Balch & Bingham LLP is pleased to announce that nine attorneys have been named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List. The annual list recognizes talented young litigators who have built strong litigation practices and gained success in the courtroom.
“This group of litigators has combined business intelligence, industry leadership and high-quality legal counsel early in their careers to provide outstanding service,” said Russ Campbell, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and chair of the Litigation Practice. “We commend each attorney for this recognition, and we look forward to their continued contributions to our firm.”
Benchmark Litigation is the only ranking publication in the United States that exclusively highlights litigators. Honorees are selected through a multiphase review process that assesses recent case work and peer- and client-based reviews.
With more than 90 active litigators across the firm’s footprint, Balch represents clients in state, federal and appellate courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Chambers USA 2018 recognized Balch’s “high-caliber litigation practice offering impressive strengths in trial and appellate matters” and “handling of disputes in highly regulated industries, including healthcare, energy and financial services.”
The Balch attorneys recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s 2018 40 & Under Hot List include:
Conrad Anderson IV, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, is a tech-minded trial attorney who litigates business disputes, including the defense of class action lawsuits, often on behalf of financial institutions. Conrad recently secured a defense verdict following a two-week jury trial where the plaintiff suffered a catastrophic injury for which he sought $16 million in damages.
Thomas DeBray, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, maintains a diverse civil litigation practice, providing counsel in cases concerning property damage or disputes and defending alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Thomas recently obtained summary judgment on all counts in a lawsuit alleging numerous violations of the FDCPA and an array of state law claims.
Geremy Gregory, partner in the firm’s Jacksonville office, has successfully litigated hundreds of matters on behalf of financial institutions in Florida and Georgia, often resolving cases prior to discovery. Geremy also regularly represents clients in a variety of real estate disputes, from easement disputes to priority issues. In addition, Geremy represents manufacturers and electric utilities, particularly in matters involving loss by fire.
Adam Israel, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, focuses his practice on complex business litigation. Adam regularly represents businesses and individuals primarily in the areas of business torts and unfair competition. A substantial portion of Adam’s practice is devoted to representing businesses and individuals in non-compete, non-solicitation, and theft of trade secrets cases in trial and appellate courts. Adam also regularly represents nuclear utilities in matters arising from the Department of Energy’s delay in disposing of the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel. Most recently, Adam successfully defended the owner of a durable medical equipment provider in northeast Alabama in a two day bench trial against a motion for preliminary injunction filed by the owner’s former employer related to the owner’s non-compete agreement.
Anne Kaufold-Wiggins, partner in the firm’s Atlanta office, has more than 12 years of experience defending corporate clients in trial, upon dispositive motions, and on appeal. Anne focuses her practice on the representation of electric utilities. Recently, she obtained the grant of a jury view in several noise nuisance cases against a power plant using gas-fired combustion turbine units. After this ruling, Anne was able to get the cases quickly resolved on favorable terms.
Lane Knight, partner in the firm’s Montgomery office, represents a wide variety of financial services clients, with a concentration on banking and mortgage servicing litigation. He is recognized for his deep experience within the financial services industry, and serves as counsel to some of the nation's largest banks and loan servicers in litigated matters throughout the Southeast.
Kelly Pate, partner in the firm’s Montgomery office, has an active and diverse civil litigation practice in Alabama federal and state courts. She represents a variety of clients in matters ranging from employment and business disputes, compliance issues, and constitutional challenges. Recently, after years of litigation, Kelly successfully resolved multi-plaintiff harassment litigation, including by securing several motions for summary judgment in the client’s favor.
Brant Pettis, partner in the firm’s Gulfport office, routinely represents contractors, state agencies and utilities regarding contract, environmental and regulatory claims. Brant is currently representing a state agency in a +$20 Million lawsuit against a terminated contractor concerning a public construction project. Brant also serves as counsel for a state agency administering multi-million dollar restoration projects following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Jason Tompkins, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, has served as lead counsel on hundreds of individual cases and more than two dozen class actions in numerous jurisdictions. Last year, in Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, Jason successfully represented one of the nation’s largest buyers of unpaid debt to advance an Eleventh Circuit class action to the Supreme Court, resulting in a key decision on the intersection of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Bankruptcy Code.