Casey Pipes was recently appointed to serve another year as Co-Chair of the Condemnation, Zoning and Land Use Committee of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation.  This will be Mr. Pipe’s third year in this position. The Committee has over 600 members around the nation.

John Leach and James Newman have been selected as litigation stars in the 2013 edition of Benchmark Litigation, a reference publication used by Fortune 1000 general and litigation counsel, named in-house counsel at US investment banks, financial institutions, commercial banks and partners at leading litigation firms in each state.

Christopher Conte was elected to the Board of the Alabama State Bar’s Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section in June 2012 at the section’s annual meeting in Sandestin, Florida.  Mr. Conte will remain on the board for the next five years, and will serve as its chairman in his fifth year.

Attorneys Joseph P.H. Babington, Russell C. Buffkin, Jeffery J. Hartley, Warren C. Herlong, Jr., John N. Leach, Jr., James B. Newman, Robert H. Rouse and A. Edwin Stuardi, III were named as 2012 Super Lawyers and Christopher T. Conte and T. Ryan Luna were named as Rising Stars. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers in more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. The firm is proud of the selected attorneys for their well-deserved recognition.

At its recent annual meeting in San Diego, California, the members of the Owners’ Counsel of America elected Warren Herlong to serve on its Board of Directors.  The Owners’ Counsel of America is a nationwide network of independent condemnation attorneys who focus on representing property owners in eminent domain actions.  Warren is the only lawyer from Alabama who is a member of the Owners’ Counsel of America.  For more information about the Owners’ Counsel, please visit its website at www.ownerscounsel.com.

Established in 1836, the Chamber serves as a regional economic development agency, coordinating with city, county and private partners.  The Chamber is composed of more than 2,200 businesses representing more than 108,000 professionals who have joined together to maximize their business opportunities.  Membership is open to all businesses in the Mobile area, or businesses with an interest in doing business in this area.

The following lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2012 Best Lawyers in America publication:  R. Alan Alexander, Joseph P. H. Babington, Jeffery J. Hartley, Warren C. Herlong, Jr., John N. Leach, Jr., Charles R. Mixon, Jr., James B. Newman, J. Casey Pipes, Robert H. Rouse, and A. Edwin Stuardi, III.  In addition, John N. Leach, James B. Newman and Jeffery J. Hartley received such high ratings from their peers that Best Lawyers in America named them as the “Mobile Litigation Lawyer of the Year” in their respective areas of practice.  Further, based on the number of lawyers in the Firm who were recognized by Best Lawyers in the following practice areas, the Firm received the following Top Listings:

Top-Listed in Alabama in Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law;

Top-Listed in Alabama in Legal Malpractice Law;

Top-Listed in Alabama in Litigation – Construction;

Top-Listed in Alabama in Litigation – Land Use & Zoning;

Top-Listed in Alabama in Municipal Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Health Care Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Land Use & Zoning Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Legal Malpractice Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Litigation – Antitrust;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Litigation – Bankruptcy;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Litigation – Construction;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Litigation – Environmental;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Litigation – Land Use & Zoning;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Municipal Law;

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Product Liability Litigation – Defendants; and

Top-Listed in Mobile, AL in Tax Law.

Chambers and Partners, which publishes leading guides relating to the legal profession, has recognized Helmsing Leach and two of its individual members for outstanding reputation and service in 2011.  The firm has been recognized as a top firm in Alabama in the category of general commercial litigation, and individual members John Leach and Jeffrey Hartley have been singled out as leading attorneys in the fields of commercial litigation and bankruptcy/restructuring, respectively.

The Firm is pleased to announce that Ryan Luna became a shareholder in the Firm.

Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named John N. Leach, Jr. as the “Mobile Best Lawyers Commercial Litigator of the Year” for 2011.