(Main Office)

Founded in 1946, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. currently has offices in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile. Sophisticated technology links our team of just over 100 attorneys and almost 200 support personnel who strive to provide the most aggressive, cost-efficient and responsive representation using the significant technology and resources available to all offices.

Known for its diversity and innovation, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. has steadily expanded to meet our clients' changing needs and encompasses nearly all aspects of legal representation. This broad practice is matched by the diversity of our clients, which include small emerging businesses, publicly traded companies, individuals, trusts, estates and charitable institutions. Our clients range from Fortune 500 and international companies — for which we serve as Alabama employment or litigation counsel — to family-owned franchises, from sophisticated real estate entrepreneurs to purchasers of first homes.

Our firm includes registered patent attorneys with a broad range of experience-including computer hardware and software design, biotechnology, chemical arts, and e-commerce patent experience.

Numbered among our clients are public utilities, securities underwriters, municipalities, pension plans, advanced technology firms, hospitals, physicians, inventors, financial institutions, insurers, retailers, manufacturers and trade associations. In addition to providing services for our clients, 20 of our attorneys across Alabama comprise one of the state's largest mediation practice groups. Over the last 6 years, their techniques have resulted in resolving over 95 percent of the more than 7,500 cases mediated.

Our attorneys represent a broad spectrum of racial and ethnic backgrounds, and many have experience in industries to which the firm provides counsel. We strive to capitalize on the great diversity of our attorneys in providing effective and creative solutions to our clients' legal problems. Our firm strongly believes its attorneys should not only serve its clients, but the communities in which we live and work. Consequently, our lawyers have been participants in many of the most important legal, civic and political events which have positively shaped the communities we serve.

Statement of Practice

Antitrust Law, Appellate Litigation, Banking & Financial Institutions, Bankruptcy & Creditor's Rights, Class Action Litigation, Collections, Commercial/Business, Construction Law, Copyrights & Technology, Corporate & Securities, Domestic Law, Education Law, Employee Benefits, Environmental, Natural Resources & Toxic Torts, Estate Planning & Probate, Governmental Affairs, Health Care, Insurance Law, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Landlord/Tenant Law, Mediation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mortgage Services, Municipal Law, Non-Profit and Tax-Exempt Organizations, Patents, Pension & Profit Sharing, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Public Finance, Real Estate Development & Finance, Tax and Government Contract Law, Workers' Compensation, White Collar Criminal Defense.

Representative Clients:

Acceptance Loan Company
Alabama A & M University
Alabama Lenders Association
Alabama Quality Assurance Foundation
ALIANT Bank
Allied Bruce Terminix
Allied Williams Companies, Inc.
American Home Products, Inc.
American Security Insurance Co.
AmSouth Bank
Associates Housing Finance, LLC
Auburn University
Avocent Corporation
Axcan Scandipharm, Inc.
BancorpSouth Bank
Bank of Alabama
BankBoston
Bombardier Capital, Inc.
Booker T. Washington Insurance Company, Inc.
BR, Inc.
Brown International Corp.
Bruno's, Inc.
BTC Wholesale Distributors
Budweiser-Busch Distributing Co., Inc.
Cable Alabama Co.
Cahaba Council Girl Scouts
CAS, Inc.
CBAA
Century Bank
Champion Home Builders Co.
Children's Hospital
Citiation Corporation
City of Birmingham
CIty of Madison, Alabama
City of Chickasaw, Alabama
City of Huntsville
Coleman Research Corporation
Colonial Bancgroup, Inc.
Colonial Bank
Colonial Properties, Inc.
Colonial Properties Trust
Compass Bank
Cook's Pest Control
DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC
Davidson Technologies
Davison Oil Co.
Diagnostic Health Corp.
Dowdle Butane Gas Co.
E.S. Robbins Co.
Eagles, Inc.
Enterprise Leasing Company - South Central, Inc.
Farm Credit Bank of Texas
First Commercial Bank
First South Production Credit Assn.
Footstar Corporation dba Just for Feet, Inc.
General Motors Acceptance Corporation
General Motors Corporation
Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc.
Greene Track, Inc.
HealthSouth Corp.
HR Acquisition I Corp.
Integrated Defense Technologies (IDT)
Intergraph Corporation
International Business Machines (IBM)
International Telephone & Telegraph Financial Corp.
ITT Finance, Inc.
Jaguar Credit Corp.
Jasper Lumber
John Hancock Financial Services, Inc.
Joulé Technical Staffing, Inc.
Kroger Limited Partnership I
L.G. Electronics Alabama, Inc.
Lockheed Space Division
Madison County Commission
Management Services, Inc. (a division of Bionetics)
Maritz, Inc.
Master Boat Builders, Inc.
Mayer Electric Supply Co.
Mazda American Credit Corp.
Medical Group Management Association of Alabama
Medical Society of Mobile County
Mevatech, Inc.
Mobile County Bank
Morgan Stanley
Mortgage Guaranty and Insurance Co. (MGIC)
Motors Insurance Corp.
Mrs. Stratton's Salads, Inc.
Mutual of Omaha Companies
National Home Equity Mortgage Association
Nations Credit Corp.
Nationwide Insurance
Nextel
NIKE, Inc.
Ogden-Yorkshire, Inc.
OmniPhone, Inc.
Ono Realty, Inc.
Origen Manufactured Home Financial, Inc.
Primus Automotive Finance
Progress Partners, LLC
Protective Industrial Insurance Co.
Prudential Insurance Co.
RealtySouth
Redman Homes, Inc.
Regions Bank
Regions Financial Corp.
Republic Corporation
Resolution Trust Corp.
S.P. Food Services, Inc.
Shoney's Inc.
Sirsi Corporation
Southern Land Title, Inc.
SouthTrust Bank
SouthTrust Corporation
Sprint Spectrum, LP
Star Aviation Services, Inc.
Summa Technology, Inc.
Talladega College
The Chubb Insurance Group
The Jefferson County Medical Society
The Kroger Co.
The Radisson
The St. Paul Companies
Tidewater Real Estate, Inc.
Tiffin Motor Homes, Inc.
Time Domain Systems, Inc.
U.S. Shelter Corp.
Ultraliner, Inc.
Union Planters Mortgage, Inc.
Union Planters Bank National Association
Unisys Corp.
Universal Life Insurance Company
University of Alabama Health Services Foundation
University of South Alabama Medical Center
UNUM Life Insurance Company of America
Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance, Inc.
Western Supermarkets, Inc.
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Zurich-American Insurance Co.

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. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. Persons accessing this site are encouraged to seek independent counsel for advice regarding their individual legal issues.

Address

2311 Highland Avenue South P.O. Box 55727
Birmingham, AL 35205, (Jefferson & Shelby Cos.)

Phone

Phone: 205-930-5100
Facsimile: 205-930-5101

Website

http://www.sirote.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

(For Biographical data on Mobile Attorneys, see Professional Biographies at Mobile, Alabama; for Biographical data on Huntsville Attorneys, see Professional Biographies at Huntsville, Alabama)

Thomas A. Ansley (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, May 28, 1953; admitted to bar, 1980, Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.A.M., magna cum laude, 1976); University of Alabama (J.D., 1979). Member, Sirote & Permutt General Business Practice Group; Negotiates various contracts, including loans, leases, purchase agreements, personal services agreements and consulting agreements; Advises numerous local, regional, and national financial, real estate and telecommunications clients with respect to state and local law; Acts as corporate counsel for real estate developers and health care providers; Advises businesses and health care providers with respect to acquisitions, financial matters, and business and industry concerns. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Real Estate(60%); Commercial Lending(25%); Health Care(15%); Conservation Easements.Email: Thomas A. Ansley

Harold I. Apolinsky (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, October 17, 1932; admitted to bar, 1960, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1954; LL.B., 1960); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1960); New York University (LL.M., Taxation, 1961). Farrah Order of Jurisprudence; Omicron Delta Kappa. Editor-in-Chief, Alabama Law Review, 1960. Co-Author: "J. K. Lasser's New Rules for Estate and Tax Planning", 2001; "Tax Planning For Professionals", Warren, Gorham & Lamont, 1986; "Physician Financial Planning", McGraw-Hill, 1996; "Now You See It, Now You Don't - NOW YOU SEE IT AGAIN, The Federal Estate Tax", Senior Living, August 2002. Adjunct Professor of Estate Planning: University of Alabama School of Law and Cumberland School of Law. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Founder, Regent and former President of American College of Tax Counsel. Former Chair and Vice President, Small Business Council of America; Former Chair, Alabama Law Institute Committee which revised Professional Corporation Act. Certified as an Estate Planning Specialist by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Registered Federal Lobbyist. Member, Alabama Symphony Orchestra Endowment Board. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations (Chairman, Personal Service Organization Committee, Tax Section, 1982; Regional Liaison Meetings Committee, 1991); American College of Tax Counsel (Regent, 1981; President, 1981-1983); American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Fellow). Practice Areas: Trusts and Estates; Estate Planning; Estate and Gift Taxation; Federal Income Tax; Lobbying; Mediation; Arbitration.Email: Harold I. Apolinsky

Katherine N. Barr (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, November 28, 1954; admitted to bar, 1985, Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.A., 1975); Samford University (M.B.A., 1985); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., cum laude, 1985). Curia Honoris. Writing Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 1984-1985. Author: "Beneficiary Designations: More Than Just an Afterthought," Alabama Life Insurance News, Vol. 45, No. 4, Winter 1995; Comment, "General Practitioners Beware: The Duty to Refer an Estate Planning Client to a Specialist," 14 Cum. L. Rev. 103 (1983). Lecturer, Special Needs Planning and Government Assistance for Disabled Individuals, Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1995-1997. Program Chair and presenter for American Bar Association program on Special Needs Trusts: Drafting and Administration Issues, 2001. Charter Member, Special Needs Alliance. Board of Directors of Camp ASCCA (Alabama's Special Needs Camp for Children and Adults, an Easter Seals Organization). Member: Birmingham Bar Association (Member, Elder and Disability Law Committee); Alabama State Bar (Member, Committees on: Tax, Elder and Disability Law); American Bar Association (Group Chair of ABA's Real Property, Probate and Trust Division; Committees on Surrogate Decision Making; Special Needs Trusts, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care, and Bioethics); Special Needs Alliance (Alabama Member - see www.specialneedsalliance.com); National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Practice Areas: Disability; Special Needs Planning; Special Needs Trusts for Tort Victims; Estate Planning; Estate Administration; Probate; Wills; Trusts and Estates Taxation; Estate and Gift Taxation.Email: Katherine N. Barr

Robert R. Baugh (Shareholder) born Decatur, Alabama, October 30, 1956; admitted to bar, 1982, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1979; J.D., 1982). Member, Bench and Bar Legal Honorary Society. Listed in The Best Lawyers In America, 2005-2006. Editor, Alabama Law Review, 1981-1982. Law Clerk to Hon. James H. Hancock, U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Alabama, 1982-1983. Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1991- 1999. Board of Directors, Birmingham Cultural and Heritage Foundation. Legal Counsel and Member, Board of Directors of Birmingham International Festival. Member: Newcomen Society. Member: Birmingham (Executive Committee) and American Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar; International Association of Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Practice; Intellectual Property Litigation; Products Liability Litigation; Labor and Employment; Insurance; Litigation; Mediation.Email: Robert R. Baugh

Robin L. Beardsley (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, March 20, 1977; admitted to bar, 2002, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama; 2003, Mississippi, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama and Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., 1999); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 2002). Omnicron Delta Kapp. Order of Barristers. Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow. Member: University of Alabama Forensics Team; AFA NIET National Forensics Honorary ATLA National Trial Advocacy Team; Tournament of Champions National Trial Team. Senior Associate Editor, American Journal of Trial Advocacy. Chairman, Cordell Hull Speakers Forum. Author: "Murphy v. Owens - Corning Fiberglas Corp: Asbestos Cause of Actions Accrue on the Day of Diagnosis," 24 Am. J. Tr. Adv. 699, Spring 2001; "The Dead Man's Statute: State Legislatures and Courts Conflict," 25 Am. J. Tr. Adv. 217, Summer 2001. Research Assistant to Hood, Hardy and Saad, Alabama Workers' Compensation, Harrison Company Publishers, 4th Ed. (Supp. 2001). Member: Birmingham Junior League; Junior Board of Directors for the Exceptional Foundation; Alabama Center for Law and Civic Education Volunteer for Teen Court; Birmingham Rotaract Club. Member: Birmingham Bar Association; The Mississippi Bar; Defense Research Institute (Member, Young Lawyers Committee). Practice Areas: Civil Practice; Litigation; Bankruptcy Law; Insurance Law; Employment Law.Email: Robin L. Beardsley

Joseph S. Bluestein (Shareholder) born Charleston, South Carolina, May 24, 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, South Carolina; 1966, Alabama. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., 1962); University of South Carolina (LL.B., 1965); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1966). Member, Board of Editors, South Carolina Law Review. Listed in The Best Lawyers In America 2003-2004 by Woodward White, Inc. for Employee Benefits Law. Former Lecturer in Deferred Compensation, Cumberland School of Law. Former Chairman, Liaison Program on Employee Plans Between IRS and the ABA. Member: Birmingham and American (Member, Employee Benefits Committee, Section of Taxation) Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar (Past Chairman, Section of Taxation); Southern Employee Benefit Conference. Practice Areas: ERISA; Employee Benefits; Corporate Law; Federal Income Tax; Pension and Profit Sharing Plans; Estate and Gift Taxation.Email: Joseph S. Bluestein

Christopher A. Bottcher (Shareholder) born Montgomery, Alabama, March 19, 1969; admitted to bar, 1996, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., Commerce and Business Administration, 1991); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1996). Phi Delta Phi; Curia Honoris; Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow. Recipient of Birmingham Chapter of National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Tiffany Leadership Award 2006. Member Project Corporate Leadership 2002-2003. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute (Member, Young Lawyers and Trial Tactics Committees, Trial Tactics Steering Committee, 2004—); Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Corporate Litigation; Products Liability; Insurance Coverage; Fraud Litigation.Email: Christopher A. Bottcher

Steven A. Brickman (Shareholder) born Charleston, South Carolina, February 11, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Georgia; 1979, Alabama. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., with high distinction, 1971; J.D., 1974). Phi Beta Kappa; Omicron Delta Kappa. Recipient: Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award; Israel Bonds Declaration of Independence Award. Member, Raven Society; Brotherhood and Sisterhood Award from the National Conference of Community and Justice. Past President, Birmingham Jewish Federation 1989-1992. Past President, Birmingham Jewish Foundation, 2001-2004; Executive Committee and Regional Chairman, National Conference of Community and Justice. Member, Leadership Alabama, Class XII. Former Program Chairperson, Leadership Birmingham. Named one of Alabama's leading real estate lawyers by Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Editions. Formerly, Board of Directors, PATH (Partnership Assistance to the Homeless). Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Business Law; Commercial Leasing Law; Corporate Law; Real Estate Development Law.Email: Steven A. Brickman

Daniel J. Burnick (Shareholder) born Long Branch, New Jersey, April 1, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Alabama. Education: College of William & Mary (B.A., 1980); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1983). Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Commercial Litigation; Business Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation; Criminal Defense; Insurance Defense; Worker's Compensation.Email: Daniel J. Burnick

Timothy A. Bush (Shareholder) born Rockledge, Florida, October 11, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Alabama and U.S. Tax Court; 1986, U.S. Claims Court; 1992, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 2004, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1980); University of Alabama (J.D., 1983); University of Florida (LL.M., Taxation 1984). Order of the Coif. Hugo Black Scholar. Managing Editor, Alabama Law Review, 1982-1983. Author: "Statutes of Limitations in 10b-5 Actions: White v. Sanders," 34 Alabama Law Review 131 (1983); "How to Avoid the Sanctions Imposed for Prohibited Transactions with Retirement Plans," 15 Taxation for Lawyers 120 (1986). Member: Birmingham Bar Association; Alabama State Bar (Chairman, Intellectual Property Section, 2003-2005); American Bar Association (Forum on Franchising, Intellectual Property Section, Tax Section). Practice Areas: Corporate; Tax Exempt Organizations; Taxation; Trademarks; Copyrights; Franchise; Intellectual Property; Computer; Technology; Licensing; Internet; Corporate Tax Planning; Individual Tax Planning.Email: Timothy A. Bush

W. Todd Carlisle (Shareholder) born Lakeland, Florida, August 31, 1966; admitted to bar, 1991, Alabama. Education: Samford University (B.S., 1988); Cumberland School of Law, Samford University (J.D., 1991). Curia Honoris. Editor-In-Chief, Cumberland Law Review. Member, Senior Management Team, Highland Capital Holding Corporation, 1998-2005. General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Highland Capital. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Finance; Securities; Tax Law; Tax Planning; Business Law; Corporate Director and Officer Liability.Email: W. Todd Carlisle

Richard J. Cohn (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, April 12, 1943; admitted to bar, 1967, Alabama. Education: University of North Carolina (B.A., 1964); University of Alabama (LL.B., 1967); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1970). Editor, Alabama Law Review, 1967. Member, Farrah Order of Jurisprudence. Member: American and Birmingham Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Securities Regulation Law; Taxation Law.Email: Richard J. Cohn

Stephen G. Collins (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, July 10, 1967; admitted to bar, 1993, Georgia and Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1989); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1993). Speaker at mortgage banking industry conferences. Participant in several task forces relating to mortgage banking and the mortgage servicing industry. Member: Vice Chair, Legal Issues Committee, USFN; Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Mortgage Bankers Association of America (Legal Issues Committee); Mortgage Bankers Association of Alabama; American Legal and Financial Network; Manufactured Housing Institute Finance Lawyer Committee. Practice Areas: Consumer Finance; Foreclosure Law; Mortgage Banking; Real Estate Litigation; Title Insurance Law.Email: Stephen G. Collins

John H. Cooper (Shareholder) born St. Louis, Missouri, January 11, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., 1975; J.D., 1978); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1980). Order of the Coif. Listed in: The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law, 2003-2004; in America's Leading Business Lawyers, 2003-2004. Co-Author and Co-Editor: "Tax Planning for Professionals," Warren Gorham & Lamont, 1986. Adjunct Professor of Advanced Corporate Tax, University of Alabama School of Law, 1983—. Adjunct Professor LL.M. Program, University of Alabama School of Law, 1982—. Adjunct Professor, Partnership Taxation, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University. Managing Partner, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. - 1999-2005. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Securities; Tax Law; Corporate Finance; Mergers and Acquisitions.Email: John H. Cooper

Kristen S. Cross (Shareholder) born Amarillo, Texas, March 25, 1968; admitted to bar, 1999, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., 1990); University of Alabama ( J.D., summa cum laude, 1999). Order of the Coif; Hugo L. Black Scholar. Recipient, M. Leigh Harrison Award. Staff Member, Alabama Law Review. Author: Comment, "When Juvenile Delinquents Are Treated as Adults: The Constitutionality of Alabama's Automatic Transfer Statute," 50 Ala. L.Rev. 155 (Fall 1998). Member: American Bar Association; Alabama State Bar; Birmingham Bar Association; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: ERISA Litigation; Insurance Defense; General Litigation; Appellate Practice; Class Action Litigation.Email: Kristen S. Cross

J. Mason Davis, Jr. (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, July 30, 1935; admitted to bar, 1960, Alabama. Education: Talladega College (A.B., 1956); State University of New York at Buffalo (J.D., 1959). Omicron Delta Kappa; Sigma Pi Phi; Alpha Phi Alpha. Farrah Order of Jurisprudence. Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2006. Recipient, Sam Walton Business Leader Award, 1999. Member, State University of New York at Buffalo Law Review, 1958-1959. Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama School of Law, 1972-1997. Member, Board of Bar Commissioners, Alabama State Bar, 1987-1996. Secretary, Alabama Democratic Party; State Democratic Executive Committee, 1978-1997. Board of Directors, Alabama Archives and History Foundation; Chairman, Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, 2001-2002; Chairman, United Way of Central Alabama, 2002-2003. Member: Birmingham (President, 1984-1985), American and National Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation; Insurance Law; Business Law; Securities; Municipal Finance.Email: J. Mason Davis, Jr.

Timothy D. Davis (Shareholder) born Anniston, Alabama, July 1, 1965; admitted to bar, 1990, Alabama; 1993, District of Columbia. Education: Rhodes College (B.A., cum laude with honors Economics, 1987); University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1990). Phi Beta Kappa. Chair, General Business Practice Group, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Member: American Bar Association (Member: Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and Business Law Section). Practice Areas: Commercial Lending; Commercial Transactions; Real Estate; Corporate; Banking; Financial Services; Business.Email: Timothy D. Davis

Greggory M. Deitsch (Shareholder) born Meadville, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Alabama; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Samford University (B.S., 1978); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1981). Frequent Lecturer on Liens, Bond Claims, Commercial and Residential Landlord/Tenant Issues. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama Law Institute (Member, Committee assigned with drafting a Landlord Tenant Act, 2001); Builders and Owners Management Association (BOMA); Greater Birmingham Homebuilders Association of Apartment Homes (Legal Counsel); Birmingham Apartment Association (Legal Counsel). Practice Areas: Landlord and Tenant Law; Lien and Bond Claims; Mortgage Services; Commercial Litigation; Real Estate Litigation.Email: Greggory M. Deitsch

Charles R. Driggars (Shareholder) born Dothan, Alabama, March 20, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Troy State University (B.S., magna cum laude, 1978); University of Alabama (J.D., 1981). Student Work Editor, Alabama Law Review, 1980-1981. Author: "Search of the Lawyer's Office: Court Sanctioned Threat to Confidential Communications," 32 Alabama Law Review 92, 1980. Member, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Environmental Economics Committee. Editor, The Counselor, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Environment; Appellate Law; Toxic Torts; Litigation; Civil Trial Practice.Email: Charles R. Driggars

Karl B. Friedman (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, May 23, 1924; admitted to bar, 1948, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (J.D., 1948). Omicron Delta Kappa; Farrah Order of Jurisprudence. Author: "Filing Under Article 9 of the U.C.C.," XIX Alabama Law Review, 1-66; Novel, The Professor, Elliott & Clark Pub. (Oct. 2000). Former Organizing Director, America National Bank of Birmingham. Organizer of Birmingham Crisis Center. Former Special Assistant Attorney General of the State of Alabama. Principal speaker at the 2006 Commencement Exercises of the UAB School of Optometry. Recipient of 2007 Golden Eagle Honorary Award by Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Commission for outstanding and valued contributions to the lives of older American citizens. Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Banking Law; Finance Law; Creditors Rights Law; Estate and Gift Taxation; Trust Law; Estate Administration.Email: Karl B. Friedman

Edward M. Friend, III (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, October 12, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (A.B., 1969; J.D., 1971). Omicron Delta Kappa (President, 1969). Member: Bench and Bar (President, 1971); Farrah Law Society (President, 1984). Faculty, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Former Director, National Health Lawyers Association. Vice-Chair, District Board, Colonial Bank of Birmingham. Past Chairman of the Board: United Way of Central Alabama; Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce; Birmingham Area Chapter of American Red Cross; Birmingham Festival of Arts; Birmingham Big Brothers-Big Sisters; Leadership Alabama; Alabama Region of National Conference of Community and Justice. Trustee, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Member: Birmingham Bar Association; Southern Institute of Health Law (Chairman, 1988-1989). Practice Areas: Health Care; Business Law.Email: Edward M. Friend, III

Stephen R. Geisler (Shareholder) born Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, March 19, 1965; admitted to bar, 2000, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh and Fifth Circuits. Education: George Washington University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1997); University of Alabama (cum laude, 2000). Phi Beta Kappa. Bench & Bar Legal Honor Society. Recipient: Outstanding Academic Achievement Citation; Bench & Bar Award, Outstanding Written Advocacy in the First Year Moot Court Program. Member, Editorial Board, Alabama Law Review, 1999-2000. Author: Comment, "Voluntary Disclosure of Corporate Violations of Federal Law," 51 Ala. L. Rev. 375 (1999). Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation; Civil Trial Practice; ERISA; Insurance Bad Faith; Products Liability; Construction Law.Email: Stephen R. Geisler

Gaile Pugh Gratton (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, July 23, 1958; admitted to bar, 1984, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Spelman College (B.A., summa cum laude, Salutatorian, 1980); Harvard University (J.D., 1983). Psi Chi; Pi Sigma Alpha; Phi Alpha Delta. Recipient: Trevor & Bertha Arnett Scholarship; Samuels Prize for Excellence; Academic Scholarship. Harvard Legal Defenders. Member, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review, 1982-1983. Law Clerk to the Honorable U. W. Clemon, United States District Court Judge, Northern District of Alabama, 1983-1984. Past Alabama State Bar Examiner, 1992-1996. Hearing Officer, Jefferson County Personnel Board. Member: Birmingham (Member, Grievance Committee, 1996 and Executive Board, Women's Section) and American Bar Associations; National Bar Association; Legal Services of Metro Birmingham, Inc. (Board of Directors); Magic City Bar Association; Alabama Lawyers Association; Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys (President, 1994-1995); National Council of School Board Attorneys; National Association of College and University Attorneys. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Education Law; Administrative Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Gaile Pugh Gratton

Peter James Hardin (Shareholder) born Onslow County, North Carolina, March 13, 1967; admitted to bar, 1998, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.S., 1993); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1998). Phi Kappa Phi. Curia Honoris. Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow, 1997-1998. Symposium Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 1998. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. [Specialist, U.S Army Reserve, 1985-1993]. Practice Areas: Corporate; Intellectual Property; Securities; Mergers and Acquisitions; General Business; Computer Technology; Technology Licensing.Email: Peter James Hardin

Jack E. Held (Shareholder) born Talladega, Alabama, August 17, 1931; admitted to bar, 1955, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1953; LL.B., 1955). Omicron Delta Kappa. Member, Farrah Order of Jurisprudence. Member, Board of Editors, Alabama Law Review, 1954-1955. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation; Civil Practice; Family Law; Mediation.Email: Jack E. Held

Jerry E. Held (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, October 15, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1971); Emory University (J.D., 1974). Certified Mediator, American Arbitration Association. Recipient: USFN Emerald National Award of Excellence, 1999; USFN Diamond National Award of Excellence, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005. Member: USFN (a national nonprofit association of mortgage banking attorneys); USFN Board of Directors; Fidelity National Foreclosure & Bankruptcy Solutions Attorney Roundtable; American Legal & Financial Network (AFN); Mortgage Bankers Association. Member: Birmingham, Alabama and American (Member, Foreclosure and Related Remedies Committee and Business Law Section and Real Property, Probate and Trust Section) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Foreclosures; Mortgages; Banking Law; Financial Services Law; Business; Commercial Leasing; Commercial Lending; Corporate; Real Estate.Email: Jerry E. Held

Kaye K. Houser (Shareholder) born Greenville, South Carolina, February 17, 1948; admitted to bar, 1982, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.S., cum laude, 1979); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1982). Associate Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 1980-1982. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Domestic Relations; Construction Law; Insurance; Intellectual Property; Class Actions; Environmental Law; ERISA Litigation.Email: Kaye K. Houser

Elizabeth Holland Hutchins (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, August 21, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Alabama; 1983, Texas; 1989, Georgia. Education: Judson College (B.A., summa cum laude, 1977); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., summa cum laude, 1981); New York University School of Law (LL.M., in Taxation, 1989). Phi Kappa Phi. Comments Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 1980-1981. Law Clerk to Judge Robert B. Propst, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, 1981-1982. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2006. Past President, Alabama Planned Giving Council. Member: Birmingham Bar Association; Alabama State Bar; State Bar of Georgia; State Bar of Texas; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; Birmingham Estate Planning Council; Alabama Planned Giving Council. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Estate, Gift and Trust Tax; Charitable Planning; Trusts and Estates; Wills; Probate.Email: Elizabeth Holland Hutchins

Donald E. Johnson (Shareholder) born York, Pennsylvania, June 14, 1972; admitted to bar, 1996, Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Education: Auburn University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1993); University of Alabama (J.D., summa cum laude, 1996); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1997). Order of the Coif. Graduate Editor, Tax Law Review; Managing Editor, Alabama Law Review. Member, John A. Campbell Moot Court Board. Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award; M. Leigh Harrison Award. Hugo Black Scholar; Bench and Bar. Author: "Has Allied-Bruce Terminix Cos. v. Dobson Exterminated Alabama's Anti-Arbitration Rule?," 47 Ala. L. Rev. 577 (1996). Member: Birmingham and Mobile Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation Law; Corporate Law; Tax Litigation; Federal Income Tax.Email: Donald E. Johnson

Ronald A. Levitt (Shareholder) born Denver, Colorado, November 11, 1957; admitted to bar, 1983, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., cum laude, 1979; M.B.A., 1983; J.D., 1983); University of Florida (LL.M., Taxation, 1984). Jasons; Beta Gamma Sigma. Student Editor-in-Chief, The American Journal of Tax Policy, 1982-1983. Listed in Best Lawyers in America in Taxation (1994—); Leadership Birmingham (1996); Fellow, American College of Tax Counsel; Adjunct Professor: University of Alabama School of Law LL.M. in Taxation Program (Partnership Taxation); Cumberland School of Law (Partnership Taxation). President: Federal Tax Clinic, Inc., 1995; Birmingham Tax Forum, 2003-2004. Frequent instructor for the American Bar Association Tax Section, the New York University Institute on Federal Taxation, the Alabama Society of CPAs, the Tennessee Tax Institute, the Federal Tax Clinic, Inc., the Birmingham Tax Forum and other organizations. Publications: "Back to Back Loans," presented at the 65th New York University Institute on Federal Taxation in October/November 2006; "The Uncertainty of Basis Increases in Connection with Back-to-Back Loans to S Corporations," published in Business Entities magazine, January/February 2007; "Redemptions and Purchases of S Corporation Stock," presented at the 63rd New York University Institute on Federal Taxation in October/November, 2005; "Avoiding Unreasonable Compensation Attacks on Professional Service and Other Closely Held Corporations," published in BNA's Executive Compensation Library, (2004); "Shareholder Agreements for Closely Held Corporations," 15 Business Entities 20, 2003; "Reasonable Compensation Issues for Closely-Held and Service Companies," presented at the 61st New York University Institute on Federal Taxation (61 N.Y.U. Ann. Inst. Fed. Tax'n § 16, 2003); "Drafting Shareholder Agreements for Closely-Held C and S Corporations," presented at the 60th New York University Institute on Federal Taxation (60 N.Y.U. Ann. Inst. Fed. Tax'n § 18, 2002); "What RRA '93 Giveth and Taketh Away: Investment Incentives and Revenue Raisers," 5 Journal of S Corporation Taxation 339, 1994; "Will the Real One-Class-of-Stock Rule Please Stand Up?" 2 Journal of S Corporation Taxation 251, 1991. Member: Birmingham (Member, 1984—) and American (Member, Taxation Law Section, 1985—; Member, 1985—, Vice-Chair, 2000-2004 and Chair, 2004—, Committee on S Corporations) Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar (Member, Taxation Section, 1985—, Vice-Chair, 1990-1991 and Chair, 1991-1992). Practice Areas: Business Planning; Tax Planning; Closely Held Business Law; Family Business Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Federal Tax Planning; State Tax Planning; Health Care; Estate Planning.Email: Ronald A. Levitt

Michael B. Maddox (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, October 23, 1950; admitted to bar, 1976, Alabama; 1978, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama; 1993, U.S. District Court, Middle Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.A., 1973); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1976). Phi Alpha Delta. Charter Member and Past President Alabama Academy of Attorney Mediators, 2000-2001. Member: Birmingham (Executive Committee, 1998-2000) and American Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar (Member, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee); Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; International Association of Defense Counsel; Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel; Alabama Academy of Attorney Mediators (Founding Member and President, 1998—); Panel of Neutrals, U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Alabama; Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution (Qualified Mediator). American College of Civil Trial Mediators. Fellow: American College of Civil Trial Mediators. Practice Areas: Mediation.Email: Michael B. Maddox

Jay G. Maples (Shareholder) born Fort Bragg, North Carolina, September 6, 1971; admitted to bar, 2002, New York and Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1992); University of Alabama (B.S., Accounting, 1998; J.D., 2001); New York University (LL.M., Taxation, 2002). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Taxation; Securities.Email: Jay G. Maples

Melinda McEachern Mathews (Shareholder) born Tampa, Florida, November 5, 1943; admitted to bar, 1978, Alabama. Education: Birmingham Southern College (B.A., cum laude, 1965); Vanderbilt University (M.A.T., 1969); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1978); University of Florida (LL.M., in Taxation, 1981). Mortar Board; Phi Beta Kappa. Articles Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 1977-1978. Contributing Author: Tax Planning For The Professional, Warren, Gorham and Lamont, 1986; Estate & Personal Financial Planning, 1988; Alabama Supplement to Wilkins, Drafting Wills & Trust Agreements: A Systems Approach, 1984. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Birmingham Estate Planning Council (President, 1998); Birmingham Tax Forum (President, 1991-1992); National Association of Estate Planning Councils (Board Member, 1999-2000); American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC); Alabama Law Foundation (Board Member). Fellow: American College of Trust and Estate Council. Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 1993—, Woodward White, Inc. for Trusts & Estates. Languages: German. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Federal Income; Estate and Gift Taxation; Trusts and Estates Taxation; Wills; Probate.Email: Melinda McEachern Mathews

J. Rushton McClees (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, December 29, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., summa cum laude, 1983; J.D., 1986); Rice University. Beta Gamma Sigma; Omicron Delta Epsilon. Member, National Trial Advocacy Team, 1986. Member, Journal of the Legal Profession, 1985-1986. Author: "Discounting and Bartering of Legal Fees," Vol. 10, p. 189 The Journal of the Legal Profession, 1985. Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Products Liability; Class Actions; Insurance; Construction Law; Litigation.Email: J. Rushton McClees

Kerry Patrick McInerney (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, May 5, 1970; admitted to bar, 1998, Alabama. Education: Birmingham-Southern College (B.A., 1992); Wayne State University (M.A., 1995); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1998). Recipient, Tiffany Leadership Award, Alabama Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Class of 2004; Graduate, Project Corporate Leadership, Birmingham, Alabama Chamber of Commerce, 2000-2001; Past Member, Birmingham Leadership Council, Alabama Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program; Past Board Member and General Counsel, Shelby County, Alabama Humane Society; Past Chair, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Community Involvement Committee. Member: Birmingham (Member, Young Lawyers Section, Public Service Committee) and American Bar Associations; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute (Executive Committee and National Chair, Membership Subcommittee, Commercial Litigation Committee, 2005-2006; National Chair, DRI Substantive Liaison Subcommittee, Young Lawyers Committee, 2004-2005; 2002-2003 National Chair, DRI Legislation Subcommittee, Young Lawyers Committee, 2002-2003. 2003-2004: DRI Young Lawyers Committee Liaison to Commercial Litigation Committee; National Vice-Chair, Substantive Liaison Subcommittee, DRI Young Lawyers Committee; Young Lawyer Editor of The Business Suit, DRI Commercial Litigation Committee; Steering Committee Member, DRI Young Lawyers Committee and Commercial Litigation Committee, 2003-2006). Practice Areas: Corporate/Commercial Litigation; Business Litigation; Creditors' Rights Litigation; Products Liability; Intellectual Property; Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Secrets.Email: Kerry Patrick McInerney

David R. Mellon (Shareholder) born New York, 1968; admitted to bar, 1999, Alabama; 2001, Georgia; U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Indiana University (B.A., 1990); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1999). Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow 1998-1999. Law Clerk to Honorable William C. Thompson, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, 1999-2000. Author: "Individual Liability as an "Employer" Under the Family and Medical Leave Act," Volume 22:2, 1998, American Journal of Trial Advocacy. Speaker for Lorman Continuing Education Seminars and for Council on Education in Management. Member, George Washington Institute for Civic Leadership. Member: Birmingham and American (Labor and Employment Section) Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar (Member, Sections on: Labor and Employment; Workers' Compensation; Litigation); State Bar of Georgia; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute (Member, Employment Law Committee). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Workers Compensation Litigation; General Civil Litigation; Identity Theft and Privacy Litigation; Insurance Defense.Email: David R. Mellon

J. Sanford Mullins, III (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, July 17, 1947; admitted to bar, 1976, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.A., 1972); Birmingham School of Law (J.D., 1976). Professor, Wills and Trusts, Birmingham School of Law, 1976-1991 and 1995-2000. Lecturer, Southern Trust School, 1986-2005. Member, Estate Planning Council of Birmingham, Inc. Special Assistant Attorney General, Alabama, 1980. Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 2002-2006. Member: Birmingham and American (Member, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate; Trust Law; Trust Litigation; Estate Litigation; Mediation.Email: J. Sanford Mullins, III

George M. (Jack) Neal, Jr. (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, May 4, 1949; admitted to bar, 1977, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1971); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1977). President, Birmingham Bar Association 2008. Secretary/Treasurer, Birmingham Bar Association 1998. Elected Member: Alabama Board of Bar Commissioners; Board of Trustees of Alabama Bar Foundation; Atticus Finch Society - Alabama Law Foundation; Past service on Birmingham Bar Executive Committee, 1989-1991. Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Trained by American Arbitration Association Mediation. Member of Panel of Mediation and Arbitration Neutrals for American Arbitration Association, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the specialties of Commercial Litigation, Creditors Rights and Bankruptcy and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Co-Chair, Alabama State Bar Sub Committee on Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement. Member: Alabama State Bar ADR Committee; Alabama Association of Attorney Mediators. Former Chair: Judicial Liaison Committee Birmingham Bar; Litigation Department, Sirote & Permutt, P.C.; Creditors Rights Division, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Recipient of the highest rating attainable by Martindale-Hubbell, a reflection of having achieved preeminent status in the areas of professional skill and integrity. Former Service on Cumberland School of Law, Dean's Advisory Board, Samford University. Member: Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Commercial Law League of America; Past Service on Executive Council for Southern Region Commercial Law League of America; Birmingham Chapter Rotary International. Former Member Board of Trustees, Birmingham Historical Society. Former Member Board of Directors, Advent Episcopal Day School. Former Secretary/Treasurer Alabama Zoological. Volunteer Instructor, Alabama Department of Conservation. Former Member of Board of Trustees of the Civic Club Foundation, Inc. Member, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama Board of Bar Commissioners; Alabama Bar Foundation (Board of Trustees); Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Commercial Law League of America; Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution; Birmingham Chapter Rotary International. Practice Areas: Civil Practice in State and Federal Courts; Commercial Litigation; Creditors Rights Litigation; Mediation; Arbitration; Uniform Commercial Code.Email: George M. (Jack) Neal, Jr.

Rodney E. Nolen (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, June 30, 1948; admitted to bar, 1974, Alabama; 1975, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama; 1985, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 1992, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1970); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1974). Omicron Delta Kappa. Member: Birmingham (Member, Fee Arbitration Committee, Commercial & Bankruptcy Law Section) and American Bar Associations; Commercial Law League of America; National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys. (Certified in Creditor's Rights Law by the American Board of Certification). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Creditors Rights; Creditors Services; Collections; Detinue and Replevin; Uniform Commercial Code; Civil Trial Practice; Declaratory Judgment.Email: Rodney E. Nolen

Lenora W. Pate (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, May 22, 1949; admitted to bar, 1985, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.A., 1970; M.A., 1973); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1985). Chair, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Health Law Consulting Group. Articles Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 1984-1985. Member, Governor Riley's Transition Team. Vice-Chair, Alabama Citizens' Constitution Commission. Member, Governor's Commission on Efficiency, Consolidation, and Funding and Governor's Commission on Education Spending. Co-Chair, Alabama Citizens for Constitution Reform. Former Director, State of Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, 1993-1995; Governor's Liaison, Health Care Reform Task Forces; Alabama's Designee, North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA-TAA). Alabama Representative, U.S. Department of Labor, Southeastern Regional Conference for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Past Member: State Occupational Information Coordinating Committee; Alabama Commission on Elder Abuse; Alabama Long-Term Care Policy Development Council. Gubernatorial Appointee and Past Chair, Alabama Women's Commission. Alabama Bar Appointee, Third Citizens Conference on the Alabama State Courts. Jefferson County Commission Appointee, Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental Health/Mental Retardation Authority and Advisory Board of Cooper Green Hospital. Trustee, Judson College. Member: Board of Overseers, Samford University; Board of Directors, Women's Exchange; The Women's Fund of Birmingham; Alabama Women's Leadership Database; Metropolitan Arts Council. 1997 Pace Setter, Stennis Center Southern Women in Public Service. Leadership Alabama Class IV. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; American Health Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Health Care Law; Physicians Law; Business Law; Governmental Law; Public Policy; Real Estate; Health Care Development.Email: Lenora W. Pate

Stephen B. Porterfield (Shareholder) born Montgomery, Alabama, September 30, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1985) Phi Sigma Alpha; Cumberland School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1988). Member, Cumberland Law Review, 1986-1988. Member, Curia Honoris. Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge Robert E. Varner, Middle District of Alabama, 1988-1989. Member: Birmingham and American (Co-Chair, Bankruptcy Litigation Committee, Section of Litigation) Bar Associations; American Bankruptcy Institute; Commercial Law League of America. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Creditors Rights; Creditors Services; Business Reorganization; Commercial Transactions; Litigation.Email: Stephen B. Porterfield

Shaun Ramey (Shareholder) born Medina, Ohio, August 20, 1974; admitted to bar, 2000, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama including Bankruptcy Courts. Education: University of Texas (B.A., Economics & Government, 1996); University of Alabama (J.D., cum laude, 2000). Beta Alpha Rho (President). Recipient: Top Attorney Award, Texas Undergraduate Trial Advocacy Tournament, 1994-1996; George Peach Taylor Advocacy Award; Outstanding Oral Advocacy Award, First Year Moot Court. Senior Editor, Journal of the Legal Profession. Author: "Alleging Bias and Prejudice on the Part of an Attorney Disciplinary Committee." Member, ATLA National Trial Advocacy Team Regional Champions, 1999. Member: Birmingham and American (Member, Business Torts Committee) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Practice; Litigation; Bankruptcy; Creditors' Rights and Services; Business Disputes; Non-Competition Disputes; Injunctions.Email: Shaun Ramey

Cynthia Ransburg-Brown (Shareholder) born Shreveport, Louisiana, February 28, 1963; admitted to bar, 1998, Alabama. Education: Northeast Louisiana University (B.S., 1985); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1998). Phi Delta Phi; Order of the Barristers; Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow. Chief Judge, Trial Advocacy Board. Recipient, National Women Lawyers Association 1998 Top Female Law Graduate. Member, Cumberland Law Review. Author: Comment, "The Ultimate Jigsaw Puzzle: ERISA Preemption and HMO Liability," Cumberland Law Review; "COBRA is Ready to Strike! EMTALA - The Emergency Treatment and Active Labor Act," The Counselor, Spring 2000; "The New Privacy Regulations, Time to Revise Your Medical Records Policy - HIPAA," The Counselor, Spring 2001; "New Privacy Regulations - HIPAA," Healthcare Advantage Newsletter, Spring 2001. Co-Author, "Professional Courtesy Under Stark II, Phase II", Jefferson County Medical Society Newsletter, November 2004. Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Law. Presentations: Medical Group Management Association, Tuscaloosa Chapter, Presented lecture with Lenora W. Pate, Esq. and participated in interactive discussion regarding state and federal regulatory changes and Health Care Law Update. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, November, 2004; Pittman Financial Services Medical Information Forum, Prepared and presentation summary information regarding recent regulatory changes at state and federal level affecting the delivery of health care services. Birmingham, Alabama, October, 2004; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Executive MHSA Program Summer 2004, taught Health Care Law component to MHSA Program. Course content includes Stark, Anti-Kickback, HCQIA, HIPAA, EMTALA, professional licensing, ERISA, fruad and abuse, medical staff privileges, medical malpractice, and other health care law topics. Birmingham, Alabama, May-June, 2004; Alabama Record Managers Association, Birmingham Chapter, Presented lecture and participated in interactive discussion regarding Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its confidentiality issues and the impact on the retention and storage of protected health information. Birmingham, Alabama, February, 2004; Medical Group Management Association, Huntsville Chapter, Presented lecture with Lenora W. Pate, Esq. and participated in interactive discussion regarding state and federal regulatory changes and Health Care Law Update. Huntsville, Alabama, November, 2003; National Business Institute - Continuing Legal Education Seminar - "HIPAA in a Nutshell - Cracking the Confidentiality Code", Presented Cle Seminar regarding practical application of HIPAA for practicing attorneys, medical confidentiality issues and HIPAA's impact on legal proceedings. Birmingham, Alabama, October, 2003; University of Alabama at Birmingham - Huntsville, Presented lecture and participated in interactive discussion with Family Practice Residents regarding "Group Practice Formation - the First Year and Beyond". Huntsville, Alabama, July, 2003; Alabama Ambulance Association, State Meeting, Presented lecture and participated in interactive discussion regarding Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its confidentiality issues and the impact ambulance service providers. Birmingham, Alabama, April, 2003; Radiology Business Managers' Association, State Meeting, Presentation with Lenora W. Pate, Esq. involving state and federal regulatory changes and Health Care Law Update. Birmingham, Alabama, April, 2003; Alabama Treasury Managers' Association, Birmingham Chapter, Presented lecture and participated in interactive discussion regarding Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its impact on financial institutions serving health care clients. Birmingham, Alabama, March, 2003; Medical Group Management Association, State Association Mid-Winter Meeting, Presented lecture and participated in interactive discussion regarding state and federal regulatory changes and Health Care Law Update. Birmingham, Alabama, March, 2003; Medical Group Management Association, Dothan Chapter, Presented lecture and participated in an interactive discussion regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Dothan, Alabama, February 2003; Medical Group Management Association, Huntsville Chapter, Presented lecture and participated in an interactive discussion regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Huntsville, Alabama, February 2003; Attorneys' Insurance Mutual of Alabama, December 2002; Presentation for Attorneys - Continuing Legal Education Seminar - HIPAA; Medical Group Management Association, Tuscaloosa Chapter, November 2002; HIPAA Presentation and Implementation Strategies; Client-Sponsored - "HIPAA Seminar", Montgomery, Alabama, November 2002; Rocket City Coders, American Association of Professional Coders, Huntsville, Alabama, October 2002. Presentation and interactive discussion regarding HIPAA; Mineral District Medical Society, Birmingham, Alabama, September 2002; Presentation regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; Medical Group Management Association, Birmingham Chapter, September 2002. Presentation regarding new health law developments, including limited English Proficiency Requirements, new ethical marketing guidelines for pharmaceutical representatives, and update on Alabama law; Medical Group Management Association, Huntsville Chapter, July 2002. Presented lecture and interactive discussion regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA"); University of Alabama at Birmingham, May 2002, taught Health Law Course for MHSA Executive Program at UAB, course content included Stark, Anti-Kickback, HCQIA, HIPAA, EMTLA, professional licensing, ERISA and other health law topics. Member: Magic City and American (Health Law Section) Bar Associations; American Health Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Health Care Law; Corporate Compliance; Administrative Law; Business Law.Email: Cynthia Ransburg-Brown

C. Lee Reeves (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, August 17, 1945; admitted to bar, 1968, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., 1966; J.D., 1968); George Washington University (LL.M., 1969). Member, Bench and Bar. Member, Alabama Law Review, 1967-1968. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama Defense Lawyers; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Litigation; Creditors' Rights; Class Actions Litigation; Civil Practice; Antitrust Law; Products Liability Defense; Labor and Employment Law; Insurance Law.Email: C. Lee Reeves

Joseph T. Ritchey (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, September 22, 1955; admitted to bar, 1981, Alabama; 1984, Texas and U.S. Tax Court. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1977); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1981); New York University (LL.M., 1983). Editor-in-Chief, Cumberland Law Review, 1980-1981. Law Clerk to Chief Justice C. C. Torbert, Jr., Alabama Supreme Court, 1981-1982. Adjunct Professor, Birmingham School of Law. Serves on the Sirote & Permutt Board of Directors and as Co-Chair of Sirote & Permutt, P.C.'s Corporate and Tax Group, and Chair, Recruiting Committee. Co-Trustee of Sirote & Permutt 401K/PS Plan. Leadership Birmingham, Class of 2003-2004. Certified as Mediator by American Health Lawyers Association. Member: Birmingham and American (Member, Taxation Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; National Health Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Health Care Law; Corporate Law; Securities Law; Estate Planning; Mergers and Acquisitions; Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations; Retirement Planning; Business Organization; Tax Law; Tax Planning; Health Law Mediation.Email: Joseph T. Ritchey

Jessica (Ginny) Cochran Rutledge (Shareholder) born June 28, 1976; admitted to bar, 2001, Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1998); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 2001). Practice Areas: Real Estate Title; Foreclosures; Real Estate and Title Curative; Creditor Services.Email: Jessica (Ginny) Cochran Rutledge

Maurice L. Shevin (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, March 16, 1952; admitted to bar, 1977, Alabama. Education: Washington University (B.A., 1973); University of Alabama (J.D., 1977). Member, Alabama Law Review, 1976-1977. Author: "Truth-In-Lending Simplification and Reform Act Analysis," Commercial Law Journal, December, 1981; "Lending Under Alabama's Mini-Code: Proceed at Your Own Risk," Vol. 18, No. 2, Cumberland Law Review, 1988; "Chaos in the Consumer Finance Industry in Alabama," Consumer Finance Law Quarterly Report, Vol. 48, No. 3, Summer, 1995; "Consumer Finance - The Fuel That Drives the Economy," The Alabama Lawyer, Vol. 58, No. 5, 1997; "A Very Busy Month, Legal Outlook," Equity Magazine, January 2003; "Why Sue The OTS?" Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, February 2003; "What's Next? A Fight for What's Right," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, February 2003; Legal Briefs Alabama Lenders Association, March 2003; "Servicing, Fraud, Assignee Liability: Top Issues For Industry," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, December 2003; "The View From Outside The Beltway," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, February 2004; "The New Generation of Consumer Protection Laws," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, April 2004. "Illinois Developments: The Nationwide Impact," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, June 2004; "There is Strength in Numbers," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, August 2004; "Arbitration: The Next Defining Moment," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, October 2004; "Key Issues Covered At Attorneys Round Table," Legal Outlook, Equity Magazine, January 2005. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2004. Principal Draftsman of several Alabama Statutes, including the 1996 Amendments to the Alabama Consumer Credit Act, the 2001 Alabama Mortgage Brokers Licensing Act and the 2002 and 2004 Amendments to the Alabama Small Loan Act. Member, Governing Committee, Conference on Consumer Finance Law. Member: National Home Equity Mortgage Association (General Counsel); Alabama Lenders Association; Borrow-Smart Public Education Foundation. Practice Areas: Business Law; Financial Services Law; Commercial Transactions; Consumer Finance; Credit Insurance; Legislation Drafting; Real Estate Finance; Real Estate Law; Trade Association Law.Email: Maurice L. Shevin

J. Scott Sims (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, December 14, 1965; admitted to bar, 1993, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1990); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., cum laude, 1993). Curia Honoris; National Moot Court Team; Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow. Member, Cumberland Law Review. Member, Independent Community Bankers Association. General Counsel, Community Bankers Association of Alabama. Member: Birmingham and American (Business Law and Real Property Section) Bar Associations; Alabama Banker's Association; Alabama Real Estate Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Banking; Financial Services Law; Business Law; Commercial Lending; Commercial Real Estate; Commercial Real Estate Development.Email: J. Scott Sims

Bradley J. Sklar (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, November 28, 1961; admitted to bar, 1987, Alabama. Education: University of Texas (B.B.A., Accounting, 1984); University of Alabama (J.D., 1987); New York University (LL.M., Tax, 1988). Associate Editor, American Journal of Tax Policy, 1986-1987. Author: "The Alabama Limited Liability Company Act," 45 Ala. L. Rev. 145 (1994). Professor of Taxation, Birmingham School of Law, 1990-1997. Chair, Tax Section, Alabama State Bar, 1998. President, Birmingham Tax Forum, 1999-2000. Member: Leadership Birmingham, 2000-2001; Community Board of Operation New Birmingham. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law. Co-Chair, Corporate and Tax Department, Sirote & Permutt, P.C.; VIP Member, Continental WHO'S WHO Registry of National Business Leaders. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate; Partnership; Limited Liability Entity Law; Business Acquisitions; Business Reorganization; Tax Planning; Partnership Law; State Taxation; Local Taxation; Business Law; Real Estate Law; Tax Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Services.Email: Bradley J. Sklar

Anthony R. Smith (Shareholder) admitted to bar, 1998, Florida; 2000, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama. Education: University of Florida (B.A., 1995); College of William & Mary (J.D., 1998). Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International (Chapter Officer, 1997-1998, Regional Officer, 1999-2002, International Officer, 2002-2006). Law Clerk and Chief Staff Attorney to Hon. Harold See, Supreme Court of Alabama, 1998-2000. Ambassador, 2002— and Governmental Affairs Committee Member, 2004—, Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Ambassador, Homewood Chamber of Commerce, 2002-2004. Member, 2003— and President, 2006, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham: Young Advisory Board. Member: Community Bankers Association of Alabama; Manufacture Alabama; Business Council of Alabama; Homewood City Council, 2004—. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; The Florida Bar. Reported Cases: Matthews v. Brookstone Stores, Inc., ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2006 WL 1420824 (S.D.Ala. 2006); Dunlap v. BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2006 WL 1321467 (M.D.Ala. 2006); Ex parte Carroll, 902 So.2d 703 (Ala. 2004); Carroll v. Carroll, 902 So.2d 696 (Ala.Civ.App. 2004); Conference America, Inc. v. Telecommunications Co-op Network, Inc., 885 So.2d 772 (Ala. 2003); Preda v. Preda, 877 So.2d 617 (Ala.Civ.App. 2003); S.J. Holding Co., Inc. v. Kadco, Inc., 874 So.2d 1036 (Ala. 2003); Korn v. Korn, 867 So.2d 338 (Ala.Civ.App. 2003); Serra Chevrolet, Inc. v. Edwards Chevrolet, Inc., 850 So.2d 259 (Ala. 2002); Ex parte Davenport, 814 So.2d 277 (Ala. 2001); K.H.L. v. K.G.M., 782 So.2d 804 (Ala.Civ.App. 2000). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Appellate Practice; Class Actions; Commercial Litigation; Business Litigation; Insurance Law; Real Estate.Email: Anthony R. Smith

Kyle T. Smith (Shareholder) born Pascagoula, Mississippi, April 8, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama; 1997, U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit; 2000, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: Mississippi State University (B.P.A., 1992); University of Alabama (J.D., cum laude, 1995). Hugo L. Black Scholar. Student Works Editor, Alabama Law Review. Member: Birmingham and American (Member, Labor and Employment Section) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Law; Civil Trial Practice; Litigation; Workers Compensation.Email: Kyle T. Smith

Craig Martin Stephens (Shareholder) born Ft. Pierce, Florida, March 26, 1971; admitted to bar, 1997, Alabama. Education: Stetson University (B.A., English, 1993); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1997); University of Florida School of Law (LL.M., Taxation, 2000). Teaching Fellow, Legal Research & Writing, Cumberland School of Law, 1995-1996. Member, American Journal of Trial Advocacy. Member, University of Florida Tax Review. Judicial Law Clerk, Judge Virgil Pittman, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama, 1997-1998. Author: American Journal of Trial Advocacy, Vol. 20:1 (1996); American Journal of Trial Advocacy, Vol. 20:2 (1997). Co-Author: "Now You See It, Now You Don't - Now You See It Again: The Federal Estate Tax," Senior Living, August 2002. Contributing Author: J.K. Lasser's New Rules for Estate and Tax Planning, Second Edition (2005 ed.). Author: "Targeted Family Business Carveout Fails to Avoid Estate Tax," 107 Tax Notes 365 (2005). Past Instructor, Financial Planning Certification Course - Estate Planning, University of Alabama at Birmingham Special Studies Program. Guest Lecturer, Estate Planning Courses, Cumberland School of Law. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Administration; Estate Planning; Tax Law; Tax Planning.Email: Craig Martin Stephens

James R. Sturdivant (Shareholder) born Nashville, Tennessee, May 1, 1962; admitted to bar, 1987, Alabama; 1992, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 1996, U.S. District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.A., 1984); University of Alabama (J.D., 1987). Member, Bench and Bar Honor Society. Distinguished Military Graduate, Auburn University. Recipient, Army ROTC Scholarship. Member, Editorial Board, Alabama Law Review, 1985-1987. Speaker: "Dealing with Uncle Sam: Responding to Federal Law Enforcement Contacts," What to Do When the Wolf (Government) is at the Door, Environmental Law Section, Alabama Bar Association, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Alabama, June 2005; "Ethical Considerations in White Collar Matters," Business Clients and Investigations, Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Birmingham, Alabama, November 2003. Moderator and Event Planner, Federal Criminal Sentencing Seminar, Birmingham Bar Association, Birmingham, Alabama, February 2003. Defense Counsel, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, 1989-1992. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Alabama, 1992-1995. Associate, Lightfoot, Franklin & White, L.L.C., 1995-1998. City Prosecutor, Vestavia Hills, Alabama, 2000-2004. Registered Arbitrator, Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution. Member: Birmingham and American (Member: Criminal Justice Section; White Collar Crime Committee) Bar Associations. [Captain, US Army, JAGC, 1988-1992]. Practice Areas: Litigation; White Collar Crime.Email: James R. Sturdivant

Judith F. Todd (Shareholder) born Chicago, Illinois, January 25, 1946; admitted to bar, 1972, Florida; 1977, Illinois; 1981, Alabama. Education: Vassar College; University of Michigan (A.B., 1968); University of Miami (J.D., cum laude, 1972). Associate Editor, University of Miami Law Review, 1971-1972. Author: 831 T.M. "Valuation of Corporate Stock"; "The Pros and Cons of Term Trusts and Some Alternatives," Taxes - The Tax Magazine, January, 1979. Member: 2001 Class of Leadership Birmingham; Board of Directors and Executive Committee, YWCA; Board of Directors and Past President, Oasis - A Women's Mental Health Center; Advisory Board of the Alys Stephens Center; Professional Advisors Board of University of Alabama. Listed in "The Best Lawyers in America," 1993—, by Woodward White, Inc. for Trusts and Estates. Birmingham Business Journal Class of 2001 Top 10 Birmingham Women. Winner Life Inspiration Award, American Cancer Society, 1998. Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction Award, 2003. Member and Past President, the Women's Network. Chairman, Professional Advisors Division of Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Member: Birmingham, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; The Florida Bar; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Former Regent); Estate Planning Council; Alabama Planned Giving Council (Past President). Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Charitable Planning; Estate and Gift Taxation; Trusts and Estates Taxation; Wills; Probate.Email: Judith F. Todd

Thomas G. Tutten, Jr. (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, May 13, 1957; admitted to bar, 1988, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama. Education: Samford University (B.S., 1985); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1988). Member, Cumberland Law Review, 1987-1988. Member: Birmingham Bar Association (Member, Bankruptcy Section); Alabama State Bar (Member, Sections on: Bankruptcy; Commercial Law); Commercial Law League of America (Bankruptcy Section); Northern District Uniform Procedures Task Force. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Creditor Representation in Consumer Bankruptcy; Creditors' Rights in Bankruptcy Proceedings; Creditors' Rights and Services; Collections; Property Management as creditors in Bankruptcy; Commercial Litigation; Landlord and Tenant Law; Mortgage Services.Email: Thomas G. Tutten, Jr.

Jeff G. Underwood (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, January 14, 1967; admitted to bar, 1995, Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1989); Birmingham School of Law (J.D., 1995). Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; REOMAC Association; USFN, REO/Eviction Committee. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Mortgage Finance; Banking; Financial Services; Business Law; Foreclosures.Email: Jeff G. Underwood

James E. Vann (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, 1953; admitted to bar, 1981, Alabama. Education: Montevallo University (B.S., cum laude, 1976); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1981). Member: Birmingham Bar Association; Alabama Society of CPAs; American Institute of CPAs. Practice Areas: Commercial Loans; Real Estate; Business Law; Corporate; Corporate Tax Planning.Email: James E. Vann

George M. (Marty) Van Tassel, Jr. (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, June 7, 1947; admitted to bar, 1972, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1969; J.D., 1972). Phi Alpha Delta. Adjunct Professor, Mediation Process and Practice, University of Alabama. Assistant Attorney General, Alabama, 1972-1974. Member, Panel of Neutrals, Mobile Alabama. Member, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and President, 1997-1998 and Member, Litigation Section and Dispute Resolution Committee, Alabama State Bar. Panelist, CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Alabama Alternative Dispute Resolution Foundation (Trustee); Defense Research Institute; National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel (President, 1997-1998); American Board of Trial Advocates (Vice President, Alabama Chapter, 1999); Alabama Academy of Attorney Mediators (Past President and Founding Member); Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution; American College of Civil Trial Mediators. Practice Areas: Mediation; Alternative Dispute Resolution.Email: George M. (Marty) Van Tassel, Jr.

James Sarven Williams (Shareholder) born Birmingham, Alabama, June 16, 1966; admitted to bar, 1991, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama; U. S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.A., 1988); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1991). Member: American Journal of Trial Advocacy; National Mock Trial Team. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Litigation; Insurance Law and Defense; Banking and Financial Services; Civil Trial Practice; Commercial Litigation; Complex Litigation; Construction; Government and Defense Contracting.Email: James Sarven Williams

David M. Wooldridge (Shareholder) born Tuscaloosa, Alabama, May 23, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., Engineering, 1972; J.D., 1975); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1976). Managing Editor, Alabama Law Review, 1974-1975. Graduate Editor, Tax Law Review, 1975-1976. Attorney-Advisor, U.S. Tax Court, 1976-1978. Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama LL.M. in Taxation and M.T.A. Programs (Tax Practice and Procedure), 1981—. Teacher, University of Alabama School of Accounting and School of Law. Chairman, Tax Section, Alabama State Bar, 1987. American Bar Association Liaison to Internal Revenue Service Southeast Region, 1990-1994. Former Sub-Committee Chairman, Court of Precedure Committee. Certified in Dispute Mediation by AAA. Practice Areas: Tax Controversies; Business Litigation; Corporate and Individual Tax Planning; State and Local Tax Matters; Mediation and Arbitration.Email: David M. Wooldridge

Donald M. Wright (Shareholder) born Opelika, Alabama, June 8, 1954; admitted to bar, 1985, Alabama. Education: Tennessee Technological University (B.S., Accounting, 1976); University of Tennessee (J.D., with honors, 1985). Editor in Chief, Tennessee Law Review, 1984-1985. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; American Bankruptcy Institute; Commercial Law League of America. [Capt., U.S. Army, 1976-1982]. Practice Areas: Commercial Transactions; Bankruptcy Law(30%); Business Reorganization; Corporate Financial Distress; Creditors' Rights and Services(20%); Commercial Litigation(50%); Litigation; Mediation and Arbitration.Email: Donald M. Wright

Peter McKeever Wright (Shareholder) born Atlanta, Georgia, October 9, 1962; admitted to bar, 1995, Alabama. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.A., 1985); University of Alabama (J.D., 1995). Member: Jessup International Moot Court Team; University of Alabama Law Review. Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama Law School, 1997—. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations; National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Practice Areas: Trusts and Estates Litigation; Estate Administration; Estate Planning; Estate and Gift Taxation; Trusts and Estates Taxation.Email: Peter McKeever Wright

OF COUNSEL

Enslen Lamberth Crowe (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 2009, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., magna cum laude, 2000; M.A., 2002); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 2008). Dean's List. Recipient: Presidential Scholarship & Alabama Forensics Council Scholarship, All-American Debate Team; Outstanding Senior History Major; Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year; Scholar of Merit. Member: National Moot Court Team; Henry Upson Sims Moot Court Executive Board; Women in Law Executive Board. Intern, Mediation, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Clerk for Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, 2007. Judicial Intern to U.S. Magistrate Judge John E. Ott. Director of Forensics and History Department Faculty, Isidore Newman School, 2002-2005. Member, National Debate Institute Faculty, 1999-2005. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Collections; Creditors Rights; Mortgage Banking Law.Email: Enslen Lamberth Crowe

Matthew Shane Geller (Of Counsel) born St. Louis, Missouri, April 9, 1975; admitted to bar, 2000, Alabama. Education: Colgate University (B.A., 1997); Tulane University School of Law (J.D., 2000). Speaker: Lorman Education Services; National Business Institute. Lead, attorney supporting IT procurement staffs for two Fortune 100 financial services companies. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Corporate Finance; Mergers and Acquisitions; Computer Law; Technology Law; Licensing; Internet; Intellectual Property; Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Secrets; Securities Law; Tax Law and Planning; Business Law; Corporate/Director and Officer Liability.Email: Matthew Shane Geller

Julie W. Jordan (Of Counsel) born Louisville, Kentucky, January 17, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of Montevallo (B.A., 1992); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1995). Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Commercial Lending.Email: Julie W. Jordan

Leigh A. Kaylor (Of Counsel) born Birmingham, Alabama, April 25, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, Alabama; 1988, Arizona. Education: University of Arizona (1978-80); Birmingham-Southern College (B.A., 1982); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1986); University of Florida School of Law (LL.M., Taxation, 1987); University of Alabama at Birmingham (M.A., 1991). Member: Maricopa County and American (Member, Sections on: Taxation; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law; Member, Committees on Estate and Trust Litigation, Real Property and Probate Section Committee on Current Literature, 1995-1996) Bar Associations; State Bar of Arizona. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Estate Administration; Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations; Tax Law.Email: Leigh A. Kaylor

Stuart Leach (Of Counsel) born Birmingham, Alabama, December 14, 1930; admitted to bar, 1958, Alabama. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1953); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1958). Certified Mediator, American Arbitration Association. Former presiding judge of the 10th circuit, 1992-1996. Circuit Court Judge, 1982-1986. Former Staff Attorney, National Labor Relations Board, Memphis, Tennessee. Former Legislative Assistant, U.S. Senator John J. Sparkman. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Mediation.Email: Stuart Leach

Colleen E. McCullough (Of Counsel) born Hammond, Indiana, December 23, 1977; admitted to bar, 2003, Arkansas; 2005, Alabama. Education: University of Arkansas (B.A., 2000); University of Alabama (J.D., 2003). Phi Delta Phi (President, 2002-2003). Bench and Bar (Vice President, 2002-2003). Recipient: Howard T. Helfin Award; Dean's Community Service Award. Lead Editor, Journal of the Legal Profession. Member: Arkansas Bar Association; Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Creditors Rights.Email: Colleen E. McCullough

Joel A. Mendler (Of Counsel) born April 11, 1944; admitted to bar, 1968, Louisiana; 2006, Alabama. Education: Brandeis University; Manchester University, England; Tulane University (B.A., 1965; J.D., 1968). Order of the Coif; Phi Sigma Alpha. Member, Board of Editors, Tulane Law Review, 1966-1968. Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 1983-2006. Author: "Foreign Base Company Services Income," U.S. Taxation of International Operations, Prentice-Hall, Inc.; "Estate Planning for the Mentally and Physically Handicapped," Louisiana Estate Planner, 1981; "Using Trusts for Disabled Clients," 44 La. Bar J. 26 (1996); "The Nonprobate Revolution," 50 La. Bar J. 274 (2002). Member: Louisiana State and American Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar. Fellow: American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; National Academy of Elder Lawyers; Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled (Past President). (Board Certified Tax Law Specialist; Estate Planning and Administration Specialist, Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Taxation Law; Estate Planning; Trust Law; Pension Law; Elder Law.Email: Joel A. Mendler

Diane Murray (Of Counsel) born Mobile, Alabama, July 27, 1974; admitted to bar, 1999, Alabama; 2000, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama; 2003, U.S. District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Mobile (B.A., magna cum laude, 1996); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1999). Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Mortgage Services; Creditors Rights; Creditors Services.Email: Diane Murray

Barry Ragsdale (Of Counsel) born 1958; admitted to bar, 1985, Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, First and Eleventh Circuits; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., cum laude, 1983); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1985). Past President, Birmingham Chapter, American Inns of Court. Member, Alabama Supreme Court Advisory Committee, Alabama Rules of Appellate Procedure, 2005—. Member: Birmingham Bar Association (Judicial Liaison Committee, 2006-2008); Alabama State Bar (Chairman, Business Torts and Antitrust Section; Member, Board of Bar Examiners, 2003—). Practice Areas: Litigation; Appellate Practice; Mediation.Email: Barry Ragsdale

Rebecca B. Redmond (Of Counsel) born Birmingham, Alabama, June 14, 1979; admitted to bar, 2004, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., cum laude, 2001); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 2004). Fellow, The Blackburn Institute. Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Mortgage Banking Law; Mortgage Foreclosure.Email: Rebecca B. Redmond

Allison O. Skinner (Of Counsel) born Birmingham, Alabama, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., cum laude, 1991; J.D., 1994). Presenter: "Alabama Appellate Mediation Program - An Overview," Birmingham Bar Association; "Tips for the Defendant's Lawyer: Affirmative Defenses and Related Issue in Alabama Products Liability Law for the Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Registered as a Trial and Appellate Mediator, Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution. Former Administrative Partner, Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.C., Birmingham Office, 2001-2008. Member: Birmingham Bar Association (Young Lawyers Executive Committee; Women's Section Newsletter Committee). Languages: French. Practice Areas: Products Liability; Appellate Practice; Professional Liability; Casualty Defense; Mediation.Email: Allison O. Skinner

Sandra K. Vinik (Of Counsel) born Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, February 14, 1943; admitted to bar, 1980, Alabama; 1986, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (B.A., 1963); University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (LL.B., 1967); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1980). Associate Editor, American Journal of Trial Advocacy, (4) 1980. Research Assistant to Editor, "Women in Alabama Law," 1980. Member: Birmingham and American Bar Associations. Languages: Afrikaans. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment; Civil Rights Litigation; Workers Compensation; Personal Injury; Appellate Practice.Email: Sandra K. Vinik

Caroline E. Walker (Of Counsel) born Memphis, Tennessee, May 25, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Alabama. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.A., 1992); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1995). Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Mortgages; Foreclosures.Email: Caroline E. Walker

Susannah Rose Walker (Of Counsel) born Pensacola, Florida, October 31, 1975; admitted to bar, 1999, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama. Education: Samford University (B.A., International Relations, magna cum laude, 1996) Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., cum laude, 1999). Scholar of Merit Awards. Teaching Fellow. Recipient, Achievement Award, Legal Research and Writing. Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas B. Bennett, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, 1999-2000. Practice Areas: Collections; Bankruptcy; Creditors' Rights and Services.Email: Susannah Rose Walker

Cynthia W. Williams (Of Counsel) born Joliet, Illinois, August 11, 1964; admitted to bar, 1997, Alabama; 2003, Georgia. Education: University of Alabama, Birmingham (B.S., cum laude, 1993); Cumberland School of Law, Samford University (J.D., 1996). Former Assistant Attorney General, State of Alabama. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Foreclosures.Email: Cynthia W. Williams

——————————

R. Ryan Daugherty (Associate) born Marietta, Georgia, July 23, 1977; admitted to bar, 2005, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Education: Jacksonville State University (B.S., Criminal Justice, 2000); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Dean's List; Caruthers Fellow. Special Honors, Criminal Justice, Jacksonville State University. Recipient: Scholar of Merit Awards: Basic Federal Income Tax, Fall 2003; Business Organizations, Spring 2004; Employment Discrimination, Fall 2004. Certificate in Trial Advocacy. Legal Research Teaching Assistant, 2003-2004. Executive Editor, Cumberland Law Review, Vol. 35, 2004-2005. Member: Birmingham Bar Association; Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: R. Ryan Daugherty

Jaime Cowley Erdberg (Associate) born Decatur, Alabama, February 11, 1977; admitted to bar, 2004, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.A., cum laude, 1999); University of Alabama (J.D., 2004). Hugo L. Black Scholar. Articles Editor, Alabama Law Review. Author: Comment, "State of Alabama v. Stephenson: The State's Futile Fight Against Hugo Black and the Ku Klux Klan," 55 Ala. L. Rev. 1125 (2004). Member: Birmingham Bar Association. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Jaime Cowley Erdberg

Samuel D. Friedman (Associate) born Birmingham, Alabama, 1983; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama. Education: University of Pittsburgh (B.A., Political Science and Religious Studies, summa cum laude, 2005); University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2007). Member: Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Business Law; Finance.Email: Samuel D. Friedman

Crystal H. Holmes (Associate) born Fort Wayne, Indiana, November 4, 1975; admitted to bar, 2004, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama at Huntsville (B.A., 2000) University of Alabama (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004). Practice Areas: Business; Financial Services; Litigation.Email: Crystal H. Holmes

Marcus M. Maples (Associate) born Athens, Alabama, 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama. Education: University of North Alabama (B.A., 2002); University of Alabama (J.D., 2006). Member: Alabama State Bar; American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section). Practice Areas: Litigation; Labor and Employment.Email: Marcus M. Maples

Melissa A.R. May (Associate) born Birmingham, Alabama, April 4, 1976; admitted to bar, 2001, Virginia and District of Columbia. (Not admitted in Alabama). Education: Auburn University (B.S., cum laude, 1998); Washington & Lee University School of Law, (J.D., cum laude, 2001). Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Charitable Giving; Trust Law; Trusts and Estates; Wills; Probate.Email: Melissa A.R. May

Jennifer M. Miller (Associate) born Birmingham, Alabama, 1979; admitted to bar, 2008, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama, Birmingham (B.A., magna cum laude, 2001; M.A., 2003); Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis (J.D., magna cum laude, 2008). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Jennifer M. Miller

R. Michael Murphy (Associate) born Andalusia, Alabama, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama. Education: Vanderbilt University (B.A., cum laude, 2004; J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Corporate Law.Email: R. Michael Murphy

Mary Blanche Neese (Associate) born Tuscumbia, Alabama, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., Economics, summa cum laude, 2004); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., cum laude, 2007). Member: Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Mary Blanche Neese

Cheryl Howell Oswalt (Associate) born Florence, Alabama, January 28, 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., English, magna cum laude, 2002); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., magna cum laude, 2006). Carruthers Fellow. Member, Cumberland Trial Advocacy Board, 2005-2006. Legal Research Teaching Assistant, Cumberland School of Law, 2004-2005. Symposium Editor, Vol. 36, 2005-2006 and Junior Member, Vol. 35, 2004-2005, Cumberland Law Review. Assistant Director, Client Counseling Competition, 2005-2006. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Corporate Law; Business Law; Financial Services Law.Email: Cheryl Howell Oswalt

Gregory P. Rhodes (Associate) born Jackson, Mississippi, June 7, 1979; admitted to bar, 2005, Mississippi and Alabama. Education: Millsaps College (B.B.A., with honors, 2001); University of Mississippi (J.D., magna cum laude, 2005). Member: The Mississippi Bar; Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Taxation.

Kelli F. Robinson (Associate) born Burlington, Vermont, May 27, 1968; admitted to bar, 2006, Alabama. Education: Louisiana State University (B.S., Business and Public Administration, 1989); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., cum laude, 2006). Named Big Sister of the Year, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Birmingham, 2000. Author, "Constitutional Law - Sixth Amendment - Judicially Determined Facts Used to Impose Exceptional Sentence Violates Defendant's Constitutional Rights," 35 Cumb. L. Rev. 219 , 2005; "Constructive Discharge is Not a Tangible Employment Action: The Impact of Pennsylvania State Police v. Suders," 36 Cumb. L. Rev. 581, 2006. Volunteer, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Birmingham. Member, Birmingham Museum of Art. Practice Areas: Litigation; Business Law; Financial Services Law.Email: Kelli F. Robinson

Kelly Roney (Associate) born Birmingham, Alabama, 1980; admitted to bar, 2008, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., Finance, cum laude, 2001); University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2008). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Real Estate; Business Law.Email: Kelly Roney

Meaghan E. Ryan (Associate) born Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., summa cum laude, 2004; J.D., magna cum laude, 2007). Member: Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Meaghan E. Ryan

Andrew W. Saag (Associate) born 1983; admitted to bar, 2009, Alabama. Education: University of Georgia (B.S., cum laude, 2005); Cumberland School of Law (M.B.A., 2008; J.D.). Phi Eta Sigma; Tau Epsilon Phi. Presidential Scholar; Charter Scholarship; Presidential Scholar; Caruthers Fellow. Associate Editor, Cumberland Law Review, 2007-2008. Clerk to Jefferson County District Criminal Court, Judge O.L. "Pete" Johnson. Board Member, Birmingham Jewish Federation, Next 100 years Steering Committee. University Judiciary Justice, University of Georgia. President, Jewish Law Student Association. Member, Cordell Hull Speakers Forum. Practice Areas: Corporate and Tax.Email: Andrew W. Saag

Tanya K. Shunnara (Associate) born Birmingham, Alabama, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., summa cum laude, 2004); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., cum laude, 2007). Member: Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Estate Planning.Email: Tanya K. Shunnara

Jose David Vega (Associate) born Barranquilla, Colombia, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama. Education: Birmingham-Southern College (B.A., Political Science and History, summa cum laude, 2004); Wake Forest University (J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate/Director and Officer Liability ; Tax Law and Planning.Email: Jose David Vega

Catherine L. Wilson (Associate) born August 31, 1979; admitted to bar, 2005, Alabama. Education: David Lipscomb University (B.A., English, magna cum laude, 200); Vanderbilt University (J.D., 2005; Master of Theological Studies, 2005). Alpha Chi. Provost Scholar; Honors Scholar. Recipient: Johnson Award in English; Vanderbilt Academic Excellence Award in Advanced Estate Planning; Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions. Editor-in-Chief, David Lipscomb University Backlog. Executive Articles Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. Member: Alabama State Bar; American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Trusts and Estates; Estate Administration; Estate Litigation; Trust Planning; Special Needs Trusts; Trust Litigation.Email: Catherine L. Wilson

All Attorneys are Members of the Alabama State Bar unless otherwise indicated.