Author Archives: Kitty Brown

“Trailblazers in Law:” Augusta S. Dowd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder, vice president, and managing lawyer Augusta S. Dowd was named to a group of “Trailblazers in Law” by The University of Alabama Division of Student Life Career Center and College of Arts & Sciences. Ms. Dowd joined previous honorees Judge Caryl Privett, Judge John England, and Judge Annetta Verin, students, faculty, and members of the local bench and bar for the February 9, 2023 ceremony at the University of Alabama. In her remarks entitled “Leading Your Legacy,” Ms. Dowd related, “And what is a legacy? As lawyers, the legacies we leave behind are not the wins and losses in a courtroom or the size of the deals we have done. Our jobs – while hugely important parts of our lives – do not define us. That is not the only trail I want to blaze. It is the trail of living a rich and multi-faceted life – both professionally and personally – for me, the trail of being a successful trial lawyer AND a proud wife, mother, daughter, sister, and most recently (and perhaps most importantly) grandmother AND a productive community leader, faith institution member, you name it – that I, like so many of you, am proud to continue to blaze each day.”

About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

WAD Shareholders’ Pro Bono Service Changes Lives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholders J. Mark White and Hope S. Marshall were recently recognized by Alabama Appleseed for their work in helping secure the release of Willie Ingram. As Appleseed noted, Mr. Ingram “served 39 years in prison after being convicted of a $20 robbery while armed with a pocketknife . . . . Mr. Ingram was originally sentenced to life imprisonment without parole under Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act; his priors were all nonviolent property offenses from the 1970s. Appleseed took his case and with assistance from attorneys Mark White and Hope Marshall at White Arnold and Dowd, won his freedom. Mr. Ingram was resentenced to time served in November and walked out of St. Clair Correctional Facility to be welcomed by his two sons, sister, and a brother. ” On his release day in November, Mr. Ingram shared, “I didn’t know what to think, I was so happy. I thought I was going to be in prison for the rest of my life, but God made a way for me.” More on Mr. Ingram’s story and the work of Alabama Appleseed can be found here.

Firm Shareholders Named “Super Lawyers” for 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that four shareholders have been named to the 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers list, and two additional attorneys have been included on the list of 2022 Super Lawyers Rising Stars.

Attorneys named as 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers are:

Stephen R. Arnold
Kitty Rogers Brown
Augusta S. Dowd
J. Mark White

Arnold was recognized in Family Law, Brown in White Collar Defense, and Dowd and White in General Litigation. Shareholder W. Chambers Waller was named a 2022 Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star and attorney Jackson Neal was named as a 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star.

Super Lawyers rates outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual, state-by-state selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. According to Super Lawyers, “the objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel.” Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the Mid-South are selected by the research team for selection as Super Lawyers, and no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Mid-South 40 years old or younger or who have been in practice for 10 or fewer years are selected as Rising Stars. The Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars will be listed in the December 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine and B-Metro magazine and the Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars will be listed in the December 2022 Florida Super Lawyers Magazine.

Contact:
Lisha L. Graham
205-323-1888
[email protected]

Shareholders Continue to Lead in Alabama State Bar

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that Alabama State Bar president Gibson Vance has appointed numerous firm lawyers to Bar Committees and Task Forces for the current Bar year. Hope Marshall will serve as Secretary of the Women Lawyers’ Section and she will also work with the Pro Bono Committee. Kitty Brown will serve on the new Quality of Life, Health & Wellness and Bench and Bar Relations Committees and will continue to serve on the Leadership Forum Selection & Program, Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession, and the Governmental Relations Liaison Committees. Additionally, Lisha Graham and Laura Gibson will continue to serve on the Leadership Forum Selection & Program Committee and Ms. Graham will also continue to serve on the Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession Committee. President Vance also reappointed Curtis Seal to the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

J. Mark White, Stephen R. Arnold, and Augusta S. Dowd Recognized Among the “Best” in America

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that J. Mark White, Stephen R. Arnold, and Augusta S. Dowd have been included in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Now in its 29th year of publication, Best Lawyers is based entirely on a peer-review process. According to Best Lawyers, “the methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.”

Mr. White was again recognized in the following practice areas:

Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Litigation – Environmental
Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
Mediation

Mr. Arnold was named a “Best Lawyer” in Family Law, a distinction he has enjoyed since 1983. Ms. Dowd was again acknowledged for her work in Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

Hope S. Marshall and Lisha L. Graham Elected as Fellows of the American Bar Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholders Hope S. Marshall and Lisha L. Graham have been elected as Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (“ABF”). The Fellows, an honorary organization of lawyers, judges, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession, support the research of the ABF. Membership in The Fellows is limited to less than one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by Fellows in their jurisdiction and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation. Ms. Marshall and Ms. Graham join firm shareholders Augusta S. Dowd, Linda G. Flippo, Kitty Rogers Brown, and Jackson M. Neal as ABF Fellows.

Ms. Marshall’s practice focuses on criminal defense, white collar criminal defense, and general civil litigation. She represents companies and individuals in connection with criminal investigations, as well as parallel civil and criminal proceedings. Ms. Marshall practices in municipal, state and federal courts, including appellate courts. She is active in the local, state, and national bar associations and serves on the Alabama Securities Commission.

Ms. Graham represents clients in various areas of civil defense litigation, with a primary focus on insurance defense. Through her practice, she has represented general contractors and subcontractors in various types of construction litigation and indemnity actions. She also represents both companies and individuals in a variety of commercial cases, including premises liability, breach of contract, negligence, and products liability. In the products liability defense area, Ms. Graham has represented manufacturers, distributors, sellers, and installers against negligence and strict liability claims based upon alleged product defects which resulted in injuries or death. Additionally, Ms. Graham represents both plaintiffs and defendants in financial litigation, business torts, and fraud cases.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

Lana Bell Nominated to YWCA Central Alabama Junior Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that attorney Lana Bell has been nominated to serve on the YWCA Central Alabama Junior Board of Directors (“JBOD”) beginning in the 2022-2023 JBOD year. Ms. Bell joins a dynamic group of young professionals working to advance the YWCA Central Alabama’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Her nomination to the JBOD continues a strong history of firm service to and support of YWCA Central Alabama, with shareholder Lisha Graham having served on the JBOD, shareholder, vice president, and managing lawyer Augusta S. Dowd having served on the Board of Directors (2010-2016) and the Executive Committee (2011-2014), and shareholder Kitty Rogers Brown having served as JBOD president (2013) and currently serving on the Board of Directors.

Ms. Bell joined White Arnold & Dowd P.C. in 2022. Her practice primarily involves civil and complex litigation, representing individuals and corporate clients as plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of cases.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

Florida Shareholder W. Chambers Waller IV Recognized as “Rising Star”

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder W. Chambers Waller IV has been named to the 2022 Florida Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Florida may receive this honor, which is reserved for attorneys under the age of 40 or who have been in practice 10 years or less who exhibit excellence in the practice of law. Super Lawyers‘ patented, multiphase selection process includes peer nominations, independent research, and peer evaluations. Based in the Firm’s Florida offices, Mr. Waller’s practice is devoted to representing individual and corporate clients in state and federal criminal investigations and prosecutions, state ethics matters, complex civil litigation, and governmental and regulatory affairs matters.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

Jackson M. Neal Named to Future Leaders Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that shareholder Jackson M. Neal has been selected as a member of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Future Leaders Forum Class of 2022. The Forum seeks to cultivate leaders from among a group of motivated local attorneys who have been in practice for 3-7 years. Recognizing a need for leadership identification and development among Birmingham’s young attorneys relatively early in their careers, a group of Birmingham Bar Association leaders, including White Arnold & Dowd’s Managing Lawyer Augusta S. Dowd, organized the first Forum class in 2009. Since that time, the Forum has emerged as one of the premiere leadership and professional development experiences for lawyers in their early years of practice. White Arnold & Dowd’s Kitty Rogers Brown was a member of the inaugural class (2009), and shareholders Hope S. Marshall (2010), Lisha L. Graham (2014), and Curtis H. Seal (2021) are all graduates of the Forum as well. Mr. Neal’s participation will continue the Firm’s commitment to develop its lawyers as leaders who serve the local bar, the profession, and the community.

A Birmingham native, Mr. Neal primarily focuses on civil and complex litigation and he practices in state and federal courts throughout Alabama. He has experience representing clients as both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of cases, including construction litigation and indemnity actions, contractual disputes, fraud, products liability, premises liability, outrage, and commercial transportation matters. Mr. Neal counsels individuals and corporate clients on matters involving business formation, corporate structure, and contracts.

Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]

WAD Shareholders Recognized for Pro Bono Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – White Arnold & Dowd P.C. shareholders J. Mark White and Hope S. Marshall were recently recognized by Alabama Appleseed for their work in helping secure the release of Michael Schumacher. As Appleseed noted, Mr. Schumacher “was condemned to die in prison at age 24 after a robbery conviction in which he stood lookout with a broken pool cue. He was sentenced to a mandatory life imprisonment without parole under Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act based on three minor priors, two of which occurred during a single incident when he was 17 years old. Last year, Appleseed won Michael’s release after 35 years of incarceration.” Mr. Schumacher shares his story here.