabama and other states. His diversified practice includes the representation of his clients, both as plaintiffs or defendants, in their litigation and transactional needs. Steve has litigated numerous contractually based claims for his clients and also has extensive experience in ...

Nancy Ball practices in the areas of trusts and estates, including estate planning and estate administration, taxation, real estate and corporate law. Nancy is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Birmingham, Inc. and the Alabama Planned Giving Council, and serves as the secretary of the Probate Section of the Birmingham Bar Association. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Nancy is the author of Navigating Estate Planning Before, During and ...

Bryan Balogh focuses his practice on complex business litigation involving disputes with significant risk and damages, with a particular emphasis on class action litigation involving corporations and financial institutions. Industry sources praise Mr. Balogh on his practice, saying: "He is extremely knowledgeable and an expert on class actions. He also has a good demeanor with judges and other lawyers, he will take the higher ground and get the best result because of it." – Chambers USA...

Katherine N. Barr is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office. She is a member of the Trusts, Estates & Wealth Preservation practice group and leads the Dentons Sirote Special Needs Planning team. As a lawyer in the Trusts, Estates & Wealth Preservation practice group, Katherine advises clients in planning their estates to accomplish their goals for asset distribution to beneficiaries while minimizing their estate and income tax liabilities. Katherine handles...

Taylor Bartlett represents clients in complex litigation involving significant damages claims at both the trial and appellate levels. He has extensive experience in consumer class actions and pharmaceutical mass tort litigation. Since joining the firm in 2011, Taylor has successfully represented over 5,000 individuals and businesses throughout the United States. Taylor has also been appointed class counsel on multiple consumer class action lawsuits that resulted in settlements to the classes ...

Robert Baugh is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he serves as chair of the Dentons Sirote Litigation practice group. Robert has been engaged in the practice of law continuously since 1982. Robert represents clients in insurance, business, and product liability cases in both state and federal courts throughout the Southeast. He has obtained favorable results for Fortune 500 companies as well as privately held companies. In addition to his litigation pra...

Mr. Beasley's practice is focused on the defense of business entities, health-care providers, major corporations, and insurance carriers, primarily in injury-related lawsuits. The Florida Bar, Board of Civil Trial Advocacy, the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, and the National Board of Trial Advocacy have recognized him as a board-certified specialist in civil trial law. He has tried numerous lawsuits in state and federal courts and has actively represent...

Julia Bernstein’s practice focuses on all aspects of the representation of lenders and borrowers in secured and unsecured transactions, finance transactions involving commercial real estate, corporate finance transactions and multi-state transactions. Julia frequently issues legal opinions in connection with multi-state projects and as local counsel for transactions originated outside of Alabama secured by real property located within the state.

Lee Birchall’s practice focuses on public finance in Alabama, where he serves as bond counsel to cities, counties, utilities, school boards, and various other types of governmental entities that issue tax-exempt and taxable securities. He also represents cities and counties in negotiations with private developers for economic development transactions. In addition to representing public bodies, Lee has experience serving as counsel to underwriters, trustee banks and commercial banks in t...

M. STANFORD BLANTON serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee and is a member of the Energy Practice Group. His practice is focused on the representation of the owners, operators and purchasers of electric generating facilities, with special emphasis on nuclear development, regulation and policy. Blanton represents the owner and operator of the first new nuclear reactors ordered in the United States in thirty years on matters ranging from the formation and implementation of contracts for...

Trey Bolling is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office. He is a member of the Tax and Real Estate practice groups, where his practice focuses on tax and economic development incentives at the federal, state, and local levels, with a particular emphasis on qualified opportunity zones. He also regularly assists developers and investors in commercial real estate transactions, advising on investment structuring, capital gain planning, exit planning, partnership tax iss...

Axel Bolvig focuses his practice on construction law and government contracts. He joined Bradley after earning engineering and law degrees from Duke University. He has represented some of the nation’s largest and most successful federal contractors on projects throughout the country. For example, he has handled claims and counseled clients on federal hospital projects in Atlanta, Baltimore, Bay Pines (FL), Birmingham, Cape Coral (FL), Dallas, Detroit, Fort Bragg (NC), Fort Hood (TX), Ne...

Kane is particularly active in the public education sector, where he has represented both public universities and boards of education on tax and finance matters, and he currently serves on the faculty of the University of Alabama's academy for finance training for new school superintendents and chief school financial officers. In addition to bond counsel engagements, he has served as company counsel and bank counsel in letter-of-credit backed transactions, as lender’s counsel in direct ...

Billy is a “think-outside-the-box” attorney whose creative approach and hard work have resulted in beat-the-odds wins for his clients. A powerful combination of drive, resourcefulness, and intelligence is the hallmark of Billy’s work. He is one of the few attorneys at the firm that devotes equal time to both personal injury and business cases , and this diversity in his practice forms the foundation of his unique and focused approach to his clients' problems. Billy enjoys ha...

A native of the LaGrange, Illinois , Brad graduated from Lyons Township High School and then received his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of North Alabama where he double majored in Business Management and Political Science. While there he was elected and served as president of the Student Government Association during both his junior and senior years.He thereafter attended Cumberland School of Law at Samford University where he was awarded a Juris Doctorate degree. Prior to c...

Ryan G. Brake is a shareholder in the firm’s Florence, Alabama office. He practices in the areas of general liability, premises liability and workers’ compensation and has defended numerous premises liability, auto accident and workers’ compensation cases in courts across Alabama. Ryan received his BS in Business Management, graduating magna cum laude, from the University of North Alabama where he served as president of the Student Government Association. He earned his JD fr...

Ellis Brazeal is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and co-leader of the firm’s aerospace and aviation team. Ellis has more than 30 years of experience in commercial litigation, including all levels of state, federal, and bankruptcy courts. He represents and advises financial institutions and other entities regarding corporate restructuring, and handles construction, surety, and government contract litigation. He is recognized for his work by legal publications, and he regularly...

Steven Brickman is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office. He is a member of the Real Estate practice group. Steven is a trusted advisor, helping clients navigate all aspects of the commercial real estate development process, from land acquisition and financing to leasing and planning. His additional areas of experience include the acquisition and sale of businesses and representing clients in general business matters, as well as health law corporate compliance.

Britten Britt practices primarily in the areas of probate and estate planning, business and tax planning, and trusts and estates. She also handles corporate transactions, family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, corporate tax matters, charitable foundations and assists in the preparation of fiduciary estate tax returns.

In 2001, William Heath Brooks moved to Oregon as a way of purposely removing himself from his comfort zone. He wanted to try something completely new and different. That time away helped him to focus and plan his goals, paths, and aspirations for the rest of his life. One of those paths led him to Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. Since law school, Heath has spent his career representing individuals who cannot represent themselves. After over a decade as a lawyer, he continues t...