W. Chambers Waller IV Continues to Excel as Florida “Rising Star”
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder W. Chambers Waller IV has been named to the 2023 Florida Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Florida may receive this honor, which is reserved for attorneys under the age of 40 or who have been in practice 10 years or less who exhibit excellence in the practice of law. Super Lawyers‘ patented, multiphase selection process includes peer nominations, independent research, and peer evaluations. Based in the Firm’s Florida offices, Mr. Waller’s practice is devoted to representing individual and corporate clients in state and federal criminal investigations and prosecutions, state ethics matters, complex civil litigation, and governmental and regulatory affairs matters. He is a member of the Young Lawyers Section, Criminal Law Section, Pro Bono Standing Committee, and Solo Practitioner/Small Firm Standing Committee of the Jacksonville Bar Association, as well as the Young Lawyers Section, Criminal Law Section, and Solo and Small Firm Section of The Florida Bar.
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
White Arnold & Dowd P.C. Remembers Stephen R. Arnold
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stephen Richard Arnold, 75 of Birmingham, passed away on May 26, 2023 following a recent illness. Born November 4, 1947 to Robert Walter Arnold and Katherine Durham Arnold, Steve graduated from Indian Springs School in 1966. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.S. in Finance in 1971. Steve served our country in the United States Army on active duty from 1970-1971 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and then transferred to the inactive reserves in 1971; he discharged with the rank of captain in 1978. Following his active duty military service, Steve attended Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1974 and beginning a law practice that would span nearly 50 years.
Steve and his beloved wife Barbie prioritized spending time with their blended family: son Allen (Evalouise), daughter Allene, daughter Robin Ennis (John), and son David Parks (Camila). His greatest joy in life was being “SteveO” to their eight grandchildren: Adelia, Kate, and Lillian Arnold and Alden, Andrew, Archer, Meadow, and Miles Ennis. Steve enjoyed exploring the world with Barbie, especially summers in Maine, and deeply valued time spent closer to home hosting family and friends on the Gulf Coast and at their lake home at Blackridge. He appreciated beauty, seeking it out in the artists he befriended as well as in nature, most often on golf courses all over the world. Steve especially enjoyed playing golf at Vestavia Hills Country Club, where he recently achieved – and has photographic evidence to prove – a hole-in-one.
For the first five years of his legal career, Steve engaged in a broad general practice with the firm of Jones, Arnold & Roden, resulting in the beginning of his specialization in matrimonial law. He was next a partner in Durward and Arnold, concentrating solely in the area of matrimonial law (1979-1993). Steve then joined White, Dunn and Booker (1993-2003), the predecessor to White Arnold & Dowd P.C., where Steve served as a founding member, named partner, and member of the executive committee for 20 years. Steve enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as one of Alabama’s pre-eminent matrimonial and divorce attorneys. His extensive background in finance, accounting, and general business enhanced his chosen concentration in financially and legally complex matrimonial matters. Steve was a well-respected and talented advocate who valued – and expected – honesty, excellence, and integrity from his professional teammates and adversaries. He was dedicated to serving his clients’ overall best interests and emphasized problem solving, negotiating, and achieving positive resolutions for his clients. Steve managed to counsel and successfully guide his clients through the stresses of divorce, matrimonial litigation, and the court system without losing his own humanity and compassion.
Steve’s pursuit of professional excellence naturally led to his selection as one of the first five practitioners in Alabama for fellowship in the prestigious American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (“AAML”). Through the AAML, he worked to improve the practice of matrimonial law on a national level, including serving as a national faculty member for the AAML Institute for Training Young Lawyers, as governor, and on the board of the AAML Foundation. In recognition of his superior trial and advocacy skills, Steve was certified as a Family Law Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and named a fellow of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers. He co-founded the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar Association and served as the section’s president; Steve also served as a board member of the Heart Gallery, advocating for adoption.
In addition to Barbie, their children and grandchildren, and a host of colleagues and friends, Steve is survived by his sister Barbara Breo and his nephew David Breo (Karin and Ella). The family extends special thanks to Emily Reiter, Scarlett Silvani, Vernon Furlow, Nick Redmill, and the other nurses and healthcare team at Grandview Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (3736 Montrose Road, Mountain Brook, AL 35213) on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Visitation will be at 2:00 p.m. in Graham Hall at the church. A family burial and interment will follow at Bethel United Methodist in Warrior, AL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke’s Foundation (https://saint-lukes.com/ministries/st-lukes-foundation/) or the AAML Foundation (www.AAMLFoundation.org).
Birmingham Bar Association Taps Firm Attorneys for 2023 Leadership Positions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that Birmingham Bar Association President Marcus Maples has appointed multiple firm lawyers to BBA Committees for the current Bar year. Kitty Rogers Brown will continue her service on the Birmingham Connection Committee and will also serve on the Membership Committee. Hope S. Marshall and Jackson N. Neal will continue their service on the Grievance Committee and Lisha Graham will serve as Co-Chair of the Committee. Emily McClendon will continue to serve on the Birmingham Connection Committee and as the Get to Know Birmingham Subcommittee Co-Chair. Curtis H. Seal has been tapped to serve on the Future Leaders Forum Committee, and both he and Chambers Waller will serve on the Scholarship Committee.
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Lisha Graham Recognized in “Women in the Law” Series
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder Lisha Graham was recently recognized by the Alabama State Bar as a part of its “Women in the Law” series. The original post can be found here.
Hope S. Marshall Celebrated by Alabama State Bar
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder Hope S. Marshall was recently celebrated by the Alabama State Bar as a part of its “Women in the Law” series. The original post can be found here.
Ms. Marshall’s practice focuses on criminal defense, white collar criminal defense, and general civil litigation. She represents companies and individuals in connection with criminal investigations, as well as parallel civil and criminal proceedings. Ms. Marshall practices in municipal, state and federal courts, including appellate courts. She is active in the local, state, and national bar associations and serves on the Alabama Securities Commission.
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Augusta S. Dowd Shares Leadership and Networking Guidance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, AL – The Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association recently asked White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholder, vice president, and managing lawyer Augusta S. Dowd to share leadership and networking “tips” with its members. As Ms. Dowd related, “The most important foundation on which to build your professional reputation is one of rock-solid personal integrity. Establishing a name for trustworthiness and candor is a process, not an event. Being viewed as an honest broker is a reputation nurtured over time through countless small decisions that you make which collectively demonstrate your true character. And while a positive reputation is built over a lifetime, it can be destroyed in a blaze of infamy: focus on faithfulness to your personal ideals in the decisions you make daily, and you will be well prepared to make the right choice when you are faced with a life or career-changing point of decision.”
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder, vice president, and managing lawyer Augusta S. Dowd was named to a group of “Trailblazers in Law” by The University of Alabama Division of Student Life Career Center and College of Arts & Sciences. Ms. Dowd joined previous honorees Judge Caryl Privett, Judge John England, and Judge Annetta Verin, students, faculty, and members of the local bench and bar for the February 9, 2023 ceremony at the University of Alabama. In her remarks entitled “Leading Your Legacy,” Ms. Dowd related, “And what is a legacy? As lawyers, the legacies we leave behind are not the wins and losses in a courtroom or the size of the deals we have done. Our jobs – while hugely important parts of our lives – do not define us. That is not the only trail I want to blaze. It is the trail of living a rich and multi-faceted life – both professionally and personally – for me, the trail of being a successful trial lawyer AND a proud wife, mother, daughter, sister, and most recently (and perhaps most importantly) grandmother AND a productive community leader, faith institution member, you name it – that I, like so many of you, am proud to continue to blaze each day.”
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholders J. Mark White and Hope S. Marshall were recently recognized by Alabama Appleseed for their work in helping secure the release of Willie Ingram. As Appleseed noted, Mr. Ingram “served 39 years in prison after being convicted of a $20 robbery while armed with a pocketknife . . . . Mr. Ingram was originally sentenced to life imprisonment without parole under Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act; his priors were all nonviolent property offenses from the 1970s. Appleseed took his case and with assistance from attorneys Mark White and Hope Marshall at White Arnold and Dowd, won his freedom. Mr. Ingram was resentenced to time served in November and walked out of St. Clair Correctional Facility to be welcomed by his two sons, sister, and a brother. ” On his release day in November, Mr. Ingram shared, “I didn’t know what to think, I was so happy. I thought I was going to be in prison for the rest of my life, but God made a way for me.” More on Mr. Ingram’s story and the work of Alabama Appleseed can be found here.
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Firm Shareholders Named “Super Lawyers” for 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that four shareholders have been named to the 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers list, and two additional attorneys have been included on the list of 2022 Super Lawyers Rising Stars.
Attorneys named as 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers are:
Stephen R. Arnold
Kitty Rogers Brown
Augusta S. Dowd
J. Mark White
Arnold was recognized in Family Law, Brown in White Collar Defense, and Dowd and White in General Litigation. Shareholder W. Chambers Waller was named a 2022 Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star and attorney Jackson Neal was named as a 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star.
Super Lawyers rates outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual, state-by-state selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. According to Super Lawyers, “the objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel.” Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the Mid-South are selected by the research team for selection as Super Lawyers, and no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Mid-South 40 years old or younger or who have been in practice for 10 or fewer years are selected as Rising Stars. The Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars will be listed in the December 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine and B-Metro magazine and the Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars will be listed in the December 2022 Florida Super Lawyers Magazine.
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Shareholders Continue to Lead in Alabama State Bar
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that Alabama State Bar president Gibson Vance has appointed numerous firm lawyers to Bar Committees and Task Forces for the current Bar year. Hope Marshall will serve as Secretary of the Women Lawyers’ Section and she will also work with the Pro Bono Committee. Kitty Brown will serve on the new Quality of Life, Health & Wellness and Bench and Bar Relations Committees and will continue to serve on the Leadership Forum Selection & Program, Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession, and the Governmental Relations Liaison Committees. Additionally, Lisha Graham and Laura Gibson will continue to serve on the Leadership Forum Selection & Program Committee and Ms. Graham will also continue to serve on the Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession Committee. President Vance also reappointed Curtis Seal to the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
