About

For over 29 years, I have represented clients in federal and state court trials throughout Alabama, in appeals, and in matters in the Southeast involving federal and state regulatory, investigative, and enforcement agencies. I was Chair of the Federal Practice Section of the Birmingham Bar Association in 2016. I served as Chair of the Alabama State Bar Environmental Law Section for the 2010-2011 term. At Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, I was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, and, after graduation, I was inducted into Curia Honoris and received the Dean's Certificate of Appreciation. I am AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell; am a Senior Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America Trial Lawyer Honorary; and am listed in Best Lawyers in America for Litigation-Environmental, Natural Resources Law, and Commercial Litigation and listed as a Mid-South Super Lawyer for Environmental Litigation. My environmental law experience covers all of the major federal statutes--the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, CERCLA/Superfund, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and the Endangered Species Act--as well as Alabama statutes pertaining to natural resources and land use and the common law claims for nuisance and trespass that are commonly alleged in the environmental context. Environmental law led me to related experience in governmental investigations, enforcement, and white collar defense that has, over time, expanded well beyond environmental matters into health care, antitrust, securities, government contracting, banking and financial services, and other such cases having potential criminal as well as civil consequences. The erosion of intent requirements, the increasing criminalization of business conduct, and the decline of personal privacy protections causes me to have serious concerns about how business people and licensed professionals are investigated and prosecuted. My business litigation experience includes breach of contract, data security, professional liability, fraud claims, false claims act/qui tam, policyholder insurance coverage, minority shareholder oppression, partnership disputes, antitrust, interference and unfair competition, trademark infringement, and trade secret misappropriation. I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in business disputes. I am also no stranger to personal injury and property damage cases, including those arising from chemical exposure, flooding and inverse condemnation, invasion of privacy, constitutional torts, product liability, ultrahazardous activities, and explosions or other catastrophes. While I most frequently defend these types of cases, I will consider representing plaintiffs whom I believe have substantive claims.

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