Julian Smith

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...

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...

Dawn has broad experience representing both lenders and borrowers in commercial lending transactions, with a particular emphasis on transactions involving commercial real estate. She also represents public companies, privately held entities and individuals in all types of commercial real estate transactions, including the buying, selling, leasing and developing of commercial real estate nationwide. Dawn represents a number of financial institutions on syndicated and non-syndicated constructio...

April Danielson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Municipal Law. April, 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 April is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Priscilla K. Williams is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Insurance. Priscilla 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 Priscilla K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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.

Michael Sansbury has represented clients in trial and appellate courts across the United States. He has argued in courts ranging from Oregon Circuit Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He has examined countless witnesses—from the president of a multi-national corporation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a newspaper publisher from Auburn, Alabama—and has tried issues in state and federal courts in Alabama. Always thinking of the long-term impact, Sansbury spec...

William B. Stewart is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law and Litigation - Intellectual Property. William B., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bruce Ely’s more than 40 years of experience have allowed him to handle projects as diverse as serving on the recruiting teams that successfully induced both Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai to locate their first U.S. manufacturing plants in Alabama to representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service, the Alabama Department of Revenue and local taxing authorities. His practice focuses on three concentric areas: representing taxpayers in federal, state and local administrative and jud...