Thomas E. WalkerShareholder

Thomas E. Walker

Shareholder

Biography

Before joining White Arnold & Dowd P.C. in March 2014, Mr. Walker practiced with Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP for 32 years where he served as Chairman of its Litigation Practice Group. His practice focuses in the area of complex civil litigation defending products liability claims, especially litigation involving toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and in the area of defending consumer credit claims including numerous cases brought under the federal Truth-in-Lending Act, Alabama’s Consumer Credit Act, RESPA, and other theories alleging misdeeds by financial institutions.

Mr. Walker’s product liability experience includes litigation involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, isocyantes (primarily MDI), infant car seats, industrial grinding wheels/machines, injection molding equipment, robotic welding systems, skid-steer loaders, and a variety of food and beverage products.

Mr. Walker graduated from the University of Alabama (J.D., 1981; B.A., summa cum laude, 1978), where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Jasons, Delta Theta Phi, Bench and Bar, and the Alabama Law Review. In 1977, he was named the Outstanding Pre-Law Student at The University of Alabama.

In the legal community, Mr. Walker is a member of the Birmingham and American Bar Associations and the Alabama State Bar. From 1993-1995, he served on the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Food Industry Counsel. In addition, he has served on various committees for both the Alabama Bar and the Birmingham Bar Association.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Walker serves on the Board of Directors of Alabama Goodwill Industries, Inc., which he has done since 1995. In 2005-2006, he served as Chairman of the Board, and in 2003-2004, he was Secretary of the Board. In 2006, he was named Alabama Goodwill’s Volunteer of the Year.

In 2005, Mr. Walker was selected by the Homewood City Council to serve on the Homewood Parks & Recreation Board. In 2007-2008, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Board and in 2009-2010, he served as Chairman. Mr. Walker was reappointed to the Homewood Parks & Recreation Board for a second five-year term in 2010, and he currently serves as Secretary of the Board. Mr. Walker also served for six years (2000-2005) on the Board of Directors of the Homewood Patriot Youth Baseball League. He was President of the League in 2003.

Mr. Walker and his wife, Donna, are members of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, where he has been a Sunday school teacher and director for more than 25 years. They have one son, David.

Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
    • Section of Litigation
    • Forum on the Construction Industry
  • Alabama Bar Association
    • Public Relations Committee, Young Lawyers Section (1986-1987)
    • Committee on Meeting Criticism of the Bench and Bar (1986-1988)
    • Subject Matter Expert to the Task Force on Developing the Essay Component of the Alabama Bar Exam (2002-2003)
  • Birmingham Bar Association
  • David Mathews Center for Civic Life, Advisory Council (2017-2020)
  • Alabama Goodwill Industries, Inc.
    • Board Of Directors (1995-Present)
    • Chairman of the Board (2005-2006)
    • Secretary of the Board (2003-2004)
  • Coalition of Food Industry Counsel, Board of Directors (1993-1995)
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Homewood Parks and Recreation Board (selected by the City Council of the City of Homewood (2005-2010) and second term (2010-present)
    • Chairman (2009-2010)
    • Vice Chairman of the Board (2007-2008)
    • Secretary of the Board (present)
    • Past Chairman of Programs Committee (2011-2012)
    • Past Chairman of the Facilities Committee (2005-2006; 2007-2008)
  • Homewood Patriot Youth Baseball League
    • Board of Directors (2000-2005)
    • President (2003)

Admissions

  • Alabama State Bar
  • Alabama Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals of the Eleventh Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama

Distinctions

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rating
  • Alabama Goodwill’s Volunteer of the Year (2006)
  • University of Alabama School of Law Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Alabama Law Review, Senior Editor, and Bench and Bar Honorary
  • University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Jasons Senior Men’s Honorary, Delta Theta Pi, Outstanding Pre-Law Student (1977)

Communications

Speaking Engagements

  • “Daubert Challenges and Getting Your Expert Qualified,” National Food Processors Association’s Food Claims and Litigation Conference, Ojai, California, February 20-22, 2002.
  • “Offers of Judgment: An Effective Tool of Another Rule or Civil Procedure to Ignore (After You Pass the Bar Exam)?” Coalition of Food Industry Counsel Conference, Rancho Mirage, California, December 3-5, 1998.
  • “The All-Important Food Defense — Part One: Pretrial Discovery,” Coalition of Food Industry Counsel Conference, Tempe, Arizona, October 8-10, 1992.