Lee E. Bains, Jr.

David Stewart is the chair of the firm's Governmental Affairs Practice Group. He is also a member of the Economic Development Practice Group. While based in the firm's Birmingham office, he regularly represents clients before the executive and legislative branches in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery, Alabama. He also advises clients on federal and state campaign finance and ethics laws. Following David’s graduation from Washington and Lee, he worked in Washington, DC for Senator Jeff Ses...

Sarah S. Johnston is a Shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation practice, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Since 2004, she has advised high-net-worth individuals, families, and businesses on a wide range of matters, including estate and tax planning, trust and estate administration, wealth preservation strategies, trust and estate litigation, business succession planning, and the ongoing support of family offices. She also regularly counsels clients on retire...

Crawford McGivaren is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been listed in Chambers USA for Commercial Litigation since 2002. He has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Business and Personal Injury Litigation since 1989, and is recognized for Antitrust Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Professional Malpractice Law and Railroad Law. He has been named by Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top 50 lawyers in the state of Alabama and was listed...

Jason Bushby provides regulatory compliance, enforcement, and litigation assistance to a range of financial services clients across the country. On the compliance and enforcement side, Jason assists numerous clients as they bring their operations into compliance with various obligations imposed on them by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including the Mortgage Servicing Final Rules in Regulations X and Z and the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule. He also advises clients on...

D. Ty Brown is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. D. Ty, 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 D. Ty 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...

Lee H. Zell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) and Litigation - Securities. Lee H., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 1997. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lee H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Dylan Marsh is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Dylan, 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 Dylan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Nancy Ball practices in the areas of trusts and estates, including estate planning and estate administration, taxation, real estate and corporate law. Nancy is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Birmingham, Inc. and the Alabama Planned Giving Council, and serves as the secretary of the Probate Section of the Birmingham Bar Association. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Nancy is the author of Navigating Estate Planning Before, During and ...

Dan Sparks is head of Christian & Small’s Creditor & Lender Rights Practice Group. He focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy and business litigation involving creditors’ rights, consumer finance, lender liability and injunctive relief. Dan represents commercial lenders, debt buyers, corporations, Trustees, individuals and other secured and unsecured creditors in all aspects of commercial litigation, loan workouts, loan restructuring, asset recovery, foreclosure an...