Total Credits: 3 including 3 CLE
Join us for a CLE where recent issues in Workers' Compensation laws will be discussed. Employment issues seem only to be on the rise post-COVID, and in this CLE, a wide range of important topics for work comp practitioners will be discussed. Notably, the need for updates to our outdated statutes will be addressed and efforts toward that end will be presented. Moreover, practical tips and discussions for practitioners, both on the employer and employee side, will be presented by engaging speakers.
| Seminar Handout (2.2 MB) | 45 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Lindsey has a B.A. in English and Public Relations from the University of Alabama (2001) and a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law (2004). She is a partner at King Simmons, P.C. in Birmingham, Alabama. She is the past-Chair of the Alabama State Bar Workers’ Compensation Section, former Chairperson of the Birmingham Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section, a former Chairperson of the ALAJ Workers' Compensation Section, and a member of Workers' Injury Law Group (WILG). Lindsey has received numerous awards for her work, and was most recently named to the Super Lawyers list as a Rising Star in Workers' Compensation law. A frequent lecturer in the area of workers’ compensation law in Alabama, she maintains an extensive workers’ compensation practice statewide, as well as handling a variety of other personal injury and employment cases.
Larry King has been recognized by judges and by other lawyers such that he has been awarded SuperLawyers membership for over 15 straight years, and such that he has notched perfect scores in both legal ability and adherence to professional standards of conduct from Martindale-Hubbell for nearly 25 straight years. Three separate times he has been recognized by SuperLawyers as one of the Top 50 lawyers in the entire state of Alabama, and in 2017 he was selected by lawyers from all over the nation as the winner of the Beacon Award from the Work Injury Law & Advocacy Group. He has been admitted to the prestigious National College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, and to the state Bar Associations in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
Larry was born and raised in Leesburg, Florida, near where the swamp sits between the orange grove and the cow pasture. He graduated from Florida State University (B.A., English-Business Administration, 1984), after being admitted on a National Merit Scholarship, and from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University (J.D. 1988). After law school, he enjoyed the unique experience of serving as a law clerk to two Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama: Chief Justice C.C. “Bo” Torbert, Jr. (for whom the Supreme Court building is now named), and Chief Justice E.C. “Sonny” Hornsby. Then, in Orlando, Florida, for a brief time thereafter, his law practice involved representing major manufacturers and insurance companies. Mr. King returned to Birmingham, practicing briefly on behalf of manufacturers and insurance companies, but representing people from the plaintiff’s side since 1993.
Professionally, Larry is proudest of his service on behalf of the injured people of Alabama. Having secured over $5,000,000 in verdicts just on behalf of workers fired for having exercised their rights to workers’ compensation benefits – including record jury verdicts in at least 4 Alabama counties, and having published several articles in leading legal publications in that area of the law, he has been one of Alabama’s leaders in protecting the rights of those hurt during the course of their work. Two of his scholarly articles, Fired in Retaliation for Claiming Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Alabama, 24 American Journal of Trial Advocacy 539 (2001), and What Triggers the Application of Alabama Code §25-5-11.1?, 33 American Journal of Trial Advocacy 1 379 (2010) (with Christina Van Der Hulst), are included as listed resources in the Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions given by judges to juries throughout Alabama. One time, he got so mad at how unfair the workers’ comp laws are too injured workers in Alabama that he successfully argued that the entire Workers’ Compensation Act was unconstitutional! He has likewise championed the rights of those injured outside the workplace, as well, as landing tens of millions of dollars in jury verdicts and settlements for accident victims, helping ensure that they are adequately and properly compensated for the losses that accompany devastating injuries or the loss of life.
Vincent Swiney is a partner at Pope, McMeekin, Wood & Swiney, P.C. in Birmingham, Alabama, where he focuses his practice on the defense of workers’ compensation cases and mediation. Vincent received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University in 1999 and his law degree from Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in 2002. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar (Workers’ Compensation Section (Past Chair), Dispute Resolution Section), the Birmingham Bar Association (Past Executive Committee Member, Workers’ Compensation Section (Past Chair), Fee Dispute Arbitration Committee), the AWCO (Alabama Workers’ Compensation Organization), and is a Past Chair of the Alabama Association for Justice Workers’ Compensation Section. Vincent has received an AV Preeminent rating, the highest rating available, from Martindale Hubbell in the areas of workers’ compensation, litigation, and Social Security and he has been selected to both the Rising Stars List and the Mid-South Super Lawyers List by Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor bestowed on no more than 2.5% of the attorneys in the entire state of Alabama. He also is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Bar Foundation as a representative of the Birmingham Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section. Vincent is licensed to practice in all state courts within the State of Alabama and the State of Tennessee as well as the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama and the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.
Patrick J. Ballard is one of the Circuit Judges for the Civil Division of Jefferson County Circuit Court. Before going to the bench in January of 2015, Judge Ballard was the owner of Ballard Law Office, with over 18 years of practice focused on general civil litigation.
He has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He was a member of Alabama State Bar, the Birmingham Bar Association and the Alabama Association for Justice. He was admitted to practice in all Alabama State Courts, all Alabama Federal Courts, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Prior to his legal career, Judge Ballard worked for over 15 years in the construction industry.
Judge Ballard is very active in Birmingham civic affairs. He is the past-president of the Central City Neighborhood Association; Co-chair of the Community Affairs Committee of REV Birmingham (f/k/a Operation New Birmingham); a member of the Steering Committee of Birmingham Community Policing & Revitalization (“CPR”); and a member of the Downtown Business Association. He carried out the restoration and renovation of the historic Taylor Carriage Building on 2nd Avenue North in downtown Birmingham; and is a past Board Member of Children's Dance Foundation. He is also an active member of the United Fellowship Breakfast Forum. In July 2013, he received the Wells Fargo Commitment Through Service Award from Birmingham Community Policing & Revitalization in recognition of his service to the community.
