W. Preston Martin

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...

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...

Greer Mallette serves as managing partner and focuses his practice on real estate, construction, and business litigation matters. He advises small business owners regarding their rights, duties, and obligations, and has litigated claims of shareholder oppression, squeeze-outs, and breach of fiduciary duties. He works with banks, title companies and other property owners on matters related to commercial contracts, leases, loan closings and resolves real estate problems, such as title and bound...

David L. Faulkner, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. David L., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Andy is a member of the firm's Corporate & Securities Practice Group and is co-chair of the Family-Owned Business Team. He advises public and private clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate finance transactions, proxy contests and general corporate and securities law matters in various industries, including manufacturing and distribution, professional services, retail, real estate development, banking and financial...

Jeremy N. Trousdale is a shareholder in the firm’s Birmingham (AL) office. Jeremy focuses his practice on defending workers’ compensation claims. He represents both self-insured clients and insurance carriers. A frequent speaker, Jeremy regularly presents current information on workers’ compensation issues for the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Organization, where he served as president (2015-2016), and the Alabama Self Insured Association. He frequently conducts in-hou...

Thomas L. Casey III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Environmental Law and Litigation - Environmental. Thomas L., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Glenn is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and a member of the firm's Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Distressed Investing Practice Group. He regularly represents creditors in out-of-court workouts, bankruptcy cases, and litigation. Glenn also has substantial experience in representing mortgage servicers and other financial institutions in mortgage-related litigation in bankruptcy courts. Glenn practiced at two large Birmingham firms in their bankruptcy and creditors’ rights areas before j...

Kane is particularly active in the public education sector, where he has represented both public universities and boards of education on tax and finance matters, and he currently serves on the faculty of the University of Alabama's academy for finance training for new school superintendents and chief school financial officers. In addition to bond counsel engagements, he has served as company counsel and bank counsel in letter-of-credit backed transactions, as lender’s counsel in direct ...

Emily Ruzic advises leading natural gas pipeline companies and other infrastructure clients on issues involving location, land acquisition, construction, and operations. Currently, she is advising on multiple large-scale pipeline projects in the Southeast, including serving as the lead outside lawyer on several significant projects for one of the country’s largest energy companies. Emily also regularly litigates land and operational issues, including disputes over survey access, eminent...