Christian & Small is pleased to announce that seven partners are recognized in the 2023 edition of Benchmark Litigation. Recognized as 2023 Litigation Stars are John Johnson, Richard E. Smith, Daniel D. Sparks, Sharon D. Stuart, and Michael A. Vercher, and new to the list this year is F. Todd Weston. Recognized as 2023 Litigation Future Stars are Christina May Bolin and M. Jansen Voss. In addition, the firm received a recommended ranking for the state of Alabama.
Christina May Bolin leads the Christian & Small Mobile/Baldwin County office. She focuses her practice on defending individuals, businesses, and insurers against lawsuits and liability claims. Christina is an appointed member of the Alabama State Bar Covid-19 Bench & Bar Task Force, is an Alabama State Representative for the Defense Research Institute and is the Immediate Past President of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association.
John W Johnson II represents clients in contract and tort litigation, defending them against claims of bad faith, breach of contract, fraud, and extra-contractual damages. He is the author of Allen’s Alabama Liability Insurance Handbook and is frequently consulted by clients and other lawyers to help navigate complex coverage issues. John is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers, and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Richard E. Smith is an integral part of the Christian & Small litigation team. His extensive litigation experience includes having tried more than 175 jury trials to verdict in over 30 Alabama counties and all three Alabama federal district courts. Richard is recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®, and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Daniel D. Sparks leads Christian & Small’s Bankruptcy and Creditor & Lender Rights Practice Group. He focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy and business litigation involving creditors’ rights, consumer finance, lender liability, commercial contracts, and injunctive relief. Dan is recognized in Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®, and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Sharon D. Stuart focuses her practice on complex commercial and insurance litigation and routinely handles pharmaceutical and medical device products liability litigation. She has defended dozens of class-action lawsuits in areas as diverse as product liability/toxic tort, financial products, insurance, and employment law. Sharon is recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®, and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Michael A. Vercher has defended insurance companies and their insureds in litigation for more than 20 years. He represents businesses and individuals in complex mass tort, workplace exposure, construction, transportation, product liability, premises liability, breach of contract, and fraud litigation. Mike is a leader in the American Bar Association and currently chairs the ABA Tort, Trial, and Insurance Practice Section’s (“TIPS”) Litigation and Trial Practice Committee.
F. Todd Weston is a seasoned trial litigator and is singularly focused on providing his insurance and institutional clients with the best possible service and legal representation. Todd routinely represents clients in matters across the full spectrum of legal issues, though his practice is generally focused on insurance coverage/bad faith, construction, labor and employment, transportation, environmental/toxic tort, product/general liability, and professional liability defense.
M. Jansen Voss represents a wide range of businesses, governmental entities, and individuals in complex personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits, as well as business disputes and breach of contract matters. Jansen has earned an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law, recognized by Mid-South Region Super Lawyers® in the field of civil litigation defense, and was previously named to Benchmark Litigation’s “Under 40 Hotlist” for Alabama.
Earlier this year, Sharon D. Stuart was recognized as a Benchmark Litigation Top 250 Women in Litigation, and F. Todd Weston was recognized as a Labor and Employment Star.
Benchmark Litigation research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. During interviews, Benchmark examines recent casework handled by law firms and asks individual litigators to provide professional opinions on peers and practitioners within their jurisdiction or practice areas.
About Christian & Small
Christian & Small LLP represents a diverse clientele throughout Alabama, the Southeast, and the nation with clients ranging from individuals and closely-held businesses to Fortune 500 corporations. By matching highly experienced lawyers with specific client needs, Christian & Small develops innovative, effective, and efficient solutions for clients. With offices in Birmingham, metro-Jackson, Mississippi, and the Alabama Gulf Coast, Christian & Small focuses on the areas of litigation and business, is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, and is the only Alabama-based member firm in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Our corporate social responsibility program is focused on education, and diversity is one of Christian & Small’s core values.
No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.