Helmsing Leach attorneys Joe Babington, Russell Buffkin, Jeffery Hartley, Warren Herlong, Jim Newman, and Win Stuardi were included in the 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers list. Additionally, Philip Mahoney was named a 2022 Rising Star. Super Lawyers recognizes top attorneys in their respective practice areas through a rigorous third-party validation process. 

 

Mid-South Super Lawyers 2022

• Joe Babington: Personal Injury – Products Defense
• Russell Buffkin: Personal Injury General Defense
• Jeffery Hartley: Creditor Debtor Rights 
• Warren Herlong.: Eminent Domain 
• Jim Newman: Business Litigation
• Win Stuardi: Personal Injury – Med Mal Defense 

 

Mid-South Rising Star 2022

• Philip Mahoney: Personal Injury General – Defense 

The December 2022 print publication can be found here.

Helmsing Leach attorneys Ryan Luna and William Watts obtained summary judgment from the federal district court in Mobile, Ala. in two lawsuits on claims against an insurer for bad faith and breach of contract under a homeowner’s policy for damages arising from a hurricane.  The court held that the plaintiffs were not able to prove their damages. The court ruled that the testimony of their expert on the reasonable and necessary costs of repair was inadmissible because the expert was merely a “mouthpiece” for one of his estimators who inspected the property and determined the costs.

For more information about our insurance defense practice, visit this page.

The trial team of Ryan Luna, Karen Tucker and Win Stuardi recently obtained a defense verdict in Mobile County for a local hospital in a medical malpractice case arising out of the deaths of premature twins. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that the twins’ deaths were caused by the negligence of the emergency department nurses in failing to properly assess and diagnose her with an infection. She also asserted personal injury claims on her own behalf as well as mental anguish based on the death of the twins. At trial, the hospital established, through well-developed testimony from the plaintiff’s treating physicians and retained experts, that the twins’ deaths were not caused by any breach of the standard of care by the hospital nurses, but instead were the unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of early preterm labor. In closing, the plaintiff requested over $20 million; however, the testimony from the treating physicians and retained experts was sufficient to overcome the plea to the jury’s emotions and a defense verdict was rendered after less than an hour of deliberation.

Helmsing Leach was recognized as a “Best Law Firm” across 29 practice areas in the in the 2023 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list published by U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers®. The “Best Law Firms” rankings are awarded to eligible firms each year who have at least one lawyer listed in Best Lawyers®. Helmsing Leach has 12 attorneys named to Best Lawyers for 2023 and one named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

“Best Law Firms” undergo a submission process that includes a Law Firm Survey and Client/Professional References. Rankings in U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” are among the top distinctions a law firm can receive. More information can be found here.

Helmsing Leach’s firm rankings for 2023 are below:

Metropolitan (Mobile) Tier 1

• Appellate Practice
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
• Commercial Litigation
• Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
• Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
• Health Care Law
• Insurance Law
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
• Litigation – Banking & Finance
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – Environmental
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
• Municipal Law
• Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Real Estate Law
• Tax Law
• Trusts & Estates Law

Metropolitan (Mobile) Tier 2

• Litigation – Antitrust
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants

Metropolitan (Mobile) Tier 3

• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Corporate Law
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Helmsing Leach partners Joe Babington and Jim Newman have been honored as Benchmark Litigation Stars for 2023. Benchmark Litigation is a definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers. Research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. Benchmark Litigation Stars are identified through this research as preeminent litigation practitioners in the U.S.

Helmsing Leach partners Tom Gaillard and Bill Watts obtained a favorable ruling in a recent wrongful death case. The case involved the shooting death of plaintiff’s decedent after an armed confrontation with police. The plaintiff sued a local municipality and several police officers for wrongful death under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Alabama law.  The trial court entered an order on August 24, 2022, granting a motion to dismiss in favor of all defendants.

Helmsing Leach announces that, after nearly 20 years with the firm, Christopher Conte will be leaving to become the Chapter 13 Trustee for the Southern District of Alabama on October 1. Christopher brings years of experience representing trustees, creditors, and debtors in all manner of bankruptcy cases to his new role.

The Chapter 13 Trustee is an officer of the bankruptcy court and is responsible for overseeing the administration of bankruptcy cases and private trustees under 28 U.S.C. § 586 and 11 U.S.C. § 101, et seq. This is an excellent opportunity for Christopher, and the firm wishes him well in his new endeavor.

Twelve attorneys at Helmsing Leach were recently recognized by Best Lawyers® as the Best Lawyers in America 2023. The recognition is based on an exhaustive peer review process by the current leading attorneys in a geographical area and practice area.

 

• Alan Alexander
  Health Care Law
  Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
  Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
  Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Joe Babington
  Commercial Litigation
  Litigation – Construction
  Litigation – Environmental
  Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
  Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
  Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Russell Buffkin
  Commercial Litigation
  Litigation – Real Estate
• John Dukes
  Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
  Real Estate Law
• Jeffery Hartley
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  Bet-the-Company Litigation
  Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Warren Herlong, Jr.
  Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
  Litigation – Antitrust
  Litigation – Real Estate
• Karen Tucker
  Appellate Practice
• Jim Newman
  Commercial Litigation
  Insurance Law
  Litigation – Banking and Finance
  Litigation – Construction
  Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Casey Pipes
  Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
  Land Use and Zoning Law
  Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
  Litigation – Real Estate
  Municipal Law
  Real Estate Law
• Robert Rouse
  Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  Tax Law
  Trusts and Estates
• Win Stuardi
  Commercial Litigation
  Litigation – Construction
  Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
  Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
  Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
• Bill Watts
  Appellate Practice

 

For more information about our firm and the services we offer, visit our firm profile.

Best Lawyers® has named Helmsing Leach partner Jeffrey Hartley the Lawyer of the Year in Bankruptcy Litigation. Only one lawyer is recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for each legal specialty and location. In addition to this honor, Jeffery was also named a Best Lawyer in America in the fields of bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law and bet-the-company litigation. Jeffery has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America since 2008. In 2015 and 2018, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States, John G. Roberts, to serve on the influential Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules.

For more information about Jeffery’s legal practice, visit https://helmsinglaw.com/attorneys/jeffery-j-hartley/. 

Helmsing Leach partner Karen Tucker has been named one of the Best Lawyers in Appellate Practice for 2023. Karen has extensive experience in appellate advocacy in both state and federal appellate courts. Best Lawyers recognizes the best lawyers annually via peer-review surveys by top lawyers in their respective fields and location.