D. Wayne Rogers, Jr. is a partner in the Birmingham, Alabama law firm DeGaris & Rogers, LLC. He joined the firm in April 2016, after over twenty years as Managing Counsel of Rogers & Associates, the Staff Counsel firm for Travelers Insurance Company in the State of Alabama. He is Board-Certified in Civil Trial Practice by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), and is one of only seven (7) lawyers so certified in the Birmingham area as of August 2016. Less than 1% of all lawyers in the State of Alabama have obtained NBTA certification.
Mr. Rogers has litigated personal injury cases throughout his 28-year career. He has taken over 40 personal injury and Workers Compensation cases to verdict during that time. He has litigated numerous wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases, including product liability cases, construction accidents, automobile accidents and workplace injuries. He has appeared in court in 66 of Alabama’s 67 counties, in all three of Alabama’s federal district courts and in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
During his time as Managing Counsel of Rogers & Associates, Mr. Rogers grew the firm from three to nine attorneys, and supervised attorneys through the handling of over 200 jury trials. From 2009 through 2016, he acted as a Regional Trial Supervisor for Travelers Staff Counsel, providing support and supervision for trials in eleven (11) different states from Connecticut to Oregon. In that capacity, he oversaw work on over 500 additional jury trials across the country.
Mr. Rogers also served on Travelers National Quality Assurance Team from 2005 through 2016, reviewing the handling of litigation in offices from Boston to Los Angeles and many cities in between.
Prior to his time at Rogers & Associates, Mr. Rogers served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Northern District of Alabama from 1989 through 1995. He worked in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, focusing on defense of Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) cases, including auto liability, premises liability and medical malpractice cases. He also served as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and litigated more than 20 FOIA cases.
Mr. Rogers started his legal career as a Law Clerk to Presiding Judge Robert P. Bradley of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. He was Judge Bradley’s last Law Clerk prior to the judge’s retirement in 1989.
Mr. Rogers graduated magna cum laude from Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in 1988. During his time at Cumberland, he served on the Moot Court Board and won several American Jurisprudence awards. He graduated magna cum laude from Samford University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Music degree, focusing on vocal performance.
Between college and law school, Mr. Rogers spent a year as a high school teacher and he maintains a love for teaching youth. Since 1987, he has consistently taught Sunday School to middle school and high school students almost every year. He currently teaches the 9th and 10th Grade Sunday School class at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood.
In addition to his service as a Sunday School teacher, he served two years as President of the Hoover Track Foundation, helping to bring the National Junior Olympics Cross Country Championship to the Birmingham area in 2010. Prior to being President of the Foundation, he served for two years as its Treasurer.
