Total Credits: 6 including 5 CLE, 1 Ethics
Don’t let the other side outmaneuver you! Gain the advantage you need in the courtroom by learning creative practice tips from some of the best trial lawyers in the state. No matter how long you have practiced, come to this seminar to be sure your clients get the best outcome at trial!
Gregory A. Reeves has practiced law for over 30 years. He taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and served as a faculty member at Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College based out of Wyoming. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Association for Justice.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Reeves has conducted numerous focus groups for both criminal and civil cases. As a young lawyer, Reeves represented a client in a capital murder trial, where his client was acquitted despite having a prior murder conviction. Mr. Reeves practices at the trial and appellate levels. Last year, he argued before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, obtained a $10,000,000 invasion of privacy verdict, and a $100,000 verdict in a ‘treat and release’ car wreck case. Outside of law, Mr. Reeves served as President of the Decatur City Council.
Martha Thompson, a sixth generation lawyer, has tried to verdict numerous cases involving a variety of employment and medical malpractice issues. In her 20 years of experience, Martha has represented hospitals, nursing homes, medical labs, insurers and other companies faced with legal challenges. Proactive and driven, Martha regularly provides her clients with insight on industry topics and trends and offers risk management counseling, deposition training and mock trials. In addition, Martha regularly represents clients in complex personal injury, property damage, product liability, and wrongful death cases. She received her B.S. from Vanderbilt University in 1993 and her J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1997.
Leon Hampton, Jr. handles whistleblower, workers compensation, hostile workplace, bad faith insurance, and employment discrimination claims in our Consumer Fraud Section. Since joining the firm in 2017, Leon has helped secure more than $22 million in settlements and verdicts. Leon earned his Juris Doctorate from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He is also a graduate of Alabama A&M University. While in law school, he clerked for the Attorney General’s office and the personal injury/product liability section of Beasley Allen. Leon was the winner and best oral advocate of the Judge James O. Haley Federal Trial Competition and the first-year moot court competition.
Bob MacKenzie is a partner at Starnes Davis Florie, having joined the firm in 1984 after completing law school. Bob serves on the firm's Executive Committee. Bob's practice is devoted to handling a broad scope of litigation including medical and legal malpractice actions, bad faith, product liability, commercial transactions, and labor and employment. He has tried in excess of 100 jury trials to a verdict, involving the defense of physicians, hospitals, lawyers, insurers, commercial institutions, and product manufacturers. Bob also represents lawyers and health care professionals in disciplinary matters before Alabama Regulatory Boards. He has published multiple articles on the defense of legal malpractice suits. His practice includes cases in Alabama and the Southeast. He received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina and his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law.
Terry McCarthy is a partner at the Birmingham law firm of Lightfoot, Franklin & White, and is the co-author (along with Charles Gamble and Robert Goodwin) of the Seventh Edition of McElroy’s Alabama Evidence and the Third Edition of Gamble’s Alabama Rules of Evidence. He has also authored numerous scholarly articles on evidence issues and gives several CLE presentations each year on various evidence topics. Terry has taught evidence courses as an adjunct professor for most of his legal career at multiple law schools, and he currently teaches first year Civil Procedure at The University of Alabama School of Law. He serves on the advisory committee for the Alabama Rules of Evidence, and is a graduate of The University of Alabama School of Law. Terry also has a diverse trial and appellate practice and has served as lead counsel in various matters in more than 25 states throughout the country. He may be reached at tmccarthy@lightfootlaw.com.
Scott Donaldson was a Judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals from 2013 until retiring in 2021 and was a circuit judge from 2003-2013. Before taking office, he had an extensive trial and appellate law practice for 18 years. Donaldson was also the Chief Judge of the Court of the Judiciary (the court that adjudicates all complaints filed against Alabama judges). He served on the Alabama State Bar Commission and State Bar Disciplinary Commission and is a current or former chair or member of numerous other judicial and legal committees including the Evidence Committee, the Civil Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, and the Appellate Rules Committee. He has been an attorney or trial judge in approximately 180 jury trials and in hundreds of bench trials. After retiring from the bench, Donaldson had an active mediation, arbitration, trial and appellate law practice. He is currently the General Counsel for the DCH Health System.
Donaldson is a faculty member of the National Judicial College and has taught many four-day evidence courses to hundreds of trial judges across the country. He has also taught evidence courses for 13 state judicial associations, the ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and for the judges of the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He teaches evidence and trial skills courses for the Alabama Circuit/District Judges Associations including new judge orientation sessions and for the Probate Judges Association. Donaldson taught Trial Advocacy at the University of Alabama School of Law each semester from 2006-2022 and was an instructor for the 40-hour Domestic Relations/Civil mediator training course for alabamamediationtraining.com. He is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs and has authored numerous legal articles as well as the Alabama Trial Notebook, published by the University of Alabama School of Law CLE program. He is a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation and Vice-President of the Board of Directors.
When I was a child, I watched To Kill a Mockingbird” on TV. I was so impressed by Atticus Finch’s character and integrity that I wanted to emulate him. While he is a fictional character, he still represents the best in our profession. It inspired to become the first lawyer in my family, which made my father proud.I am driven, focused and dedicated to my craft. I currently serve as an adjunct professor of law at Cumberland School of Law, where I teach a course in depositions and trial advocacy. I volunteer my time as a bench judge and scoring judge for various law school trial competitions and moot court competitions. I previously served on the Board of Directors with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and in 2013 served as chairman of its legislative advocacy committee. In 2011, I served on the Associate Board for the Alabama Arthritis Foundation. In my personal time, I enjoy college football, traveling, cooking, hunting, the outdoors and spending time with his family and friends.
Matt Glover is a partner at the Prince Glover and Hayes firm in Tuscaloosa. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. Since 2002, he has obtained over $100 million in settlements and verdicts for his clients.
Judge Shaul has co-authored a number of papers and seminar topics concerning Predatory Lending and the Fair Labor Standards Act. He often speaks at Continuing Legal Education seminars on both topics. He has won several important appellate victories for consumers over their fight to stay out of arbitration. Judge Shaul is very active in the Young Lawyers Division of the Alabama State Bar and is currently serving as President of that organization. He has represented the State of Alabama at several National Bar Association Conferences. Judge Shaul is also a recent graduate of the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum. Judge Shaul is involved with a number of civic and charitable organizations. He presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Appleseed Foundation, a non-partisan, multi-issue advocacy organization that seeks to identify root causes of injustice and inequality. The organization seeks to craft practical and lasting solutions through legal advocacy, community involvement and policy expertise. Judge Shaul is also co-chair of the Alabama State Bar's "Wills for Heroes" program, offers free wills to first responders, i.e., police, sheriff, fireman and emergency medical personnel.
