In the News
 NEWS ARCHIVES  2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
October 2008
Jim Huckaby, a partner with the firm, is a presenting speaker at the Class Actions CLE seminar taking place at the State Bar of Georgia Headquarters on Friday, October 3, 2008. His topic is The (Sometimes Unpredictable and Unintended) Consequences of Taking a Class Action to Trial, Verdict and Final Judgment.
Christian & Small is a Gold Circle Sponsor of the Magic City Bar Association's Scholarship Benefit taking place on October 23, 2008 at Rosewood Hall in SoHo in Homewood, AL. Established in 1984, the Magic City Bar Association was created to promote the professional advancement and community activism of African-American attorneys and judges in Jefferson County, AL. Among the organization's many activities, the MCBA annually provides scholarships to minority law students attending the Birmingham School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Miles College Law School, and the University of Alabama School of Law. The scholarship recipients will be recognized at the event on October 23rd. Eight lawyers from the firm will be attending the event to show the firm's support of this worthy cause.
September 2008
Christian & Small is proud to announce that fourteen of its partners have been selected by their peers to be included in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The fourteen lawyers who are listed include: Steven A. Benefield for Tax Law; Thomas W. Christian for Medical Malpractice Law, Product Liability Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation; Clark A. Cooper for HealthCare Law; Robert E. Cooper for Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation; Edgar M. Elliott IV for Insurance law; James C. Huckaby, Jr. for Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation; Richard F. Ogle for Commercial Litigation; Maxwell H. Pulliam for White Collar Criminal Defense Law; Kenneth O. Simon for Alternative Dispute Resolution; Clarence M. Small for Alternative Dispute Resolution and Personal Injury Litigation; Deborah A. Smith for Appellate Law and Commercial Litigation; Richard E. Smith for Commercial Litigation; Daniel D. Sparks for Commercial Litigation; and Sharon D. Stuart for Commercial Litigation.
Tom Christian and Clarence Small have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for over 20 years and Richard Ogle for over 10 years.
The firm is pleased to welcome W. Steven Nichols as its newest associate. Steven will practice with the firm's Litigation Practice Group. He is a native of Birmingham and a recent graduate of The University of Alabama School of Law.
August 2008
The firm is pleased to announce that Juan Carlos Moreno has joined the firm as a lateral associate. Juan Carlos obtained his J.D. from Loyola University of New Orleans in 2002. He is admitted to practice in Florida and Alabama and is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Spanish-speaking Lawyers Sub-committee of the Alabama State Bar. He will practice with the firm's Litigation Practice Group with a focus on business and commercial litigation, labor & employment and real estate matters.
July 2008
Christian & Small LLP is pleased to announce that M. Alex Goldsmith has joined the firm as a partner. Alex spent the past five years as General Counsel and CEO in the Healthcare industry, concentrating on clinical, regulatory and risk management issues. His practice with the firm will focus on healthcare and medical malpractice defense. Alex graduated from The University of the South in 1991 and obtained his J. D. from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1994.
May 2008
Eight partners with Christian & Small were selected as Alabama Super Lawyers. They include LaBella S. Alvis, Thomas W. Christian, Robert E. Cooper, Edgar M. Elliott IV, James C. Huckaby Jr., Clarence M. Small Jr., Deborah Alley Smith and Richard M. Smith. Also listed as one of Alabama's Super Lawyers is Richard F. Ogle for Business Litigation. Richard recently joined Christian & Small as a partner.To read the entire article, please visit www.superlawyers.com
Several lawyers recently joined Christian & Small, further strengthening the firm's preeminent litigation practice. Richard F. Ogle, James B. Carlson and Christopher S. Berdy joined the firm as partners, and J. Paul Zimmerman joined the firm as an associate. Ogle is a longtime leader of the Alabama Bar and one of the state's preeminent litigators. Carlson is a highly regarded products liability specialist whose high profile clients include Siemens Corporation and Yamaha Motor Corporation. Berdy, who works closely with Carlson, is also an experienced products liability litigator and has over 12 years experience. He has also successfully represented clients in intellectual property disputes and business and commercial litigation matters. With ten years of litigation experience himself, Zimmerman is a welcome addition to the firm's associate ranks. His practice focuses on business and commercial litigation as well as construction and insurance matters. With these recent additions to its ranks, Christian & Small now has 40 lawyers whose practices encompass all areas of litigation, business and transactional matters.
Dan Sparks, Max Pulliam, Oscar Price and Bo Harris took time out of their busy schedules on May 1st to participate in a golf event benefitting the Forgotten Children's Ministries. The event, which was well attended, was the first annual for the Forgotten Children's Ministries and raised money to support efforts to aid orphans in Honduras.
Christian & Small is a corporate sponsor of the Greater Alabama Council, Boy Scouts of America Sporting Clays Classic taking place on May 2nd and May 3rd at the Tannehill Sporting Clays. There is a reception on Friday evening at Land Rover Birmingham. Established in 1996, the event has netted a total of over $1,100,000 for Boy Scouts of America outdoor and at-risk programs that benefit thousands of youth across north and central Alabama.
April 2008
Edgar M. Elliott, III, Of Counsel with Christian & Small LLP, received the 2008 Nina Miglionico "Paving the Way" Leadership Award at a ceremony held at the Robert S. Vance Federal Building on April 24, 2008. The award was established in 2005 by the Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association to recognize and honor individuals who have achieved professional excellence and actively paved the way to success and advancement for women lawyers. The Honorable Karon O. Bowdre, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, presented the award to Elliott. Also taking part in the ceremony were Lee Benton, President of the Birmingham Bar Association; Leathea Gilbert, President of the Women Lawyers Section; and LaBella S. Alvis, partner at Christian & Small.
As soon as Ed Elliott began working with women lawyers he recognized what they have to offer the legal profession. He was instrumental in hiring most of the women lawyers at Rives & Peterson and all of the females who are now partners at Christian & Small. He enjoyed working with and mentoring women to become better lawyers. He particularly appreciated the attention to detail, preparedness and thoroughness that they exhibited in everything they did for him. “Ed paved the way for me by expecting of me exactly what he expected of the male lawyers he worked with and, perhaps more importantly, by expecting the other lawyers we worked with and against to show me that same respect. Ed paved the way for numerous female lawyers by teaching us, by trusting us and by giving us the opportunity to demonstrate to others that we are real lawyers,” says Debbie Smith, a partner at Christian & Small. Ed Elliott has been one of the strongest, active male mentors for female attorneys in the Birmingham Bar.
Ed graduated from Birmingham Southern College in 1951, and he received his law degree from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1953. He has been a leader and role model for all the lawyers associated with Christian & Small and its predecessor firm, Rives & Peterson, for over 45 years. “Mr. Elliott was the consummate gentleman and a real friend. He cared not only about my professional development, but also about my family life and general well being. All of these characteristics inspired in his female colleagues fierce loyalty to him and to the firm, the utmost respect for him, and a love of the law that has lasted many years after his retirement,” says Sharon Donaldson Stuart, a partner at Christian & Small. Ed was key to the growth and management of the firm until 1994, at which time he accepted the position as General Counsel of Litigation for Liberty National. Of Counsel with Christian & Small since 2000, Ed's influence is still ever present at the firm.
Recognized in the legal community as one of Alabama’s top litigators, Ed was listed in the Best Lawyers in America for over ten years. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and he’s a retired Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and The International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He led the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association as its President from 1977–1978. “Although practicing on opposing sides for years, Ed always inspired me with his civility and high ethical standards,” says Leon Ashford, partner with Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton. Ed served as President of the Birmingham Bar Association from 1992-1993, and during his tenure in office, the Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association was created. Ed’s wisdom and leadership facilitated the formation of this section which has successfully served the Birmingham Bar for over 15 years.
Brad Hightower, an associate with Christian & Small's Bankruptcy practice group, is serving as the 2008 editor of the newsletter published biannually by the Bankruptcy and Commercial Section of the Birmingham Bar Association. Since the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (the “BAPCPA”) took effect on October 17, 2005, federal courts have struggled to uniformly interpret certain changes that the BAPCPA made to the Bankruptcy Code. This article does not seek to identify and discuss all of these changes. Instead, it will discuss several emerging issues on which the federal courts have issued differing interpretations and identify the case law that may be cited by debtors and creditors when litigating in these areas. To read the entire article in the newsletter: download pdf Emerging Issues Under the BAPCPA
Christian & Small is pleased to announce that its partner, Michael A. Vercher, has been selected as one of Birmingham's Top 40 Under 40 for 2008 by the Birmingham Business Journal. He will be recognized along with the other recipients in the May 2nd issue of the Birmingham Business Journal. Top 40 under 40 is awarded each year to 40 of Birmingham’s exceptional entrepreneurs and business professionals under the age of 40. The journal chose Mike for this award from over 200 nominations due to his leadership, community involvement, experience and contribution to the legal professional. These young professionals are making a difference, and the firm is proud to have one of its own honored with this award. To read the nomination: download pdf Birmingham's Top 40 Under 40
Christian & Small was a corporate sponsor of the School House Rock event held at Work Play on April 17, 2008. The event was well attended by hundreds of supporters and raised over $92,000 for Cornerstone Schools of Alabama. The firm is a long time supporter of Cornerstone Schools of Alabama - Ken Simon has served on its Board of Directors for many years, and Will Pringle and Oscar Price, both associates with Christian & Small, serve on the Junior Board of Directors.
March 2008
Christian & Small is pleased to welcome its newest associate, Michael D. Florie. Michael received his undergraduate degree from The University of Virginia in 2002 and completed his J. D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in December, 2007. He will work with the firm's Litigation Practice Group, focusing on medical malpractice and product liability matters.
February 2008
Edgar M. Elliott, III, Of Counsel with Christian & Small, has been selected to receive the 2008 Nina Miglionico "Paving The Way" Leadership Award by the Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association. He will be presented the award at a ceremony taking place at 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2008 at the Robert S. Vance Federal Building. LaBella Alvis, partner with the firm, and United States District Judge and former partner with the firm, Karon O. Bowdre, will speak at the award ceremony in addition to Lee Benton, president of the Birmingham Bar Association. A reception will follow the ceremony in the Grand Lobby.
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NEWS ARCHIVES 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
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