Christian & Small is pleased to announce that thirteen partners are recognized in the 2025 edition of Benchmark Litigation. Recognized as 2025 Litigation Stars are John Johnson, Richard E. Smith, Daniel D. Sparks, Sharon D. Stuart, Michael A. Vercher, F. Todd Weston, and new to the list this year are Bill D. Bensinger, Greer B. Mallette, Neal D. Moore, and Jim Pattillo. Recognized as 2025 Litigation Future Stars are Christina May Bolin and M. Jansen Voss. In addition, the firm received a recommended ranking for the state of Alabama.
2025 Litigation Stars
Bill D. Bensinger focuses his practice on commercial dispute litigation and bankruptcy and restructuring litigation. He represents creditors, franchisors, landlords, unsecured creditors’ committees, and financial institutions in a wide variety of matters, including preference and avoidance actions, workout transactions, and insolvency matters. He is recognized in Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, Alabama Super Lawyers®, and was named 2023 Volunteer of the Year by the Samford University Cumberland School of Law.
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® and Super Lawyers, and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Greer B. 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 out, and breach of fiduciary duties. Greer is regularly recognized in Best Lawyers in America®, Alabama Super Lawyers®, and the Birmingham Business Journal’s Who’s Who in Law.
Neal D. Moore, III specializes in complex product liability matters, working closely with professionals in industrial and commercial enterprises to defend claims of allegedly defective devices and equipment. He has defended hotels and restaurants involved in personal injury and food poisoning cases. In addition to his personal injury work, Neal specializes in the financial regulations governing lenders and debt collectors. A popular speaker, Neal has written and lectured on various topics, including legal ethics and training for young lawyers. He was honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and as a repeat instructor at the Young Lawyers Deposition Boot Camp. He is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® and is a Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLM).
Rachel J. Moore has more than 25 years of legal experience. She practices in the areas of commercial, banking, and construction litigation, as well as appellate work. Licensed to practice in Alabama since 1992, her experience includes trying complex cases on behalf of financial institutions, handling foreclosures, judicial foreclosures, redemptions and deficiency actions, asset recovery, and negotiating and preparing workouts. In Rachel’s construction practice, she represents general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in litigation matters. Her appellate practice involves preparing briefs, petitions, and presenting oral arguments. She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Jim Pattillo has nearly 20 years of litigation experience in Alabama’s state and federal courts and more than 70 trials to verdict. He focuses his practice on matters involving insurance coverage and bad faith liability, business and commercial litigation, and professional and product liability. In addition, Mr. Pattillo frequently assists in special investigations involving a variety of fraud involving insurance claims as well as vendor fraud and institutional fraud. Jim is recognized by Best Lawyers in America®, Mid-South Region Super Lawyers®, and Alabama Super Lawyers®.
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 a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and is recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®. He has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Daniel D. Sparks leads Christian & Small’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group. He focuses his practice on the areas of bankruptcy and business litigation involving creditors’ rights, consumer finance, lender liability, commercial contracts, and injunctive relief. Dan represents commercial lenders, debt buyers, corporations, Trustees, individuals, and other secured and unsecured creditors in all aspects of commercial litigation, loan workouts, restructurings and closings, asset recovery, foreclosure, and adversary proceedings in bankruptcy. He spends much of his time representing creditors in all Alabama and Southeast bankruptcy courts in Alabama. Dan is recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America®, Benchmark Litigation, Alabama 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 product 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 a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Alabama Law Foundation, and the Birmingham Bar Foundation. She serves as president of the Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South and the Birmingham Bar Association. She is recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers®, Benchmark Litigation, and has an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Michael A. Vercher has defended insurance companies and their insureds in litigation for over 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. He serves on the American Bar Association House of Delegates and is Chair of the City of Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission. He is recognized by Benchmark Litigation, Best Lawyers in America®, and a Fellow of the America Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association.
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. He is recognized by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, and Best Lawyers in America®.
2025 Litigation Future Stars
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 a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation and the American College of Coverage Counsel, a member of the Alabama State Bar and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC). She is the Immediate Past President of the Windstorm Insurance Network. She is routinely recognized be The Best Lawyers in America®, is AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, Benchmark Litigation, and is a recipient of the Windstorm Insurance Network’s (WIND) President’s Award.
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®, Mid-South Region Super Lawyers®, and was previously named to Benchmark Litigation’s “Under 40 Hotlist” for Alabama
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 a Mansfield Rule™ Participating Law Firm. 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.