Guy Birkett

Charles A. Powell has represented employers throughout the southeast against employment discrimination and harassment, non-competition and wage and hour litigation suits for more than 18 years. He has a strong record of successfully defending employers against various employment and labor law claims, including: A retail chain in a jury trial alleging sexual harassment and state law tort claims A hospital in a jury trial alleging racially discriminatory promotion, discharge and retaliation cla...

Adam K. Israel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation. Adam K., 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 Adam K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Personal relationships have always been the backbone of Sonny Ferguson’s law practice. He says parties respond to someone who will listen to their issues and provide them with a truthful evaluation of the facts. Once the parties engage the firm’s services, as a mediator or as a Private Judge, Sonny believes they deserve 100% of his attention to their issues and a timely resolution to their matter. Sonny joined Christian & Small after serving as a judge for 15 years in the Dome...

Frank H. Long Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Public Finance Law. Frank H., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Frank H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Marc J. Mandich joined Southern Med Law in the Fall of 2019. Marc is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, where he attended Jesuit High School. Marc attended Louisiana State University where he earned a bachelors in finance. Marc went on to attend law school at Loyola University New Orleans where he graduated magna cum laude in 2013. During law school, Marc was the brief writer for Loyola’s Admiralty and National Moot Court Teams and received “Best Brief” in the Southeast Reg...

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...

Crystal is a Shareholder in the Firm's Birmingham, Alabama office, whose practice focuses on a broad array of commercial real estate transactions and clients. Drawing on her past experience as Assistant General Counsel for a regional commercial real estate developer with approximately 15,000,000 rentable square feet under management in the southeastern United States and Sunbelt, Crystal advises clients in retail, restaurant, office and industrial and multifamily properties, including leasing,...

David L. Faulkner, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. David L., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Paul Woodall is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He provides broad-ranging counsel to business entities in the areas of general corporate representation, commercial transactions, and real estate. Paul has extensive experience in a variety of areas of business and transactional practice, including mergers and acquisitions, choice of entity, economic development incentives, product distribution, real estate, commercial lending, intellectual property, and cybersecurity. Paul routinely ...