Iftkhar Ahmed

Scott Sims is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of the Real Estate practice group and leads the Dentons Sirote Hotels and Leisure team. Scott is a trusted counselor to business corporations, advising them on critical industry matters. He represents clients in commercial real estate transactions, loan closings, general business negotiations and transactions, cell tower leasing, and title work. Scott has worked on over 2,000 cell tower site...

Tom Dutton is one of the founding partners of the Pittman, Dutton, & Hellums firm. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and attended college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. He earned his J.D. Degree with honors (cum laude) in 1976 from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and was admitted to practice law in the State of Alabama in 1976 and the State of Mississippi in 1977. Tom is admitted to prac...

Melisa Zwilling is a shareholder with Carr Allison in the Birmingham (AL) office and serves as the chair of the firm’s Business Development Committee. Her practice focuses on Labor and Employment and Professional Liability. Having practiced law for more than 25 years, Melisa defends employers against claims alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation in addition to alleged violations of leave laws, civil rights laws, wage and hour laws, OSHA standards and guidelines, claims alle...

J. Alan Truitt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation - Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Natural Resources Law. J. Alan, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Alan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Donald “Bo” Kirkpatrick is a senior shareholder and one of the nine founding members of Carr Allison. His practice focuses primarily on workers’ compensation and related litigation, including retaliatory discharge and other employment matters. Bo advises self-insured clients, third party administrators and insurance carriers with respect to workers’ compensation issues. He has handled litigation statewide for Fortune 500 Companies and has extensive trial experience thr...

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...

Ginny Cochran Rutledge is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law and Real Estate Law. Ginny Cochran, who practices law in Homewood, Alabama, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ginny Cochran is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Alex B. Leath is a partner in the firm’s Economic Development Practice Group and the Tax Practice Group. Since 1990, Alex has been involved in a significant number of the major economic development projects in the Southeast. As a result, he is one of the most trusted economic development attorneys in the region. Leading companies regularly seek him out for counsel on their relocation and site-selection matters, knowing his broad experience will serve them well. Alex has extensive experi...

Jay G. Maples is a shareholder in Dentons' Birmingham office, where he is a member of the Corporate practice and co-leads the Dentons US Region Aviation and Aerospace team. With his extensive corporate and tax experience, he regularly handles a wide range of complex transactions and issues spanning various industries, including aviation, manufacturing, insurance, banking and financial services, and real estate. Jay's exceptional knowledge and experience in the aviation industry enables him to...

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...