Mark L. Gaines

Steve Monk is a member of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. Steve's practice is primarily devoted to develop representational development work. Steve regularly represents clients in the annexation and zoning of properties for planned unit developments, traditional neighborhood developments and other mixed uses. Such representation includes preparation of developed plans for zoning, preparation of restrictive covenants, establishment of homeowners’/property owners’ association...

DAN McCRARY is a partner at Balch & Bingham LLP, where he serves as Chair of the Energy Practice Group. Over the course of his career, he has represented energy companies in a wide variety of regulatory, transactional and litigated matters. These include numerous proceedings before the FERC involving rate filings, complaints, market-based rate authority (including triennial screens and Delivered Price Test analyses), energy auctions, affiliate transactions, transmission tariffs, fuel buyo...

Bill Bensinger focuses his practice on commercial dispute litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring litigation. He represents creditors, franchisors, landlords, unsecured creditors’ committees and financial institutions in a wide variety of matters, including preference and avoidance actions, workout transactions and insolvency matters. Bill represents franchisors in bankruptcy, including matters concerning the assumption of franchise agreements, and represents landlords in bank matters ...

As a member of the firm’s Finance and Real Estate Group, Brad focuses his practice on commercial real estate, corporate law, intellectual property law, and wills and estates.

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

Joseph Leavens is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Construction. Joseph, 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 Joseph is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Cheryl Howell Oswalt is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Tuscaloosa, Alabama office, where she is a member of the Litigation practice group. Cheryl’s practice focuses on representing individuals and businesses in a wide range of business and commercial litigation matters, including financial services litigation, insurance-related litigation and minority shareholder issues. She has years of experience in representing financial institutions and members of the mortgage banking indus...

Stephen B. Porterfield is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he leads the Dentons Sirote Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy team and also serves as Dentons Sirote's General Counsel. Stephen handles a wide variety of commercial litigation matters that routinely arise in bankruptcy proceedings or involve other creditors' rights or creditor liability issues. He tries cases in both state and federal courts, representing creditors and trustees in insolv...

Joseph H. Driver is a shareholder in Carr Allison’s Birmingham (AL) office. Joe heads up the firm’s Appellate Litigation group. He is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the US District Court for the Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama. In addition to his appellate practice, Joe handles cases involving general liability and workers’ compensation. Joe is a member of the Birmingham and Alabama State Bar Associations ...

Leon Ashford has been a trial lawyer for 42 years. Throughout the course of his career, Mr. Ashford has a proven record of consistently obtaining multimillion dollar jury verdicts and settlements for his clients, their families and their small businesses. Though he has always focused his practice on complex litigation involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death, he has recently been called upon to represent family-owned and closely held businesses in litigation which threatene...