Practice Areas
Choose an area from the list below for more information and to see which attorneys practice in each particular practice area.
- Administrative Law
- Adoption
- Bankruptcy
- Banks and Banking
- Business Law
- Business Litigation
- Business Restructuring and Workouts
- Business Transactions
- Civil Rights Litigation
- Collections
- Commercial Law and Litigation
- Commercial Loan Workouts
- Complex Business Litigation
- Construction Law
- Consumer Finance
- Contract Law
- Copyright
- Creditor's Rights
- Criminal Law
- Domestic Relations
- Elder Law
- Employee Benefits
- Labor and Employment Law
- Energy and Environmental Law
- Equine Law
- Estate Administration
- Estate Planning
- Family and Juvenile Law
- Foreclosures
- Fidelity and Surety
- Fraud
- General Civil Trial and Appellate Practice
- Government
- Health Care
- Insurance
- Insurance Defense
- Landlord/Tenant
- Malpractice Defense
- Manufactured Housing
- Mediation and Arbitration
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Mineral Law
- Municipal Law
- Personal Injury
- Predatory Lending
- Probate
- Products Liability
- Public Entities and Corporations
- Real Estate
- Replevins
- Taxation
- Trademarks
- Wrongful Death Litigation
Administrative Law
The firm provides consultation with businesses regarding the interpretation and impact of regulations issued by administrative agencies; representation before administrative agencies, both in staff and hearing settings.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Adoption
The firm advises clients on adoption issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Bankruptcy
Our Bankruptcy Department represents both national and local creditors of all types in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. Our attorneys and staff are knowledgeable and can respond to the needs of our clients in even the most complex bankruptcy setting. Our attorneys are licensed to practice in all bankruptcy courts in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, and have practiced pro hac vice in courts from Delaware to California. The number of long-term clients that use the firm to protect their interest in bankruptcy reflects the firm’s commitment to provide excellent service at a reasonable cost.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- S. Scott Hickman
- Emily K. McCarson
- Jerry C. Oldshue, Jr.
- Robin E. Pate
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Kristofor D. Sodergren
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
- Rachel L. Webber
Banks and Banking
The firm has extensive experience representing banks and other lending institutions in general commercial and consumer lending transactions, problem loan analysis, workouts and restructuring, bankruptcy, and debtor-creditor litigation matters, regulatory matters, and mergers and acquisitions. Attorneys from our firm’s practice areas represent and advise our banking clients, including attorneys in our Bankruptcy, Business Law, Business Transactions, Business Restructuring and Workouts, Collections, Complex Business Transactions, Construction Law, Consumer Finance, Creditor’s Rights, Energy and Environmental Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Real Estate practice areas.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Jerry C. Oldshue, Jr.
- W. Bradford Roane, Jr.
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Kristofor D. Sodergren
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
- Rachel L. Webber
Business Law
Our attorneys advise business clients in all aspects of the business cycle from choice of business entity (corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, professional corporations, non-profit, partnerships or joint ventures), formation and financing of the business entity, through day-to-day review, negotiation and preparation of all types of commercial, construction, financial, real estate, leasing and employment transactions and agreements, to acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, mergers, equity and other financing arrangements. We regularly represent corporations and other business entities, providing counsel to boards of directors or members concerning corporate governance, finance, compliance and other regulatory issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Bryan S. Brinyark
- J. Sydney Cook, III
- S. Scott Hickman
- David E. Rains
- W. Bradford Roane, Jr.
- Gordon Rosen
- R. Cooper Shattuck
Business Litigation
Our attorneys regularly prosecute, defend, counsel and advise regarding lawsuits involving business matters or between businesses, or between the owners of a business.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Business Restructuring and Workouts
The firm has experience working with businesses to restructure and recapitalize, addressing a variety of corporate, financial and ownership issues, often involving refinancing and sale of parts of businesses.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Business Transactions
We advise our business clients in all types of commercial and business transactions including asset purchases and sales, leases, secured and unsecured bank financing; seller financed sales and transactions involving all manner of assets such as real estate, equipment, inventory and accounts. Our clients include local and regional businesses, banks, and other lending institutions.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Civil Rights Litigation
The firm advises clients on civil rights litigation issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Collections
Our Collections Department began as a natural progression of our efforts to fully serve our existing clients’ legal needs. We routinely handle the collection of accounts that have emerged from bankruptcy either through replevin, foreclosure, or eviction and continue to pursue those accounts post judgment. In addition, we have expanded our services to include collection of all types of commercial accounts and have developed an expertise in the specialized area of collecting sales taxes on behalf of over 50 cities and counties in Alabama. Our collection attorneys practice in both Alabama and Mississippi. We have developed our own collection management system which allows us to effectively serve our clients’ needs for timely information and results.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- S. Scott Hickman
- Joseph N. Hocutt, II
- Jerry C. Oldshue, Jr.
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Kristofor D. Sodergren
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
- Rachel L. Webber
Commercial Law and Litigation
We are regularly involved in prosecuting, defending, counseling and advising regarding lawsuits involving the debts and liabilities of businesses to each other.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Christopher L. Frederick
- S. Scott Hickman
- Chad L. Hobbs
- Joseph N. Hocutt, II
- Emily K. McCarson
- Jerry C. Oldshue, Jr.
- Robin E. Pate
- David E. Rains
- W. Bradford Roane, Jr.
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Jeffrey Carl Smith
- Kristofor D. Sodergren
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
- Rachel L. Webber
Commercial Loan Workouts
The firm advises clients on commercial loan workout issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Complex Business Litigation
Our firm has experience in both bringing and defending lawsuits between two or more businesses, between an individual and a business, between employees and employers, and between owners of the same business. These cases can involve many issues including damages for breach of contract, allegations of misrepresentation and/or fraud, lost profits, lost business opportunities, disputed commissions or compensation, buy/sell disputes, and ownership disputes, as well as many other areas of disagreements.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Construction Law
The firm has years of experience in dealing with all aspects of the construction industry. From residential home building, subdivision planning and development, to multi-million dollar government contracts, the firm has dealt with all types of construction disputes. The firm also has attorneys that have a great deal of experience in dealing with sureties, bond claims, mechanics and materialmans liens, and all types of disputes related to the construction process. Through careful project planning, contract formation, and detailed consulting throughout the construction process, the firm hopes to minimize its clients’ needs for dispute resolution services following completion of the project.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Consumer Finance
Our attorneys regularly prosecute, defend, and counsel regarding lawsuits involving state and federal laws and regulations regarding consumer finance, or the financing of consumer transactions, including loans to consumers for consumer debts.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Emily K. McCarson
- Jerry C. Oldshue, Jr.
- Robin E. Pate
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Jeffrey Carl Smith
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
Contract Law
The firm advises clients on contract law issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Copyright
The firm advises clients on copyright issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Creditor’s Rights
Our Creditor’s Rights practice includes not only our Bankruptcy and Collections departments, but also attorney who practice in the area of Banks and Banking, Business Transactions, Business Restructuring and Workouts, Commercial Law and Litigation, Consumer Finance, Manufactured Housing, and Real Estate. Our attorneys and staff working in each of the areas often work together to fully represent the interests of our clients who need to enforce their rights as creditors. These matters can be as simple as collecting a delinquent account or foreclosing a mortgage or as complex as representing a creditor through a lengthy bankruptcy proceeding. Our attorneys are frequently called upon to help our clients identify, locate, and recover collateral in Alabama and Mississippi as well as protect their interests in various types of financing arrangements.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Joseph N. Hocutt, II
- Emily K. McCarson
- Jerry C. Oldshue, Jr.
- Robin E. Pate
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Kristofor D. Sodergren
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
- Rachel L. Webber
Criminal Law
The firm advises clients on criminal law issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Domestic Relations
The firm’s Domestic Relations practice includes handling divorces, alimony disputes, and child support disputes. We have experience in complex divorces in which the parties cannot agree on an equitable and fair division of the marital assets.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Elder Law
Elder Law includes classic estate planning with the added consideration of Medicare and Medicaid laws, rules and regulations, and other issues that are important to senior citizens, such as safety, health and long-term care, giving our clients the information they need to plan their lives as well as their estates.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Employee Benefits
Few areas of law demand more sensitivity than employment law and employee benefits. Not only do employers face an ever-changing business environment as well as a growing array of complex legal issues, but employees are increasingly empowered by federal, state and local legislation. Our employee benefits attorneys have significant experience in this complex area of the law, and are dedicated to handling the most sophisticated issues with responsive and cost effective service.
Our clients include local, state, and national employers from the private, public and non-profit sectors. Our employment and employee benefits attorneys advise those clients on matters including wage and hour issues, a wide variety of health insurance coverage issues, continuation coverage (“COBRA”) rules, health portability (“HIPAA”) requirements, and reporting and disclosure obligations to the Department of Labor and to local, state and national taxing authorities.
Litigation of employee benefits matters can often be avoided by adequate planning and compliance with applicable laws. Part of our attorneys practice is devoted to positioning our clients to avoid unnecessary employee benefits litigation. When litigation arises, however, our employee benefits attorneys can defend and resolve employee benefits disputes in the most advantageous manner.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Labor and Employment Law
The firm has experience in serving as defendants’ and plaintiffs’ counsel in a variety of employment litigation. However, litigation is just a portion of the employment law practice of this firm. Another role is that of serving as advisors to a wide variety of employers. The firm offers advice regarding hiring and firing practices, drafting various policies regarding employees, disciplinary procedures for employees, and a myriad of employment matters which surface during the day to day operations of any business. The firm is also capable of performing for employers background checks on prospective employees.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Energy and Environmental Law
Our attorneys represent many companies in the business of oil and gas exploration and production. Further, the firm’s attorneys regularly present petitions on behalf of clients before the Alabama State Oil and Gas Board. The attorneys in this practice also have experience representing clients on many environmental issues facing today’s businesses, particularly issues falling under the jurisdiction of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Foster Cobbs Arnold
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Christopher L. Frederick
- James Johnson Sledge
- R. Cooper Shattuck
Equine Law
The attorneys in our Equine Law practice area assist clients in a variety of equine-related issues including the sale, purchase, and lease of horses; breach of warranty; farm and other equine-related liability matters; boarding agreements; breeding contracts; and insurance matters.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Estate Administration
The attorneys in the Estate Administration practice area assist individual and corporate fiduciaries named in wills and trusts and other court-appointed fiduciaries with all aspects of the administration of trusts and estates. Litigation concerning construction of will and trust provisions also falls under this umbrella.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Estate Planning
Estate planning is not just for the wealthy and there is no minimum age for disability or death. Therefore, the time to think about estate planning is the present. Our lawyers are experienced with estate planning issues, including designating where your possessions will go, appointment of persons to make decisions of a financial nature for you should you become incapacitated, decisions regarding medical care to be given if you are unable to communicate with your caregivers and decisions regarding the designation of someone who can make medical decisions for you. Other items to consider in estate planning are guardians for minor children, taxes, succession planning for your business, choice of fiduciaries, gift and charitable gifts, re-titling of assets, and formation of entities such as trusts to own assets, all of which and more are addressed in the planning process.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Mary Beth Wear Cavert
- David Wayne Childress
- J. Sydney Cook, III
- S. Scott Hickman
- Joseph N. Hocutt, II
- William A. Jones
Family and Juvenile Law
The firm advises clients on family and juvenile law issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Foreclosures
The firm advises clients on foreclosures issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Fidelity and Surety
The firm’s Fidelity and Surety practice involves prosecuting, defending, counseling and advising regarding lawsuits involving fidelity bonds and surety bonds, including construction bonds, employee dishonesty bonds, bankers bonds, probate bonds, etc.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Fraud
The firm has experience with numerous cases involving the basic aspects of fraud litigation. These areas extend from insurance fraud claims, to consumer finance cases.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
General Civil Trial and Appellate Practice
Our firm offers high-quality yet cost effective business and commercial litigation and general business and corporate legal services, comparable in quality to those offered by much larger law firms, yet with prompt, personalized attention to the needs of our clients of all sizes.
Our firm is experienced in all types of major civil litigation, resolving cases at both the trial and appellate level in state and federal courts throughout the Southeast. We have attorneys licensed to practice in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. Our attorneys handle litigation ranging in complexity from minor automobile accidents to major industrial and environmental torts. We are engaged in a broad defense practice including personal injury, professional liability, product liability, premises liability, employment litigation, automobile and vehicular litigation, construction litigation, environmental litigation, and other business torts. We also handle a wide range of insurance matters including coverage opinions, defending bad faith claims, and litigating a broad range of insurance related matters. In addition, our attorneys handle occasional plaintiff’s cases involving a variety of issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Bryan S. Brinyark
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Christopher L. Frederick
- S. Scott Hickman
- Chad L. Hobbs
- Joseph N. Hocutt, II
- Paige M. Oldshue
- Robin E. Pate
- David E. Rains
- Gordon Rosen
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- Jeffrey Carl Smith
- Robert Spence
Government
While representing the Town of Brookwood (approximate population 1,500), the firm handles a variety of legal issues affecting municipalities. These issues include matters related to employment law, general civil litigation, redevelopment projects, real estate, subdivision of land, and zoning.
While representing other clients, the firm also presents matters before other local governing bodies, such as the Tuscaloosa City Council and the Tuscaloosa County Commission.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Health Care
The firm has several attorneys that are experienced in dealing with health care issues. These areas of practice range from medical office management issues, to the defense of medical malpractice claims. The firm also has attorneys experienced in the credentialing process, and has been successful in defending physicians when faced with a challenge to their credentials area hospitals, state medical reviews, and the like.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Insurance
Our attorneys have substantial experience in all areas of insurance practice. Our insurance practice involves evaluating coverage and preparing coverage opinions as well as litigating cases involving insurance bad faith claims.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Insurance Defense
The firm’s litigation group has many years of experience in handling insurance defense matters. The firm represents insurance carriers that insure both commercial enterprises, as well as individuals. From automobile insurance defense, to complex business matters, the firm’s attorneys are capable of handling all aspects of an insurance claim, from coverage analysis, through the defense and litigation of a particular claim.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Landlord/Tenant
The firm advises clients on landlord/tenant issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Malpractice Defense
The firm has a long history of representing physicians and facilities in various types of malpractice claims. The firm has also assisted medical practitioners by protecting their rights in credentialing matters, and state licensure board hearings once a malpractice claim has been filed. The firm also sponsors seminars from time to time to assist medical practitioners in managing their day to day practice to prevent malpractice claims.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Manufactured Housing
For over a decade investors, bankers, dealers, developers, and home manufacturers have turned to our experienced manufactured housing attorneys for legal counsel throughout Alabama and the United States. As the manufactured housing industry evolves, the needs of our clients become increasingly complex and we have broadened our scope of practice to address all issues faced by today’s manufactured housing clients. Our expertise includes: Contractual and Transactional issues; Regulatory and Compliance issues; Lienholder-Landlord disputes; Land-Home issues; issues relating to Borrower’s Contractual Default; and all issues relating to regaining and maintaining possession by Lienholder. We represent some of the largest and most successful manufactured housing finance companies and their parent manufacturing companies statewide in Alabama and Mississippi. Our expertise in this specialized area allows us to provide quality legal representation at a reasonable cost.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Mediation and Arbitration
Our attorneys are experienced in representing parties in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including arbitration (where a person or panel of persons decides a dispute) and mediation (a process whereby a third party assists the persons involved in a dispute in resolving that dispute). Also, our attorneys are capable and experienced in serving as a mediator or arbitrator.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Mergers and Acquisitions
The firm represents clients in mergers, asset acquisitions and divestitures, and other forms of business transactions. The firm’s attorneys have experience in identifying the legal issues that arise in connection with these complex business combinations. Generally, the firm’s lawyers assist clients with all aspects of the transaction, from preliminary advice and due diligence, to negotiating the terms of the agreement, and finally closing the transaction.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Mineral Law
Our Mineral Law practice involves the negotiation of leases, joint ventures and related agreements to promote mineral development; title work for the mineral extraction industry; representation before state and federal agencies.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Municipal Law
Our firm currently serves as attorneys for the Town of Brookwood, Alabama. Because of this background, we also represent other clients from time to time in dealing with other municipalities.
Municipal law touches on nearly every other area of law. However, because the law often treats municipalities differently than a private person or company, a background in municipal law can be beneficial when dealing with a municipality on behalf of other clients.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Personal Injury
Our firm has extensive experience in both pursuing and defending disputes involving bodily injury or damage to a person’s rights, reputation, or property. These injuries may occur within the context of a wrongful death or serious bodily injury caused by a workplace accident, automobile accident, defective product, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect or malpractice, dangerous prescription medicines, or through any other means or event.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Jane Laird Calamusa
- Christopher L. Frederick
- S. Scott Hickman
- Gordon Rosen
- R. Cooper Shattuck
- James Johnson Sledge
- Jeffrey Carl Smith
Predatory Lending
Our attorneys are experienced in representing persons and entities in lawsuits and claims involving loans and loan servicing involving consumer debts where the tactics are alleged to be unlawful.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Probate
The firm’s probate practice includes assisting and advising the personal representative in the probate and administration of decedent's estates. This includes the preparation of all legal documents necessary to open and administer the estate as well as all documents necessary to close the estate. Probate also includes adoptions as well as advising and representing Conservators and Guardians, including the preparation of all legal documents necessary to open an estate as well as administer it.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Products Liability
The firm is well versed in products liability litigation. The attorneys have served as plaintiffs’ and defendants’ counsel in several products liability cases. The firm is experienced in overseeing such cases from inception to settlement or trial. Products liability cases can necessitate equipment inspections, working with expert witnesses and engineers and often deal with complicated concepts. However, the firm is proficient in guiding its client through these processes.
Virtually any product can be the subject of a products liability case. Automobiles and prescription and non-prescription medication are commonly the subjects of products liability litigation. However, a products liability case may involve injuries or even death caused by simple products such as household appliances or by complicated items such as large commercial machinery.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Public Entities and Corporations
The attorneys who practice in the area of Public Entities and Corporations represent companies whose owners are governmental units. The firm advises these companies on a broad area of topics, including how best to operate within the limits of their authority. Additionally, the firm represents the companies in litigations matters of all types.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Real Estate
Our attorneys represent clients on a variety of legal issues affecting real estate. The attorneys in this practice area work closely with Guaranty Title, Inc. while representing lenders, businesses, and individuals on residential and commercial transactions. The firm also counsels clients on the negotiation and preparation of leases and purchase and sale agreements for all types of properties, such as oil and gas properties, offices, shopping centers and residential properties. Other activities include representing clients on zoning, environmental and other land use matters and controversies and negotiating other agreements for clients involved in the construction industry. Attorneys in the firm also have experience handling eminent domain proceedings on behalf of governmental entities.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
- Foster Cobbs Arnold
- J. Sydney Cook, III
- Joseph N. Hocutt, II
- W. Bradford Roane, Jr.
- Gordon Rosen
- Jeffrey Carl Smith
- Matthew Q. Tompkins
Replevins
The firm advises clients on replevins issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Taxation
The firm’s corporate, partnership, and entity tax practice forms an integral part of our representation of business clients. Our tax practice includes the structuring of transaction planning for large corporations, closely-held businesses, professional associations, and development partnerships. We have broad experience in both federal and state taxation, including the representation of individuals and businesses in financial restructurings, tax controversies, sales and use tax issues, and property taxation.
The firm’s tax attorneys are engaged in the tax structuring of all types of real estate projects, including S corporations, limited liability companies, joint ventures, partnership arrangement transactions, and participatory financing. In addition, we serve as tax counsel to individuals, a variety of businesses and professions, and a number of tax-exempt entities of varying sizes.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Trademarks
The firm advises clients on trademark issues.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Wrongful Death Litigation
Wrongful death cases often arise when someone dies as a result of an accident. The accident could involve an employee injured on the job, an automobile accident, an industrial accident, a patient under the care of a medical provider, or any death that was caused by the acts or failure to act by any person or company. Our firm has experience in both bringing and defending these types of cases.
The following attorneys practice in this area:
Rosen Harwood, P.A.Alabama State Bar requires the following: "No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers."
2200 Jack Warner Parkway Suite 200
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Voice: 205.344.5000 Fax: 205.758.8358