Casey Pipes was named Co-Chair of the Programs Subcommittee for the ABA Section of Litigation’s Condemnation, Zoning and Land Use Litigation Committee.

John Leach was elected to serve as the Vice President of the Mobile Bar Association for 2007. He will also serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Mobile Bar Association for 2007.

John Leach was elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA was founded nationally in 1957 by outsanding trial lawyers from both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s bar with its primary goal to preserve the American jury system. Election to memebership requires high personal character, an honorable reputation and proficiency as a trial lawyer.

Fred Helmsing, John Leach, Warren Herlong, Jim Newman, Robert Rouse, Joe Babington, and Alan Alexander were all honored with inclusion in the 2007 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” in their respective fields of practice.

Chambers and Partners has released its 2006 ranking of law firms, and the Firm along with two of its partners achieved one of the top rankings issued in Alabama. Described as “Mobile’s finest”, Chambers reports that “the firm offers a range of legal services and enjoys a particularly strong reputation in litigation.” “The firm has successfully tried many high-profile cases in both federal and state courts, and it is expert in large and complex matters.” Among the Firm’s attorneys “Frederick Helmsing is praised for his diverse litigation practice, as is the effective John Leach.”

Patrick Finnegan became a shareholder in the Firm on July 1, 2006.

Warren Herlong was selected for inclusion in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers In America publication. Warren joins John Leach and Fred Helmsing who first appeared in previous editions of this same publication.

Russell C. Buffkin was appointed by Alabama Governor Bob Riley to serve on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) Program and the Alabama Higher Education 529 Fund. These two programs operate under authority of Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code to allow states to create prepaid tuition programs and college saving plans. The Board of Directors has authority over the management of the funds, and Board members are chosen from the higher education community and the business community. More information about these funds and programs is available on the Alabama State Treasury’s web site at http://www.treasury.state.al.us.

Alan Alexander was elected the President-Elect of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (www.adla.org) at its Annual Meeting in Sandestin, Florida on June 4, 2005. Alan has been a member of ADLA for the past 20 years, having previously served as a Committee Chairman and Director within the organization. Alan will assume the duties of President of ADLA in the Summer of 2006 for a one year term. ADLA was founded over 40 years ago, and it now boasts a membership of over 1,100 Alabama attorneys dedicated to the defense of civil actions and the promotion of fairness and integrity in the civil justice system.

Jeffery Hartley was one of only 30 to 40 dignitaries invited to witness the bankruptcy bill signing ceremony at the White House on April 20, 2005. Before going into the private practice of bankruptcy law, Jeffery was a Majority Counsel for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee primarily working with the late Senator Howell Heflin. From 1994 to 1997, Jeffery was one of nine members of the National Bankruptcy Review Commission. This Commission was charged with proposing changes to the existing bankruptcy laws for the next generation. Jeffery was one of the primary authors of the Single Asset and Small Business portion of the Commission’s ultimate report. Many of the Commission’s suggested changes to the bankruptcy laws were adopted by Congress and are included in the new legislation.