Christian & Small’s legacy of advocacy in class action, mass action, and toxic tort litigation is a testament to the commitment of the people behind our cases.
For Partner Sharon D. Stuart, her expertise in this practice area began with lessons learned from our firm’s founder, Tom Christian.“When I joined the firm, Tom was already handling that work, and I was thrown into the middle of it. He was an impressive trial lawyer, and I was fortunate to work with him. That’s definitely where it became a focus and a significant part of my practice.”
Partner Richard E. Smith echoes Sharon’s sentiments, crediting both Tom Christian and Clarence Small’s leadership for shaping his law career. “Their belief in younger lawyers and allowing us to work with them was very inspiring. The confidence it gave me was incredibly meaningful for my career.”
This deep-rooted sense of mentorship and collaboration continues as our firm looks to the future of mass action, class action, and toxic tort litigation.
This milestone represents more than just the passage of time. It showcases decades of tireless advocacy, innovation, and a legacy built on serving clients and our broader community.
While we’ve tackled many complicated legal cases across industries over the last 25 years, one defining moment came in 2014 when our attorneys were called to manage a multidistrict class action case involving one of the largest hospital networks in the country.
“There were 7.4 million plaintiffs in a national class,” recalled Richard. By strategically consolidating 23 cases into Alabama courts, the team secured a favorable outcome that avoided costly financial liabilities for the client. This victory was a career-defining moment for Richard.
“I learned a lot about multidistrict litigation and managing many plaintiffs,” he shared. “I like to think our experience with handling that many class actions has made us a top choice for companies facing class action lawsuits.”
25 Years of Adaptability and Personalized Advocacy
One of Christian & Small’s strongest traits is our ability to customize our approach based on each client’s and case’s specific needs. This flexibility has become especially important as industries face new challenges, including the complexities of cyber liability cases. Richard has helped healthcare industry clients handle ransomware attacks, demonstrating how our firm’s commitment to problem-solving goes well beyond traditional legal work: “I’ve learned a tremendous amount about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.”
Sharon highlights that one thing that hasn’t changed in 25 years is our approach to client relationships and how we strive to deeply understand their goals and objectives. “We partner with clients and quickly learn their business objectives to figure out exactly what they need.”
About Christian & Small
Christian & Small LLP serves a diverse client base across Alabama, the Southeast, and nationwide, including individuals, closely held businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. By pairing highly experienced lawyers with specific client needs, Christian & Small creates innovative, effective, and efficient solutions tailored to each client. With offices in Birmingham, metro-Jackson, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast, Christian & Small specializes in litigation and business law, is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, and is a Mansfield Rule™ Certified Plus Law Firm. Our corporate social responsibility initiatives focus on education, and diversity remains 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.