Total Credits: 6 including 5 CLE, 1 Ethics
Don’t miss our annual Employment Law seminar! In these uncertain economic times, it is vitally important to understand the challenges facing businesses and their employees. Whether you represent employers or employees – or both – this seminar will provide the necessary tools to address your clients’ issues.
John Coleman has practiced management side labor and employment law for over thirty-five years. A 1978 magna cum laude Duke University graduate, a 1981 Duke University School of Law graduate, a former law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge Donald Russell, and a current Burr & Forman LLP partner, John has been elected as Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, as Life Fellow of The American Bar Foundation, and member of the Management Labor and Employment Roundtable, and every edition since 1993 of Best Lawyers in America. Law & Politics’ SuperLawyers this year named him one of Alabama’s top fifty lawyers. John is an adjunct professor at two law schools and has authored Thompson West’s Disability Discrimination in Employment and annual updates, Southern University Press's Employment Discrimination in Alabama and annual updates. He has coauthored a book on workers compensation and contributed to the 1997 and 2004 updates of BNA's Occupational Safety and Health Law and chapters in the book’s Third, Fourth and Fifth Editions.
Ms. Leonard is a partner with the Birmingham law firm of Heather Leonard, P.C., where she concentrates her practice on labor and employment law, including litigation before the federal and state courts as well as administrative agencies. Her practice embraces a variety of matters relating to wage and hour law, harassment, invasion of privacy and employment discrimination. She is also adjunct faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she teaches mediation and trial advocacy, and serves as an assistant coach for the UAB Mock Trial Team. Ms. Leonard received her B.A. from the University of Kentucky and her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law, where she was the Managing Editor for the Law and Psychology Review and a member of the National Moot Court Team. She is a member of the Alabama bar and various state and local bar associations.
James L. “Jay” Mitchell was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2018.
Before serving on the Supreme Court, Justice Mitchell was an accomplished litigation attorney with Maynard, Cooper & Gale (now Maynard Nexsen). During his time in private practice, he tried a number of complex cases to verdict, successfully handled appeals, and obtained favorable settlements for clients. He was rated as one of the top litigators in the United States and Alabama, and received the highest possible rating for professional ethics. He also served on Maynard, Cooper & Gale’s executive committee, helping to lead strategic and growth initiatives for the firm.
Justice Mitchell was born in Mobile and grew up in South Alabama and in Homewood. He is a graduate of Homewood High School and received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Birmingham-Southern College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, served as president of the student body, and played forward on the school’s 1995 national championship basketball team. He holds a Master of Arts from University College in Dublin, Ireland, and received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Justice Mitchell has long been active in organizations that benefit the community and enhance the legal profession. In addition to his service with other organizations, he is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham and serves on the board of directors at Cornerstone School, an inner city Christian school. He is also a member of the Federalist Society. Justice Mitchell and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married for 21 years and have four children. They reside in Homewood and are longtime members of Church of the Highlands.
Mr. Stiles represents employers in all facets of the employment relationship, with an emphasis in employment litigation, labor relations, employee benefits and executive compensation, trade secrets and restrictive covenants. Matt is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and maintains a “pre-eminent” (AV) peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell for his defense of employers in labor and employment matters. Chambers USA has consistently rated Matt among the best labor and employment lawyers in Alabama in its annual guide to the Leading Lawyers for Business. Alabama SuperLawyers and Birmingham Magazine consistently rate Matt among the very best of the bar. He has also been named to the Birmingham Business Journal's “Top 40 Under 40,” “Leading Lawyers of Alabama” and “Best of the Bar” lists. From 2004 to 2007, Matt served as Associate General Counsel for Regions Bank, a Fortune 500 company, where he had chief responsibility for its labor and employment matters, nationwide. Matt received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and his Juris Doctorate from The University of Alabama School of Law where he served as an editor of the Alabama Law Review and as a member of the Phillip C. Jessup International Moot Court Team. During law school, Matt was also a law clerk to The University of Alabama Office of Counsel. Matt is an adjunct professor of law at The University of Alabama School of Law and a frequent presenter and published writer on employment-related business issues. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of Alabama and Tennessee and the United States Supreme Court.
Roman was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He attended undergraduate, graduate and law school at the University of Alabama. He practiced law in Tuscaloosa for a couple of years then practiced with the Montgomery, Alabama firm of Beasley Allen for 17 years. As a lawyer, Roman had a multi-jurisdictional practice and was licensed to practice law in 8 states and over 35 federal jurisdictions. He has represented individuals, businesses, insurance companies and state governments. In January of 2017, Roman was appointed as a trial judge in Montgomery County. In June of 2018 he became the General Counsel of the Alabama State Bar. He is married to Caroline Thames Shaul and has three daughters, Anne Kingsley (14), Isabel (13) and Thompson (6).
Larry is a principal and trial attorney in Beasley Allen Law Firm’s Fraud Section, where he has devoted his career to seeking justice on behalf of those who have been negligently or intentionally harmed. His clients include individuals and small businesses. He joined Beasley Allen in 2000 and prior to working in the Fraud Section, he worked in the firm’s Business Litigation Section and later the Environmental & Toxic Torts Section. While working in Environmental & Toxic Torts, Larry was a part of the legal team that obtained a settlement of the largest toxic exposure claims in U.S. history. That case involved PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama, by Solutia, Monsanto and Pharmacia. The federal court settlement exceeded $700 million for more than 18,000 clients. Larry graduated from the University of Alabama in 1995, is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and is licensed to practice in Alabama, Florida and the District of Columbia.
