Ann Watford Todd

There’s a lot that goes into it, but to really succeed in this profession, I’ve come to believe these three qualities are 90% of it: courage, humanity, and humility. Courage. You must be unafraid. Following a particularly nasty trial, my wife summed up my job: “They are schoolyard bullies. They’ve already bullied your client once, and now they want to use the trial to do it again. But you walk up, stand next to them, put your hand on their shoulder, steel yourself, and...

Jeff is one of the founding partners of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan. At first, Jeff wanted to be an engineer. His father was an engineer and he saw the profession as challenging and rewarding. Then, he discovered an affinity for words and speaking, which led him to the law. “Both professions require critical thinking,” says Jeff. “That was and still is very important to me.” Jeff gives much credit to the advantages of growing up in small town Alabama where everybody too...

Kyle T. Smith is the President of Dentons Sirote in Alabama, where he is a Shareholder, serves on the Board of Directors, and is Chair of Dentons Sirote's Employment and Labor practice. In addition to his role as President of Dentons Sirote, he is a member of the Dentons US Region Management Committee and Board of Directors. In his practice, he counsels employers across all industries on a broad range of employment issues and represents employers in all types of employment litigation. Kyle&rs...

A. Wade Cornelius is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. A. Wade, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which A. Wade is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

J. Patrick Strubel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Health Care, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. J. Patrick, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Patrick is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ralph Smith is special counsel in the Corporate Practice Group. He handles general corporate and business matters, international transactions, healthcare, higher education, and NCAA compliance. Prior to joining Jones Walker, Ralph spent 25 years in private law practice in Washington, DC, and Birmingham before joining the University of Alabama System in 2004 as general counsel and member of the Chancellor's Senior Policy staff. Ralph also served the university as a distinguished lecturer of la...

Steve Monk is a member of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. Steve's practice is primarily devoted to develop representational development work. Steve regularly represents clients in the annexation and zoning of properties for planned unit developments, traditional neighborhood developments and other mixed uses. Such representation includes preparation of developed plans for zoning, preparation of restrictive covenants, establishment of homeowners’/property owners’ association...

Carolyn Duncan’s practice is concentrated in securities issuance and compliance matters. Experienced in a wide variety of public and private securities work, she represents issuers, underwriters, and other parties in numerous facets of this area of law, including public and private offerings of securities, registration and continuous disclosure matters, proxy solicitations, tender offers, business combinations, restricted securities and transactions by corporate insiders. She represents...

John Russell Campbell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. John Russell, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John Russell is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bradley J. Sklar is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he serves as Co-Leader of Dentons Tax National Practice Group. In his practice, Brad focuses on complex tax, entity, and business planning transactions, including mergers and acquisitions; sales of businesses; sale and purchase structuring and funding of large real estate transactions; raising capital; and navigation of national, state, and local tax incentives and economic development initiatives. H...