Lanier Ford's annual continuing professional education (CPE) course for certified public accountants will be held on July 25, 2013. For more information about the seminar, please e-mail or call him at 256-713-2530.
Dale Gipson will be conducting three lunch-and-learn seminars about government contracting on the following dates:
For more information, call John Hightower at 256-713-2530.
Super Lawyers has named the following Lanier Ford attorneys as 2013 Super Lawyers:
Super Lawyers are not merely voted onto the list, but are named only after the following steps are completed:
Criteria considered in the evaluation process include the following:
Lanier Ford attorney J. R. Brooks, assisted by Bert Moore, has been involved in helping to implement plans by the Huntsville Board of Education to build new schools. Legal assistance was necessary because of a 1970 court order that ended Huntsville's segregated education system.
Mr. Brooks expects that a U.S. District Judge will approve the board’s plans to consolidate and build new schools because the U.S. Justice Department and other parties in the original lawsuit do not oppose the plans. The plans call for spending about $194 million on new construction projects designed to deliver more equitable academic programs and facilities to students, including two new high schools, a new middle school, a ninth-grade academy, a new P-8 school, and a new elementary school. Some of the district's magnet schools will be relocated.
On March 7, 2013, John Wynn participated in a panel discussion about current trends in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for government contractors. The seminar was sponsored by Lanier Ford, Camber Corporation, Redstone Government Consulting, Inc., and the McLean Group, LLC. Topics included—
In January 2014, Exhibit A Books will publish Robert Bailey’s first book: The Professor. The book is a legal thriller about one of legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s football players turned law professor. Even though the player-turned-law-professor hasn’t tried a case in 40 years, he teams up with a former student for a wrongful-death case against the biggest trucking company in the South. The case becomes not only a fight for justice, but a fight for the lives of the professor and his student.
Exhibit A Books is the crime-fiction imprint of Angry Robot Publishing.
The firm is pleased to announce that, on January 22, 2013, David Canupp was named a shareholder. Mr. Canupp became an associate of the firm in 2008.
For 2013 in the Huntsville metropolitan area, Best Lawyers and U.S. News have listed the Lanier Ford law firm as a Tier 1 firm in the following areas:
For 2013 in the Huntsville metropolitan area, they have listed the firm as a Tier 2 firm in the following areas:
For the past 3 years, Best Lawyers and U.S. News have cooperated to publish lists of the top law firms in major metropolitan areas. The list provides information to organizations and individuals seeking legal counsel. The list is based on evaluations conducted by Best Lawyers in which 4.3 million lawyers evaluate other lawyers.
For 2013, Best Lawyers has named George W. Royer, Jr., as the Huntsville Best Lawyer of the Year for employment litigation. Best Lawyers is the publisher of Best Lawyers in America, a peer-review publication for the legal profession. Best Lawyers names only a single lawyer in each practice area in a metropolitan area as its Lawyer of the Year for that metroplitan area. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.
Mr. Royer’s practice is primarily focused on employment litigation. He also practices in the areas of local governmental liability, civil rights and constitutional litigation, commercial disputes, professional malpractice, and products liability. He frequently serves as a court-appointed mediator in civil litigation for federal and state courts. He also regularly represents clients in general civil and insurance defense litigation.
He has been selected for inclusion in the The Best Lawyers in America since 2005, listed in the areas of First Amendment litigation, labor and employment litigation, and municipal litigation.
On September 1, 2012, Lanier Ford welcomed Christopher Pape to the firm. His practice is centered on general civil litigation.
Eleven Lanier Ford attorneys have been listed in the 2013 edition of Best Lawyers in America:
Generally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States, this book frequently serves as the basis of articles about best lawyers in national magazines and local newspapers. Unlike many other legal directories, lawyers cannot pay to be listed in The Best Lawyers in America; neither does purchase of the book determine whether a lawyer is listed. Instead, practicing lawyers nominate, frequently without solicitation from the publisher, their fellow lawyers for inclusion. Lawyers then confidentially comment and vote on those nominated.
Those lawyers who vote are asked to answer this type of question in determining their vote: If you were not able to handle a relative’s legal problem because of limitations of time or conflict of interest, whom would you recommend?
Dale Gipson spoke at the 2012 Rocket City GovCon on September 20, 2012. The conference brings together government contracting executives, business owners, and related professionals for high-quality education and networking opportunities. Mr. Gipson’s topic will be Bid Protests: When To Protest and How To Win. Lanier Ford is a sponsor of the event.
Jamie Brabston spoke on September 11, 2012, at seminar sponsored by the North Alabama Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Development (NASHRM). The title of the seminar was HR in the Government Contracting Area. Ms. Brabston will speaking on the Service Contract Act.
On August 1, 2012, Lanier Ford welcomed Travis Jackson to the firm. He will be primarily working in the area of workers’ compensation.
On June 4, 2012, Lanier Ford announced the growth of its government contracting and employment legal service capabilities with the additions of attorneys Jamie M. Brabston, Laura W. Harper, and Mary Ellen Gill.
Ms. Brabston’s practice is centered on employment law and government contracting. She has over 18 years of experience in employment law and assists clients with compliance audits, human resources policies, responses to government agencies, compensation and benefits planning, internal investigations, and compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ms. Brabston holds a J.D. from the University of Alabama Law School and a B.A from the University of Alabama. She is the owner of Practical Employment Solutions, Inc., and was formerly general counsel of Digital Fusion, Inc., and a shareholder of Lanier Ford. She will be of counsel to the firm.
Ms. Harper’s practice is concentrated in the areas of government contracting, corporate law, and securities law. She advises clients about compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Small Business Administration 8(a) Program, and has experience in entity formation, stock-purchase agreements, and construction contracts. Ms. Harper holds a J.D. from Mercer University and a B.A. from Agnes Scott College. She is the former owner of Laura W. Harper P.C.
Ms. Gill’s practice is centered on employment law and general civil litigation. She has experience in a variety of cases involving family law, elder law, immigration law, absolute and qualified immunity of state and local government employees, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Civil Rights Act. Ms. Gill holds a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and a B.S. from Cornell University. She has served as a clerk for a U.S. district court judge, an appellate court attorney for the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court; and an assistant district attorney for Monroe County, New York.
Super Lawyers has named the following Lanier Ford attorneys as 2012 Super Lawyers:
Super Lawyers are not merely voted onto the list, but are named only after the following steps are completed:
Criteria considered in the evaluation process include the following:
Liz Abel has appeared on local television station WAFF (Channel 48) about how to make a will.
On March 20, 2012, Corey Jenkins and Scott Faulkner participated in a panel discussion for the Empowering Our Veterans seminar sponsored by the Veterans Business Assistance Center. Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Faulkner participated in a discussion about understanding the tax benefits of hiring veterans.
David Canupp has received the Amicus Service Award from the International Municipal Lawyers Association. He is one of only 10 recipients for 2011-12. The award is given those attorneys who do exemplary work to protect and advance local government interests. He plans on traveling to Washington, D.C., in April to receive the award.
Lanier Ford is pleased to announce that Corey Jenkins became a shareholder in the firm on January 24, 2011. An associate since 2007, Mr. Jenkins’ practice in centered on business, corporate, and tax law.
On behalf of the City of Huntsville and the International Municipal Lawyers Association, David Canupp has written and submitted an amici curiae brief to the United States Supreme Court. The case involves a lawsuit filed by users of motorized wheelchairs in Arlington, Texas. The plaintiffs maintained that the City of Arlington failed to make recently built and altered sidewalks readily accessible to them and therefore violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The plaintiffs maintain that sidewalks, curbs, and parking lots are services under the ADA. The defendant—and the amici curiae brief—maintain that they are not services under the ADA. The U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The defendants have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. If the writ is granted, the defendants will then be able to argue their case before the U.S. Supreme Court; if the writ is denied, the decision of the Fifth Circuit will be affirmed. Download a copy of the brief. See also Frame v. City of Arlington, 657 F.3d 215 (5th Cir. 2011).
On February 29, 2012, Sterling Education Services conducted an an all-day seminar on labor and employment law. David Canupp of our firm presented the section on immigration law compliance, addressing such subjects as the e-verify program, I-9 audits, and the effects of the new Alabama immigration bill. The seminar was designed for supervisors, managers, and human resources personnel. Download a copy of the slides from the presentation.
Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named J. R. Brooks as the Huntsville Best Lawyers Commercial Litigation Lawyer of the Year for 2012.
After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating lawyers of the year in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as a lawyer of the year.
Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 18th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2012 edition) is based on more than 3.9 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.
The lawyers being honored as lawyers of the year have received particularly high ratings in the surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.
Two new Lanier Ford attorneys were added to Best Lawyers for 2012: Rich Marsden and Joe Campbell. Mr. Marsden is listed under corporate law and mergers and acquisitions; Mr. Campbell, under health-care law.
Once again, the following attorneys were listed:
Generally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States, this book frequently serves as the basis of articles about best lawyers in national magazines and local newspapers. Unlike many other legal directories, lawyers cannot pay to be listed in The Best Lawyers in America; neither does purchase of the book determine whether a lawyer is listed. Instead, practicing lawyers nominate, frequently without solicitation from the publisher, their fellow lawyers for inclusion. Lawyers then confidentially comment and vote on those nominated.
Those lawyers who vote are asked to answer this type of question in determining their vote: If you were not able to handle a relative’s legal problem because of limitations of time or conflict of interest, whom would you recommend?
The following firm attorneys are participating in the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Program. The program provides free legal assistance to clients who meet income and net-worth qualifications. The following Lanier Ford attorneys are participants in the program:
or call 256-539-2275 for more information about the program.
On August 3, 2011, Bob Bailey, a Lanier Ford shareholder, was elected treasurer of the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association.
U.S. News and World Report, in conjunction with BestLawyers.com, has named Lanier Ford among the best law firms in the United States. The magazine named Lanier Ford as a ”Tier 1” law firm in the areas of education law, environmental law, general commercial litigation, defense of medical malpractice claims, defense of personal injury claims, water law, and representation of employers in workers’ compensation claims.
From July 18 to 22, 2011, Rod Lewis participated in the 2011 Mega Conference for Alabama educators held in Mobile. Mr. Lewis provided two sessions on how to avoid a due-process hearing and prepare if one is unavoidable—under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). He also participated in a third session that provided an overview of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and how it affects public schools. Among other topics, he discussed placement of students with disabilities, short-term suspensions, exclusion, manifestation determination reviews, behavior intervention plans, and notifications to police.
Super Lawyers has named the following Lanier Ford attorneys as 2011 Super Lawyers:
Donna Pate was also named among the top-25 women lawyers in Alabama.
Super Lawyers named Graham Burgess as a Rising Star in the area of banking.
Super Lawyers are not merely voted onto the list, but are named only after the following steps are completed:
Criteria considered in the evaluation process include the following:
To qualify as a rising star, an attorney must be 40 years or younger and been in practice less than 10 years.
