Alfred F. "Buddy" Smith, Jr.

After more than 25 years of practicing labor and employment law, David Walston has developed a formula for building successful client relationships. He believes that all good engagements begin with a face-to-face meeting to perform an assessment of the current policies and practices of the client’s human resources operations. David’s assessment is designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and agency and court interpretations. David then offers day-to-day empl...

Jason Avery is a member of the Firm’s Real Estate Practice Group and the Natural Resources and Banking and Financial Services Practice Teams. Unlike many other lawyers who concentrate in either a transactional practice or litigation, Jason represents clients in both areas, splitting his time between real estate transactional matters and real estate and mortgage litigation. This hybrid practice allows Jason to think progressively on transactional matters by understanding potential areas ...

David is the Vice Chair of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP's Construction Practice Group. He concentrates his practice in construction where he represents contractors, subcontractors, engineers and owners in private and government contract matters. His cases involve disputes of over several hundred million dollars. David drafts and negotiates contracts for various construction and design participants. He is a licensed professional engineer and has served as a consultant on projects througho...

Anne Knox Averitt has extensive experience in labor and employment matters and commercial litigation. She works in the Birmingham office and represents clients of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to family-owned businesses in a number of industries, including retail, automotive, natural resources, manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, communications, construction, and financial services. She also handles cases before arbitrators, administrative law judges, and federal and state court ju...

Christopher P. (“Chris”) Couch advises banks and other financial institutions on regulatory and operational matters as well as on compliance with banking and lending laws, rules, and regulations. He counsels national, regional, and community banks with respect to deposit operations, payment systems, treasury management products, consumer regulatory regimes, and new services offerings, including electronic and mobile banking. Chris also represents financial institutions, finance co...

Leon Ashford has been a trial lawyer for 42 years. Throughout the course of his career, Mr. Ashford has a proven record of consistently obtaining multimillion dollar jury verdicts and settlements for his clients, their families and their small businesses. Though he has always focused his practice on complex litigation involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death, he has recently been called upon to represent family-owned and closely held businesses in litigation which threatene...

John Gant is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate, and tax law. John represents acquiring and target companies and their owners in planning, structuring, and executing business transactions. This includes asset and stock acquisitions, mergers, venture capital investments, and joint ventures. He advises clients with initial legal planning and analysis, developing appropriate structures, negotiating letters of intent, conducting due dilige...

Stephen W. Shaw is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, DUI / DWI Defense and Family Law. Stephen W., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephen W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mike Vercher is a partner and former chair of Christian & Small’s Insurance and Financial Services Practice Group. For over 20 years, he has represented insurance companies and their insureds in litigation and coverage disputes. Mike also routinely represents businesses in complex mass tort, workplace exposure, construction, transportation, product liability, premises liability, breach of contract and fraud litigation. He has tried cases as lead counsel in seven different Alabama co...

Dana Thrasher specializes in ERISA, regularly advising employers, trustees and service providers concerning qualified retirement plans, non-qualified plans, fringe benefits, welfare benefits and executive compensation issues. She has developed significant expertise in the ERISA/employee benefits practice area, representing a large and diverse client base. She regularly advises clients regarding planning and evaluating benefit programs, establishing and administering employee benefit plans, mo...