Brian R. Walding

James H. Hancock Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Water Law. James H., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Todd Carlisle is a shareholder and former president (2015–2022) of Dentons Sirote in Alabama. He is a member of the Corporate practice group and leads the Dentons Sirote Mergers and Acquisitions team. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate representation with an emphasis in the financial services and forest products industries. Todd represents national property/casualty and life insurance distribution platforms, broker-dealers, regional and national banks...

Steven A. Burns is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Environmental Law. Steven A., 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 Steven A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Chris Grissom practices primarily in the areas of state and local tax planning, LLCs, federal and state tax disputes, and state and local tax and non-tax incentives. Through his tax controversy, planning and incentives work, he deals with a wide variety of industries, including pulp and paper, software technology, automotive, finance, telecommunications, and textile manufacturers. In his tax practice, Chris regularly counsels many of the Fortune 500 on Alabama tax matters. He also conducts mu...

Matthew A. Mantle is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote's Birmingham, Alabama office. As a member of the Tax Practice group, he is part of the State and Local (Subnational) Tax team and the Tax Controversy team. Matt is a nationally-known State and Local Tax (SALT) attorney with over a decade and a half of experience helping taxpayer clients with state and local tax planning, legislative, and audit/litigation matters in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and on a multistate basis. He has represented c...

Lee Birchall’s practice focuses on public finance in Alabama, where he serves as bond counsel to cities, counties, utilities, school boards, and various other types of governmental entities that issue tax-exempt and taxable securities. He also represents cities and counties in negotiations with private developers for economic development transactions. In addition to representing public bodies, Lee has experience serving as counsel to underwriters, trustee banks and commercial banks in t...

Martha Thompson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. Martha, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2014. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Martha is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Melisa Zwilling is a shareholder with Carr Allison and is a resident in its Birmingham (AL) office. Her practice focuses on labor and employment, insurance defense and Medicare compliance. Melisa has published countless articles and spoken at numerous conferences and seminars across the United States. For her outstanding legal work, she earned an AV Preeminent ® rating from the national lawyer ranking service Martindale Hubbell ® and has been selected as one of The Best Lawyers in Ame...

Will Thistle practices primarily in the areas of federal and state and local taxation. He regularly counsels public and private businesses on Alabama tax matters, with particular emphasis in the areas of sales, use, and property taxes. A significant portion of Will's practice is dedicated to the representation of taxpayers in all phases of federal, state, and local tax controversy, including audit assistance, administrative hearings, and litigation. Other areas of his practice include advisin...

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...