By Deborah Alley Smith, Christian & Small Managing Partner and Vice President of the Birmingham Bar Foundation By the time they reach high school, the only exposure many teenagers have had to Alabama’s judicial system is negative. They see terrible things in the news about law enforcement, lawyers and our courts, but they need to … Read More
On June 29, 2015, in a rather remarkable opinion that parties continue to struggle with in this evolving digital age, the Georgia Supreme Court in Phillips v. Harmon reversed an appellate court decision on its interpretation of the legal standard for spoliation (i.e., the destruction or failure to preserve evidence). Longstanding Georgia law held that … Read More
In Schumann v. Collier Anesthesia, P.A., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 16194, *28-29 (11th Cir. Fla. Sept. 11, 2015), the Eleventh Circuit provided guidance in deciding whether students in modern-day internship programs are classified as “employees” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). In this case, the plaintiffs were 25 former student-registered nurse anesthetists (“SRNAs” or … Read More
When I think back to July of 2006, I remember excitedly preparing for the birth of my first child. In just over a month, he will turn nine years old. Strange, then, that I and many lawyers have had to take a fresh look at a decision from that era as if it were new … Read More
Christian & Small is pleased to welcome its newest attorney, Associate Irving W. Jones Jr. Prior to joining Christian & Small, Jones was a staff attorney in Balch & Bingham’s environmental and natural resources section, and he is licensed to practice in Alabama and Mississippi. Jones’ previous experience also includes serving as a Counterintelligence Investigator … Read More
Christian & Small Associate Jonathan M. Hooks‘ “David Beats Goliath In War Over Words: Court Rules Free Speech Extends To Drug Company’s Marketing Efforts” post on the firm’s Nonstop Insights blog was recently featured on The Medical Marketing Daily’s website (http://paper.li/DigMedCom/1302867418). The Medical Marketing Daily is a subcategory of The Digital MedCom Daily, which is … Read More
Christian & Small is pleased to announce that Partner David L. Faulkner Jr. has been invited to participate in the 2015-2016 Leadership Birmingham class. Class members are selected based on their leadership abilities, career accomplishments, volunteer activities, contributions to the community, and commitment to help shape a better community. Faulkner has a broad civil trial practice that includes premises liability, … Read More
Many employees believe that a hard line exists for determining if an employee is entitled to overtime compensation or is exempt from overtime requirements. Hourly rate employees are always non-exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Many employers believe that any employee paid a salary is exempt from being paid … Read More
Christian & Small is pleased to announce that Partner LaBella S. Alvis has been named the 2015-2016 President of the Birmingham Inns of Court. The Birmingham Inn is one of nearly 400 chartered American Inns of Court in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Tokyo. There are more than 30,000 active members nationwide, … Read More
