Mark Chester

Trey Dowdey is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. Trey, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Trey is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ashley Reitz Peinhardt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Ashley Reitz, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ashley Reitz is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mike Vercher is a partner and former chair of Christian & Small’s Insurance and Financial Services Practice Group. For over 20 years, he has represented insurance companies and their insureds in litigation and coverage disputes. Mike also routinely represents businesses in complex mass tort, workplace exposure, construction, transportation, product liability, premises liability, breach of contract and fraud litigation. He has tried cases as lead counsel in seven different Alabama co...

Judy Bateman Shepura is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Judy Bateman, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Judy Bateman is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Dan Murphy’s practice has focused exclusively on healthcare transactional and regulatory matters for the past decade. He has represented all types and sizes of healthcare providers, from publicly-traded national hospital, dialysis, and ambulatory surgery center companies, to independent surgery centers and pharmacies, physician practices, and individual physicians. In representing providers, Dan brings a holistic view to healthcare deals and compliance issues that incorporates an unders...

J.S. "Chris" Christie practices in Dentons Sirote’s Litigation group, based in Birmingham, Alabama. He has handled False Claims Act, class action, and bet-the-company cases, cases involving stock valuations, financial expert witnesses, and statistical expert witnesses, and appeals to the Supreme Court of Alabama and to the federal Circuit Courts of Appeals. He frequently speaks and publishes on employee benefits, legal ethics, and trial techniques. In employee benefits litigation, Chris...

Virginia Patterson's law practice focuses on the corporate, business and securities area. Virginia advises clients on a wide variety of business issues, including organizational matters, corporate governance, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, debt and equity financing and securities law compliance. In addition, Virginia has considerable experience in the area of debt restructuring, securitization transactions, formation of domestic and international joint ventures, licensing, and domest...

Sharon Stuart devotes her practice to civil trial work and arbitration. She focuses on complex commercial and insurance litigation, and she handles a variety of product liability cases including pharmaceutical and medical device products liability litigation as national, regional or local counsel. Her trial experience includes a wide range of business tort claims, contract disputes, commercial and insurance fraud and bad faith suits, and wrongful death cases. She has defended dozens of class ...

Lyle D. Larson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law. Lyle D., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lyle D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

George M. “Jack” Neal, Jr., of Counsel in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group. Jack regularly serves as mediator and arbitrator in civil cases of all kinds, excluding domestic relations. He is also a certified appellate mediator and serves on numerous panels of neutrals for arbitration and mediation. Jack practices general civil litigation in both state and federal courts. He has represente...