FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that Thomas E. Walker has joined the firm as a shareholder.  Mr. Walker joins White Arnold & Dowd after practicing with the former Johnston Barton firm for over 30 years, most recently serving as Chairman of that firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Walker’s 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.

Specifically, Mr. Walker’s product liability experience includes litigation involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, isocyanates (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 State 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 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.

According to Managing Lawyer, Augusta S. Dowd, “Tom brings the perfect, compatible skill set to our firm.  Tom is well-recognized as an exceptional lawyer and individual, and is able to offer his expertise and experience to our clients.”

About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the 22 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.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
(205) 241-3139
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder Kitty Rogers Brown has been named to the 2014 Class of Top 40 Under 40 by the Birmingham Business Journal. This year’s class is particularly special, since it represents the 30th annual Top 40 Under 40 section for the business newspaper. The BBJ’s award, which recognizes talented up-and-comers on the Birmingham business scene, is one of the most coveted distinctions for young professionals in the city.

Originally from Russellville, Ms. Brown joined White Arnold & Dowd as an associate in 2006 and became a shareholder in 2013. She practices in both state and federal courts, including appellate courts.  Ms. Brown represents individuals and corporate defendants in white collar criminal actions, primarily in the areas of healthcare fraud, financial crimes, and environmental crimes. She also represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation as well as pharmaceutical and environmental tort actions, whistleblower cases, healthcare matters, and consumer class actions, and handles severance and compensation matters.

Ms. Brown graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa, where she served on the Alabama Law Review as a Senior Editor and on the Labor and Employment Moot Court Team.  Ms. Brown received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in History with a Spanish minor from Samford University in Birmingham.

Ms. Brown is a member of the Alabama State Bar, where she has served as Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President and President of the Young Lawyers Section and currently serves as the Section’s Immediate Past President and on the Executive Committee. She was a member of Class 8 of the Bar’s Leadership Forum.  In 2011 and 2012, Ms. Brown was a delegate for the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, and currently serves in the Association’s House of Delegates. She is also a member of the Birmingham Bar Association and the Birmingham Inns of Court. Ms. Brown has been named a “Rising Star” by Birmingham Magazine and B-Metro magazine, and as an Alabama “Super Lawyer.”

Ms. Brown is also involved in a variety of civic endeavors including The Junior League of Birmingham, Samford University Alumni Council, the University of Alabama School of Law Farrah Law Alumni Society Board of Trustees and as president of the YWCA Central Alabama Junior Board. She was named a “Woman to Watch” by The Junior League of Birmingham and as Samford University Outstanding Young Alumnus in 2011.  Ms. Brown and her husband, Tucker, live in Birmingham with their twin pre-school sons, Richmond and Stephen.

About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the 21 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.

Contact:
Rebecca G. DePalma
(205) 323-1888
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder Hope S. Marshall has been named one of the “Top 10 Criminal Defense Attorneys Under 40 In Alabama” by The National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys.  Established in 2013, the Academy is a professional organization championing those who fight for the rights of the accused.  “We congratulate Hope on her selection,” said Managing Lawyer Augusta S. Dowd.  “Hope’s dedication to providing high-quality representation for individuals facing criminal charges makes her an asset to our law firm and our clients, and this selection is a well-deserved recognition of her passion and talents.”

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.  She holds a J.D. from the Birmingham School of Law, and also has a B.S., cum laude, from Wesley College in Dover, Delaware.

About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the 21 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.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
(205) 241-3139
[email protected]

This article originally appeared on al.com.

Attorneys from across Alabama take on leadership roles in state bar’s Young Lawyers Section

By Kelsey Stein

Montgomery, AL – More than a dozen young attorneys from across Alabama will take on roles as officers or members of the executive committee of the Alabama State Bar’s Young Lawyers Section for the 2013-2014 year.

The 3,500-member section elected Montgomery lawyer W. Christopher “Chris” Waller Jr. as president. Waller, who earned his degree at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, is a partner with the firm of Ball Ball Matthews & Novak PA.

Other officers for 2013-2014 hail from across the state, with two from Birmingham and two from Mobile:

• Vice President – Brandon D. Hughey, of Mobile firm Ambrecht Jackson LLP
• Secretary – S. Hughston Nichols, of Birmingham firm Hare Wynn Newell & Newton LLP
• Treasurer – Charles E. (Chip) Tait, of Mobile firm Vickers Riis Murray & Curran LLC
• Immediate Past President – Kitty Rogers Brown, of Birmingham firm White Arnold & Dowd PC

The Young Lawyers Section is composed of attorneys who are 36 and younger, or those who have been admitted to the bar for three years or less. The section conducts a continuing legal education seminar and sponsors service projects to help the public understand the law.

The section conducts community service and outreach projects, such as collaborating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide disaster relief assistance.

At FEMA’s request, the attorneys provide pro bono disaster-related legal services to low-income victims of federally declared disasters through a hotline and by working at clinics and resource centers.

Each year, section members also conduct a Minority Pre-Law Conference designed to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the American justice system. Minority lawyers work one-on-one with central Alabama teenagers, who participate in a case study, give fact scenarios and participate as jurors in a trial.

The section is governed by a 28-person executive committee, with 11 newly elected members from firms in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery:

• Evan G. Allen, of Montgomery firm Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles PC
• Jesse K. Anderson, of Montgomery firm Jackson Anderson & Patty PC
• Ashley W. Davis, of Huntsville’s LogiCore
• Lisha Li Graham, of Birmingham firm White Arnold & Dowd PC
• Alysia J. Harris, of Birmingham firm Lightfoot Franklin & White LLC
• Vanesa Hernandez, of Birmingham firm Maynard Cooper & Gale PC
• M. Lee Johnsey, Jr., of Birmingham firm Balch & Bingham LLP
• Neah L. Mitchell, of Birmingham firm Balch & Bingham LLP
• Dorothy “Dottie” Barker Perry, of Mobile firm Burns Cunningham & Mackey PC
• L. Robert Shreve, of Mobile firm Luther Collier Hodges & Cash LLP
• Amy Hill Nation, of Huntsville firm Wilmer & Lee PA

This article originally appeared on al.com.

White Arnold and Dowd Law Firm Celebrates 10 Years

By Susan Strickland

The Birmingham law firm of White Arnold & Dowd celebrated its 10th anniversary at a fun-filled bash at the Mountain Brook home of Steve and Barbie Arnold.

Sharing the festive spirit with the Arnolds were Augusta and David Dowd, Carol Ann Hobby and Mark White, Virginia and Rusty Matson, Ann and Jerry Riley, Nancy Bowsky and daughter Lilly Young, John Pocus, Karen Hennecy, Sherry and Ken Johnson, Letisha Reno, Sidney and Melissa Summey, and Judge U.W. Clemon.

Also joining in the celebration were Connie and Richard Stockham, Diane and Paul Burt, Andrew Hairston, Hannah and Stephen Thompson, Ginger and Dale Wallace, Theresa and Mike Cornell, Jennifer and Barry Willis, Lisha and Henry Graham, Kitty and Tucker Brown, Rebecca DePalma and daughter Elizabeth, Joan and Bill Bowen, Burton Dunn, Jackie Morris, Hope Marshall, Shane Smith, and Linda Flippo.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that its three named shareholders, J. Mark White, Stephen R. Arnold, and Augusta S. Dowd have once again been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 20^th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. White was named in the practice areas of the Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Mediation. Additionally, Mr. White was named the Best Lawyers’ 2014 Birmingham Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year,” an honor awarded to only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community annually.

Mr. Arnold was recognized in the Family Law practice area, an honor he has been awarded annually since 1983.

Ms. Dowd was selected in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants.  In 2011, Ms. Dowd was named the Best Lawyers’ Birmingham Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year,” a distinction Mr. White now shares.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which almost 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly five million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.” The Best Lawyers in America© 2014. Copyright 2013 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC.

About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the 21 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.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
(205) 241-3139
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alabama State Bar President Anthony A. Joseph has appointed the following White Arnold & Dowd P.C. attorneys to serve on ASB committees and task forces for the 2013-2014 year:

J. Mark White: Operations Task Force; Future of the Profession Task Force.

Rebecca G. DePalma: Governmental Liaison Committee; Leadership Forum Selection Committee, chair; reappointed as member of Panel 3 of ASB Disciplinary Panel

Kitty Rogers Brown: Pro Bono and Public Service Committee

Hope S. Marshall: Diversity Committee, co-chair

About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the 21 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.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
(205) 241-3139
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – When the 2013 Alabama State Bar Annual Meeting gets underway this week in Point Clear, Alabama, lawyers from White Arnold & Dowd P.C. will be either at the helm or busy behind the scenes of many of the featured sessions, events, receptions, and workshops.

On Thursday, White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholder Augusta S. Dowd is speaking on a panel entitled “What to Do When the Government Comes Calling: What Every Practitioner Needs to Know About White Collar Crime.” The panel discussion provides attendees one hour of mandatory continuing legal education credit. Dowd has an active, wide-ranging white collar criminal practice, including the defense of financial services crime, healthcare fraud and environmental crime, as well as corporate compliance. She also has extensive experience in civil and complex litigation. Dowd is a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation and serves on the ASB Board of Bar Commissioners.

Another accredited session, entitled “Diversity in the Courtroom: Why We Need to Talk About It” was organized by the ASB’s Diversity Committee, of which White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholder Hope Marshall is Co-Chair.  White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is also sponsoring a reception focusing on the theme “Celebrating the Diversity of Our Profession.”

The ASB Young Lawyers Section and Leadership Forum Section are co-sponsoring a CLE session entitled “Top Seven Strategies to Improve Your Firm’s Profitability Today . . . and Tomorrow.” White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholders Rebecca DePalma, the immediate past chair of the Leadership Forum Section, and Kitty Rogers Brown, the President of the ASB Young Lawyers Section, helped organize this CLE session.

Several other White Arnold & Dowd lawyers are active participants, not only in the Alabama State Bar Association’s annual meeting but in ASB leadership year-round.

• Shareholder Kitty Rogers Brown will conclude her term as President of the ASB Young Lawyers Section at the annual meeting. Brown was recently elected by the ASB Board of Bar Commissioners to serve as a delegate for Alabama in the ABA House of Delegates beginning in 2014.
• Associate Lisha Graham has been selected to be a member of the Executive Committee for the ASB Young Lawyers Section.
• Associate Shane Smith serves as Secretary for the Executive Board of the ASB Family Law Section.
• Shareholder Andrew C. Allen is President-elect of the Labor and Employment Law Section of ASB.
• Shareholder Rebecca DePalma’s leadership roles within the ASB include memberships on the Board of Bar Commissioners, Disciplinary Board, Panel III, and the Governmental Liaison Committee. As immediate past chair of the Leadership Forum Section, DePalma will remain on the ASB Executive Council for 2014. For her exemplary service to the Bar and the legal profession, the Alabama State Bar will present its annual ASB President’s Award to Rebecca DePalma at the Bench and Bar Luncheon on Thursday.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
(205) 241-3139
[email protected]

Augusta S. Dowd has been named Birmingham’s Mass Tort Litigator of the Year by 2011 Edition of Best Lawyers in America. The peer-review publication selects a single lawyer in each specialty in each community for the honor.

Hope S. Marshall, an associate with the firm of White Arnold & Dowd P.C., has been selected as member of the 2011 class of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Leadership Forum. The program is an initiative created to cultivate leaders among a group of motivated attorneys who have been practicing for 3 to 7 years. The select group of lawyers will attend an intense six-month curriculum focused on leadership within the Bar and the community.