Thomas W. "Tom" Thagard III

R. Michael Murphy is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he serves as the chair of the Dentons Sirote Corporate practice group. Mike’s work focuses primarily on financial services, mergers, acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, regulatory, compliance and risk management. He has experience advising businesses in connection with a broad range of corporate matters, including corporate structure, formation and reorganization, contract negoti...

Ellis Brazeal is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and co-leader of the firm’s aerospace and aviation team. Ellis has more than 30 years of experience in commercial litigation, including all levels of state, federal, and bankruptcy courts. He represents and advises financial institutions and other entities regarding corporate restructuring, and handles construction, surety, and government contract litigation. He is recognized for his work by legal publications, and he regularly...

J. Foster Clark is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Public Finance Law. J. Foster, 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 J. Foster is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jason Walters is a litigation partner in the firm's insurance group and serves as national and regional counsel for several life and health insurance companies. His practice focuses on both individual and class action litigation, with particular emphasis in the area of fraudulent sales practices and the bad faith denial of benefits for life insurance, annuities, and long term care products. Jason also has extensive experience defending insurers in litigation filed by agents and independent ma...

James has experience with both debtor and creditor representation in bankruptcy, out-of-court workouts and restructurings, and bankruptcy-related litigation. He also regularly represents commercial lenders and mortgage servicers in federal court commercial litigation. James has represented debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in matters involving numerous complex issues under the bankruptcy code, including termination of employee and retiree benefits and going concern sales free and clear of clai...

Riley Key’s practice focuses on counseling financial services clients facing regulatory and enforcement challenges in the mortgage, auto finance, debt collection, small dollar lending, and payments (credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, mobile payments, and cryptocurrencies) industries. Riley is a member of Bradley’s Banking and Financial Services Practice Group and is also a member of the firm’s Auto Finance and Payments industry teams. Through his broad range of experi...

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.

Grant Premo is an experienced advisor for banks, mortgage servicers, student loan servicers, and farm credit agencies on complex litigation and compliance matters. He is known for his expertise in navigating high-risk litigation and guiding clients to comply with important regulations, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and Farm Credit Administration Regulations. Grant’s expansive litigati...

Marc J. Mandich joined Southern Med Law in the Fall of 2019. Marc is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, where he attended Jesuit High School. Marc attended Louisiana State University where he earned a bachelors in finance. Marc went on to attend law school at Loyola University New Orleans where he graduated magna cum laude in 2013. During law school, Marc was the brief writer for Loyola’s Admiralty and National Moot Court Teams and received “Best Brief” in the Southeast Reg...

Rodney E. Nolen is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of the Litigation practice group. For more than 30 years, Rodney has focused on creditors' rights and collections. He represents manufacturers, suppliers, and commercial lenders in recovering collateral and securing the repayment of defaulted loans in state and federal court. His clients include banks, commercial finance companies, construction material providers, electrical suppliers, ...