Samuel H. "Sam" Franklin

Bill Averett is a member of Dentons Sirote's Landlord's Rights practice in the Birmingham, Alabama office. Bill's extensive trial experience includes representing national banks and lenders in all matters of creditor rights and collection, including appellate and bankruptcy proceedings. His high rate of success consists of obtaining settlements through both formal and informal channels. Bill graduated from the University of Alabama with a BA and from Samford University's Cumberland School of ...

Brian O’Dell represents financial service providers in regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters related to mortgage servicing, mortgage origination, credit cards, debt collection and title insurance. He assists clients in navigating regulatory issues and potential liability by ensuring that their operations are in compliance with federal and state consumer financial protection laws and that they are able to successfully demonstrate their compliance to federal and state regulators,...

Gerald Burnett practices on a multi-regional basis in all areas of commercial real estate, tax-free exchanges, tax law and disputes, commercial transactions, timber law and wealth transfer planning. He has had substantial experience in the litigation of tax controversies, having tried jury and non-jury tax cases in eight states. He has served as lead counsel in, negotiated and closed commercial real estate transactions in eighteen states. Some of his out-of-state work includes commercial proj...

Anna Curry Gualano is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor Law - Management. Anna Curry, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Anna Curry is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Alston is in our Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group. He focuses his practice primarily on Public Finance, Municipal Bonds, Financial Services, Tax-Exempt Organizations and Economic Development Incentives.

Mr. McKee began his law practice in his hometown of Florence, Alabama. He then served as the central staff attorney for the Alabama Supreme Court for several years. While living in Montgomery, he also served as a professor of law at the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law of Faulkner University. Mr. McKee moved to Birmingham in 1986 to take a full-time teaching position at the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, where he later served as the assistant dean. In 1989, he joined the Hare...

J. Curt Tanner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. J. Curt, who practices law in Homewood, Alabama, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Curt is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kenneth O. Simon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Government Relations Practice, Litigation - Securities, Mediation and Municipal Law. Kenneth O., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2005. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kenneth O. 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...