Balch & Bingham Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 40 & Under List

Balch & Bingham congratulates three litigators in the Birmingham office who have been selected for inclusion in Benchmark Litigation's 40 & Under List for 2023.

Benchmark Litigation is the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers. The 40 & Under List honors the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners under the age of 40.

“We congratulate Thomas, Adam and Joe on this well-deserved recognition,” said Allen Estes, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and chair of the Litigation Practice. “This is a testament to their courtroom acumen, steadfast commitment to excellence and dedication to our clients. We are confident they will continue to excel in their craft and are proud to have them as valuable members of our Litigation Practice.”

The Balch attorneys recognized include:

• Thomas DeBray, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the Litigation and Product Liability & Casualty Litigation Practices, primarily handles cases involving property damage or disputes, alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act, wrongful death and personal injury claims, and general business disputes.

• Adam Israel, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the Litigation Practice, focuses on complex commercial litigation, primarily in the areas of business torts and unfair competition, banking and financial services, and energy. 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 is also regularly involved in complex litigation on behalf of highly-regulated businesses. For example, Adam has represented financial institutions in individual and class actions regarding, among other things, debit card processing and overdraft practices. Adam also regularly represents nuclear utilities in ongoing litigation against the federal government arising from the Department of Energy’s delay in disposing of the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel.

• Joe Leavens, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the Construction and Litigation Practices, focuses his practice in two niche areas: construction law and joint use and pole attachment law. Joe is a litigator by training but takes great pride in having a business-first approach for all clients. Joe has negotiated millions of dollars in construction contracts on projects of all sizes and types across the country for owners, general contractors and subcontractors and is regularly involved in strategic project development for owners and real estate developers. Joe’s joint use and pole attachment practice focuses on representation of electric utilities navigating FCC and non-FCC pole attachment regulations.