By Bradley R. Hightower, Christian & Small Partner What do you say when you realize that you filed your proof of claim after the bar date? Probably something ugly. As a creditor’s attorney, if you find yourself beyond the bar date without a proof of claim on file, you have a limited number of options … Read More
Retired Judge R.A. “Sonny” Ferguson Jr. recently spoke with Law360 reporter Zachary Zagger and offered his perspective on what lawyers should know prior to appearing before a judge for the first time. Read the full article here (subscription required; click here for a downloadable PDF). Ferguson joined Christian & Small in 2011 after serving as a judge for … Read More
By Ken Simon, Christian & Small Partner In some situations, the best option for resolving cases is to assist parties in solving and settling them before going to trial – a process known as mediation. Mediators like me are interested in helping all the parties involved in a case find a solution. We have a structured negotiation … Read More
The Continued Erosion of the Protection Afforded to Attorneys By Richard Thayer, Christian and Small Partner In 1995, the United States Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion, interpreted the definition of a debt collector under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. 1962, et seq., to include attorneys regularly engaged in the practice of collecting … Read More
Christian & Small is pleased to announce that 16 attorneys are included in the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The 21st edition includes the top attorneys in 137 practice areas, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and inclusion in this year’s publication is based on more than 5.5 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. … Read More
Deborah Alley Smith, Sharon D. Stuart and Abbott M. Jones won an appeal reversing an attorney fee award of approximately $1.1 million based on an indemnity agreement. The Alabama Supreme Court wrote opinions on both the original appeal and the rehearing. Among other issues, the court reaffirmed that Alabama law does not permit a party to … Read More
By Robert E. Cooper, Christian & Small Partner Social media is everywhere; approximately 67 percent of Americans with internet access use it. Social media use is consistent across racial and ethnic boundaries, educational and socio-economic boundaries and urbanity. This means that two out of every three prospective jurors are active on at least one social … Read More
Managing Partner Deborah Alley Smith spoke with Birmingham Business Journal reporter Antrenise Cole about the challenges female attorneys face as they seek to advance their legal careers from associate to partner – and also proposed potential solutions. Read the full article here and visit Christian & Small’s Nonstop Insights blog, where Smith recently authored a … Read More
By Michael A. Vercher, Christian & Small Partner Recent studies show that jurors rely heavily on nonverbal communication like eye contact and body language to judge the veracity of a witness. In response, savvy litigators are using with greater frequency a powerful discovery tool, the video deposition. In addition to the “standard” rules applicable to … Read More
