James W. Childs Jr.

Jennifer McGahey has extensive experience in both commercial litigation and labor and employment matters. She represents clients in a variety of industries, such as e-commerce, natural resources, government contract, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and retail, and her clients range from large publicly-traded companies to small family-owned businesses. Jennifer has litigated cases ranging from a single plaintiff to class action to the federal government. Jennifer handles cases across the country a...

Peter Hardin is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of the Corporate practice and leads the Dentons Sirote Venture Technology team. He regularly represents companies in a variety of complex matters, including public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, financings, and trademark and copyright issues. As a trusted advisor to his business clients, Peter regularly handles a wide range of issues across various industries, ...

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...

James A. Bradford is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Real Estate and Real Estate Law. James A., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2011. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brian Williams’ practice includes estate planning, estate and trust litigation, estate and trust administration, federal and state tax, and corporate and business transactions and issues. He practiced for 6 years as an in house counsel for a publicly traded corporation before entering private practice with his present firm in 1986. Brian graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1976, B.S. degree/accounting major. He obtained his J.D. degree in 1979 from Cumberland School of...

Tom Oliver is a founding shareholder and currently serves as Carr Allison’s president. A trial attorney whose practice focuses on complex matters involving transportation and professional liability litigation, Tom has litigated cases in state and federal courts in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia. Tom is designated as regional and statewide counsel for numerous companies and their insurers. He developed the firm’s accident response GO TEAM and coordinates catas...

Kane is particularly active in the public education sector, where he has represented both public universities and boards of education on tax and finance matters, and he currently serves on the faculty of the University of Alabama's academy for finance training for new school superintendents and chief school financial officers. In addition to bond counsel engagements, he has served as company counsel and bank counsel in letter-of-credit backed transactions, as lender’s counsel in direct ...

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.

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...

Carl Smyly was born and raised in Andalusia, Alabama. He received his undergraduate education at Birmingham-Southern College, where he was selected for membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honorary societies and was valedictorian of his graduating class in 1979. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982. Mr. Smyly has been assigned the highest possible Peer Review Ratings for legal ability and ethical standards in...