April H. Collins

Andy is a general litigator with a diverse practice encompassing multiple areas of litigation. Andy’s practice consists primarily of product liability defense, with a focus on pharmaceutical or drug and device litigation. Andy’s product liability work also has a concentration in tires and construction materials. Andy also devotes a significant portion of his practice to a broad array of commercial disputes, including both business disputes and financial services and insurance liti...

Jeremy N. Trousdale is a shareholder in the firm’s Birmingham (AL) office. Jeremy focuses his practice on defending workers’ compensation claims. He represents both self-insured clients and insurance carriers. A frequent speaker, Jeremy regularly presents current information on workers’ compensation issues for the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Organization, where he served as president (2015-2016), and the Alabama Self Insured Association. He frequently conducts in-hou...

James R. "Jim" Sturdivant is a shareholder at Dentons Sirote in Birmingham, Alabama, where he is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice and leads the Dentons Sirote White Collar and Government Investigations team. Jim represents and defends clients in criminal and white collar investigations and proceedings, including those brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the United States Justice Department, the Ala...

Richard Smith, one of the founding partners of Christian & Small and a partner with its predecessor, Rives & Peterson, has been an integral member of the firm’s litigation group for his entire legal career. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner for five years. Richard’s practice focuses primarily on complex and corporate litigation for clients in the financial services, health care and construction industries, as well as corporate entities in other industries. His...

Josh Harrison is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Josh, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Josh is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Rachel Moore is an accomplished attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience. She practices in the areas of commercial, banking, and construction litigation, and appellate work. Licensed to practice in Alabama since 1992, her experience includes trying complex cases on behalf of financial institutions; handling foreclosures, judicial foreclosures, redemptions and deficiency actions, asset recovery, and negotiating and preparing workouts. In Rachel’s construction practice, she re...

Lynlee Wells Palmer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Lynlee Wells, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lynlee Wells is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Charles Moore regularly represents financial institutions in a variety of matters. He has substantial experience in commercial finance, including mortgage warehouse lending, real estate finance, and bank holding company lending. Charles also commonly handles Change in Bank Control Act matters, Bank Holding Company Act matters, formation and capital raising activities of banks and bank holding companies, and other bank regulatory matters. Charles represents a number of Alabama-based community ...

Bill Athanas represents companies and individuals in government enforcement matters, focusing on federal grand jury investigations. He has almost 30 years of white-collar experience, roughly a third of which was spent as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. and Birmingham. Bill has handled hundreds of complex criminal cases and represented clients in all facets of those matters – whether as subjects, targets or witnesses, or those who simply receive subpoenas for documents. In repre...

J. Ben Ford is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. J. Ben, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Ben is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.