Thomas W. "Tom" Thagard III

Gregory Rhodes is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of the Tax practice group and leads the Dentons Sirote Tax Controversy team. In his practice, Greg focuses on complex tax controversy and tax litigation work. He has successfully represented professional athletes, partnerships, corporations, and individuals as a first-chair trial attorney in high-stakes federal and local tax litigation throughout the country. Greg has also successfully h...

M. Lee Johnsey, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. M. Lee, 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 M. Lee is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Trey Hill concentrates his practice primarily in the area of economic development where he assists business clients in negotiating incentive packages. Trey regularly deals with a wide variety of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, metal, energy, and finance, among others. While Trey’s practice is focused primarily in Alabama, he routinely represents clients all over the Southeast and other regions of the United States. Trey also actively represents cities, counties, and ind...

Michael Bradley 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. Michael, 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 Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matt has over 20 years of experience representing and advising management in all areas of labor and employment law, including anti-discrimination laws, wage and hour law, ERISA, OSHA, and covenants not to compete. He regularly advises clients on preventive measures, including creation and revision of policies and procedures, and represents clients in court cases in federal, state and administrative forums. Matt has tried jury, non-jury and arbitration cases and has litigated cases ranging fro...

Rusty has extensive experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and tax law. Rusty works with closely held and family businesses on business planning and taxation, including their formation, operation and sale. He is recognized as being highly knowledgeable in tax issues related to estate and succession planning, trusts and probate.

Ed R. Haden is a partner with Balch & Bingham LLP, chairs the firm's Appellate Practice Group, and is the author of the Alabama Appellate Practice (LexisNexis) . Ed has twenty years of legal experience in the government and private sectors, has worked on over 100 appeals, and his practice focuses on appellate litigation in the Supreme Court of Alabama and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Ed specializes in knowing the written and unwritten rules and practices necessary t...

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

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.

Richard Smith, one of the founding partners of Christian & Small and a partner with its predecessor, Rives & Peterson, has been an integral member of the firm’s litigation group for his entire legal career. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner for five years. Richard’s practice focuses primarily on complex and corporate litigation for clients in the financial services, health care and construction industries, as well as corporate entities in other industries. His...