In the News

    NEWS ARCHIVES      2009      2008    2007    2006    2005    2004

June 2009
Duncan Manley and LaBella Alvis, both partners with the firm, wrote an article that appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of Paradigm, a quarterly magazine published by the International Society of Primerus Law Firms. Both Duncan and LaBella are extremely active in Primerus. LaBella is the firm's Marketing Partner, and Duncan has served as the Firm Administrator and Marketing Chair. The theme of the Spring 2009 issue was marketing and their article was titled "Be Young, Be Smart, Be Good at Marketing." To read the entire article, download pdf Paradigm

May 2009
Ten partners with Christian & Small LLP have been named to the 2009-2010 Alabama Super Lawyers. The following attorneys, along with the practice area in which they are recognized, were named to the list: LaBella S. Alvis, personal injury defense (general); Thomas W. Christian, civil litigation defense; Robert E. Cooper, personal injury defense (medical malpractice); Edgar M. Elliott IV, personal injury defense (products); James C. Huckaby Jr., class action/mass torts; Richard F. Ogle, business litigation; Maxwell H. Pulliam, criminal defense (white collar); Clarence M. Small Jr., alternative dispute resolution; Deborah A. Smith, appellate; and Richard E. Smith, business litigation. Thomas Christian is ranked among Alabama's Top 50 Lawyers, and Deborah Smith is listed as one of Alabama's Top 25 Women Lawyers.

Aubrey J. "Jay" Holloway joined Christian & Small as a partner. Jay brings with him over 20 years experience as a litigator to the firm. His practice will focus on transportation, commercial liability and insurance defense matters. He is a 1986 graduate of Cumberland School of Law.

Kenneth O. Simon, partner with the firm, has been serving as the U.S. District Court monitor for Title IX issues in Jefferson County, Alabama.  In a document filed with the court, Mr. Simon concluded that the court does not need to again extend its jurisdiction over a 2006 settlement agreement between the Jefferson County School Board and Roderick Jackson, a former girls basketball coach. The report also concludes that the Birmingham school system has achieved equality in relation to Title IX.  Mr. Simon inspected the athletic facilities at each of Birmingham's seven high schools and found no measurable or material differences in the facilities available to males and females at any school, according to the report.  To read the entire article, please visit www.al.com

March 2009
Ken Simon, the newest trustee of the University of South Alabama, has a long history with the university. In 1976, Ken was the president of the University of South Alabama's Student Government Association. He sat with the Board of Trustees at its meetings, but only as a quasi-member without voting privileges. Lavonne Simon, Ken's mother, was the university's first black graduate in addition to being in the first graduating class in 1967. To read the entire article, please visit www.al.com

Robert E. Cooper was honored by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of Birmingham's "Who's Who In Health Care". Bob concentrates his litigation practice in the areas of complex litigation, health care, medical malpractice defense, product liability and transportation. His health care practice focuses on the defense of members and organizations involved at all levels of health care delivery. Bob is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Medical Malpractice Law.

Five partners at Christian & Small have been named to Birmingham Magazine's 2009 list of "Birmingham's Top Attorneys." Eric Breithaupt and Daniel Sparks were nominated for Bankruptcy; Deborah Smith for Appellate; Richard Ogle for Business Litigation; and Maxwell Pulliam for White Collar Defense/Antitrust. The list was compiled through a a nomination process conducted by the magazine.

February 2009
Paul Zimmerman, a member of the firm’s E-Discovery Committee, attended the Georgetown Law E-Discovery Training Academy February 9-13. The Academy was limited to 50 participants, and Paul was the only practicing attorney from Alabama in attendance. E-Discovery has rapidly become the single largest litigation expense facing corporations and law firms today. The Georgetown program is unlike any other program in the country in that it combines technical, strategic, and logistical aspects of all phases of electronic discovery, from litigation hold obligations to efficient but cost-effective discovery planning. The program was a comprehensive, week-long immersion into these aspects of electronic discovery. Presenters at the Academy are experts in the electronic discovery field, and they included Magistrate Judge Paul Grimm, Judge John Facciola, and several founding members of the Sedona Conference©. Paul is applying the knowledge he obtained both in ongoing litigation and in advising clients regarding the eventuality of electronic discovery and issues surrounding the discovery of electronically stored information.

Christian & Small LLP announces that Lynn Shutt Darty has been named Counsel with the firm. Ms. Darty is a member of the firm's Litigation practice group with a focus on business, commercial, class action and complex litigation matters. She received her J.D., cum laude, in 2002 from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Kenneth O. Simon, a partner with Christian & Small, has been appointed to the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees. Simon is a 1976 graduate of the University of South Alabama and a 1979 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. Once confirmed by the state Senate, Simon will become the seventh alumnus on the current board, which consists of 15 trustees plus the governor and state superintendent of education. For more information please visit www.southalabama.edu

Steven A. Benefield is speaking at the National Business Institute's Fundamental Probate Procedures and Practice continuing education seminar. The seminar is February 10, 2009 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham, AL. For more information, please call (205)443-6767 or please visit www.nbi-sems.com

January 2009
John W Johnson II and Richard E. Smith co-authored the second edition of the Alabama Liability Insurance Handbook, now called Allen's Alabama Liability Insurance Handbook. As authors, they were instrumental in changing the name of the book to reflect the contributions of the original author and the firm's senior counsel Bibb Allen, who passed away in March 2007. W. Steven Nichols, an associate with the firm, was a contributing author and editor of the book. The second edition combines the work of the original edition, the subsequent supplements through June 2007, and additional clarifications of Alabama insurance case law through 2008. The book now includes in one place all the recent Alabama insurance decisions and updates of Alabama insurance law so that practitioners can find cases on point and insurance topics quickly and accurately.

LaBella S. Alvis, Robert E. Cooper and J. Scott Evans are speaking at the Medical Records Law In Alabama seminar scheduled for January 29, 2009 at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. They will discuss the topic "Case Studies and Problems That Arise." For more information, please call (866)352-9540 or please visit www.lorman.com

Back to top

    NEWS ARCHIVES      2009      2008    2007    2006    2005    2004