MEMBERS OF FIRM
Ben H. Harris, Jr. (Member) born Mobile, Alabama, September 12, 1937; admitted to bar, 1962, Alabama; 1970, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1975, U.S. Supreme Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Davidson College (A.B., 1959); University of Alabama (J.D., 1962). ?it?>Member: Fellow, American Bar Foundation; Alabama Law Foundation (President, 1988-1990; Trustee, 1987-1989; 1990-1997); Alabama State Bar (President, 1987-1988); National Conference of Bar Presidents (Executive Council, 1991-1994); Paul Brock Inns of Court (President, 1996-1998). Member, Alabama Judicial Commission, 1988-1991. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Oil and Gas Law; Workers Compensation Law.Email: Ben H. Harris, Jr.
William H. Hardie, Jr. (Member) born New York, N.Y., March 1, 1938; admitted to bar, 1963, Virginia; 1964, New York and U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; 1966, Alabama; 1970, U.S. Supreme Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Yale University (B.E., 1959); University of Virginia (LL.B., 1963). Member: New York State and Virginia State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Arbitration; Civil Litigation; Products Liability Law.Email: William H. Hardie, Jr.
I. David Cherniak (Member) born Athens, Georgia, March 23, 1942; admitted to bar, 1965, Alabama; 1968, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 2007, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit. Education: University of North Carolina and University of Alabama (A.B., 1963; LL.B., 1965). Certified Mediator. Member: American Bar Association (Member, Forum on the Construction Industry); American Bankruptcy Institute. Practice Areas: Construction Law; Real Estate Law; Bankruptcy Law; Civil Litigation.Email: I. David Cherniak
David C. Hannan (Member) born Wilmington, Delaware, December 8, 1945; admitted to bar, 1971, Alabama; 1975, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1980, U.S. Claims Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Emory and Henry College and Auburn University (B.A., 1968); University of Alabama (J.D., 1971). Member: Maritime Law Association of the United States; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; International Association of Defense Counsel (Chairman, Accident, Health and Life Insurance Committee, 1991-1993); Defense Research Institute (Vice-Chair, Life, Health and Disability Committee, 1995-2003); Partners for Environmental Progress. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Admiralty Law; Life and Health Insurance; Insurance Defense Law.Email: David C. Hannan
Wade B. Perry, Jr. (Member) born Eufaula, Alabama, January 7, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, Alabama and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Davidson College (A.B., 1968); Vanderbilt University (J.D., 1971). Assistant U.S. Attorney, Montgomery, Alabama, 1971-1974. Member: American Academy of Hospital Attorneys; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Health Care and Hospital Law; Insurance Law; Employment Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Wade B. Perry, Jr.
Thomas S. Rue (Member) born Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, January 2, 1946; admitted to bar, 1974, Alabama; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; 1986, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: University of the South (B.A., cum laude, 1968); University of Alabama (J.D., 1974). Associate Editor, American Maritime Cases. Member, Editorial Board, Alabama Law Review. Member, National Advisory Board, Tulane Admiralty Law Institute. Member: Maritime Law Association of the United States (Board of Directors, 1993-1996; President, 2004-2006); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (Member, Board of Governors, 1983-1985); Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (Chair, Maritime Law Section, 1997-1999). Practice Areas: Admiralty Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Thomas S. Rue
Alan C. Christian (Member) born Montgomery, Alabama, August 17, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Alabama; 1981, U.S. Claims Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; 1984, U.S. Supreme Court; 1998, U.S. Tax Court. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., 1977; J.D., 1979). Member: Maritime Law Association of the United States; Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute; Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Environmental Law; Natural Resources Law; Admiralty Law; Banking Law.Email: Alan C. Christian
Celia J. Collins (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, December 24, 1954; admitted to bar, 1980, Alabama; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. Education: Reading University, Reading, England and Randolph-Macon Woman's College (B.A., 1977); Vanderbilt University (J.D., 1980). Member: Alabama State Bar (Board of Bar Commissioners; Vice President, 2003-2004; Board of Bar Examiners, 1992-1997; Board of Directors, Labor and Employment Section, 2004); Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute; Paul Brock Inns of Court. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Employment Law.Email: Celia J. Collins
R. Gregory Watts (Member) born Mobile, Alabama, October 6, 1954; admitted to bar, 1979, Alabama; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 1985, U.S. Tax Court. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.A., with highest honors, 1976); University of Alabama (J.D., 1979); Emory University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1981). Phi Beta Kappa. Member, Editorial Board, Alabama Law Review. Member, Estate Planning Council. Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Hospital and Health Care Law; Taxation Law; Probate Law; Estate Planning.Email: R. Gregory Watts
Charles C. Simpson, III (Member) born Selma, Alabama, December 1, 1950; admitted to bar, 1979, Alabama; 1988, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Duke University (A.B., 1972); University of Alabama (J.D., 1979). Order of the Coif. Recipient, Dean M. Leigh Harrison Award. Student Works Editor, Alabama Law Review. Member: Baldwin County Bar Association (Past President); Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. [Commander, JAGC, USNR Retired]. Practice Areas: Banking Litigation; Business Litigation; Insurance Litigation; Land Title Litigation; Title Insurance Litigation; Arbitration.Email: Charles C. Simpson, III
Tracy P. Turner (Member) born Chatom, Alabama, March 19, 1963; admitted to bar, 1989, Alabama; 1992, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Auburn University (B.S., B.A., magna cum laude, 1985); University of Alabama (J.D., 1989). Order of the Coif. Law Clerk, U.S. District Judge W. Brevard Hand, Southern District of Alabama, 1989-1991. Assistant County Attorney, Mobile County, 1993-2000. Member: Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute; Fellow, American Inns of Court (President, 2004-2006). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Labor and Employment Law; Workers Compensation; Local Government Law; Insurance Defense Law.Email: Tracy P. Turner
Lawrence J. Seiter (Member) born Bastrop, Louisiana, September 5, 1964; admitted to bar, 1991, Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Louisiana State University (B.A., 1987); Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center (J.D., 1991). Order of the Coif. Member, Moot Court Board. Member: Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Construction Litigation; Insurance Law.Email: Lawrence J. Seiter
E. Russell March, III (Member) born Birmingham, Alabama, January 3, 1967; admitted to bar, 1993, Alabama. Education: Birmingham-Southern College (B.A., 1989); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1993). Associate Editor, Cumberland Law Review. Member: American Bankruptcy Institute. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense; Commercial Law; Bankruptcy; Trademarks.Email: E. Russell March, III
Scott Alton Browning (Member) born Richmond, Virginia, September 19, 1967; admitted to bar, 1994, Alabama; 1995, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Wake Forest University (B.S., 1989); University of Alabama (J.D., cum laude, 1994). Bench & Bar Honor Society. Managing Editor, The Journal of the Legal Profession, 1993-1994. Member: American Health Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Corporate Law; Commercial Law; Probate Law; Health Law.Email: Scott Alton Browning
Robert E. Clute, Jr. (Member) born Linz, Austria, 1953; admitted to bar, 1979, North Carolina; 1980, Alabama; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of the South and University of Georgia (B.A., 1976); Wake Forest University (J.D., 1979). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Mobile and American (Member, Sections on: Business Law and Litigation) Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar (Member, Environmental Law Section); North Carolina State Bar; Paul W. Brock Inns of Court. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Real Estate; Environmental Litigation; General Trial Practice; Oil and Gas.Email: Robert E. Clute, Jr.
J. F. (Jack) Janecky (Member) born Crookston, Minnesota, November 26, 1944; admitted to bar, 1975, Alabama; 1976, Florida. Education: United States Air Force Academy (B.S., 1966); University of Alabama (J.D., 1975). Phi Delta Phi. Member: The Florida Bar; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (Board of Directors, 1993-1995; Vice-President, 1997-1998; President, 2001); Defense Research Institute; Maritime Law Association of the United States; International Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense; Admiralty Law; Employment Law.Email: J. F. (Jack) Janecky
Deborah B. Hembree (Member) born Muenchweiler, Germany, September 20, 1965; admitted to bar, 1991, Georgia; 1993, Florida and Alabama; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of Georgia (B.S., 1987; J.D., 1990); University of Alabama School of Law (LL.M., 1999). Member: Alabama State Bar (Member, Board of Bar Examiners, 2002); State Bar of Georgia; The Florida Bar. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Employee Benefits; ERISA; Tax Law; Trusts and Estates Planning; Business Law; Commercial Real Estate.Email: Deborah B. Hembree
Rick A. La Trace (Member) born Santa Ana, California, September 23, 1972; admitted to bar, 2002, Alabama; 2003, Mississippi and Florida, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. Education: Saint Louis University (B.A., summa cum laude, Psychology and B.A., summa cum laude, Criminal Justice, 1997); Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., with honors, 2002). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: The Mississippi Bar; The Florida Bar; Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association; Fifth Circuit Bar Association; American Immigration Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Immigration Law; Commercial Litigation; Landlord and Tenant Law; Real Estate; Foreclosure-Creditor.Email: Rick A. La Trace
ASSOCIATES
Bradley E. Dean (Associate) born Mobile, Alabama, July 15, 1974; admitted to bar, 2003, Mississippi, U.S. District Court, Southern and Northern Districts of Mississippi; 2007, Alabama, U.S. District Court, Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama. Education: Spring Hill College (B.S., 1997); Auburn University (M.S.B.A., 1999); University of Alabama (J.D., 2003). Member: American Bar Association; Alabama State Bar; The Mississippi Bar; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Admiralty Law; Bankruptcy.Email: Bradley E. Dean
Matthew J. Bauer (Associate) born Frankenmuth, Michigan, September 18, 1969; admitted to bar, 2004, Pennsylvania; 2005, Alabama, District of Columbia, and U.S. District Court, Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama. Education: Louisiana State University (B.S., 1997); Duquesne University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2004); Tulane University Law School (LL.M., 2005). Tulane Maritime Law Journal, Graduate Editor. Duquesne Law Review, Executive Articles Editor. Duquesne Business Law Journal, Executive Editor. Law Clerk to the Honorable Harold F. See, Jr., Senior Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Alabama (2005-2006). Louisiana Army National Guard (1994-1997). United States Navy (1989-1993). Member: American Bar Association; Alabama State Bar; District of Columbia Bar; Pennsylvania Bar Association; Maritime Law Association of the United States; Partners for Environmental Progress. Practice Areas: Admiralty Law; Bankruptcy Law; Business Law; Environmental Law; Landlord and Tenant Law; Real Estate Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Matthew J. Bauer
Kimberly L. Bell (Associate) born Haleyville, Alabama, October 18, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama; 2008, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Birmingham-Southern College (B.S., 2004); Vanderbilt University (J.D., 2007). Member: American Bar Association; Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Labor Law.Email: Kimberly L. Bell
SENIOR COUNSEL
Charles B. Bailey, Jr. (Senior Counsel) born Meridian, Mississippi, January 21, 1929; admitted to bar, 1954, Alabama. Education: University of the South (B.A., 1951); University of Virginia; University of Alabama (J.D., 1954); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1957). Member, Advisory Committee on Graduate Tax Programs, University of Alabama. Member: American College of Real Estate Lawyers; MidContinent Oil and Gas Association. Practice Areas: Real Property; Probate and Trust; Estate Planning; Oil and Gas; Taxation Law.Email: Charles B. Bailey, Jr.
OF COUNSEL
E. Watson Smith (Of Counsel) born Opelika, Alabama, March 22, 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Alabama; 1971, U.S. Supreme Court; 1975, U.S. Tax Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Auburn University (B.S., 1962); Duke University (LL.B., 1965); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1968). Member, Board of Trustees, American Institute on Federal Taxation, 1977. Member: American Academy of Hospital Attorneys. Practice Areas: Corporation Law; Employee Benefits (ERISA); Health Care and Hospital Law; Taxation Law.Email: E. Watson Smith