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Crawford S. McGivaren, Jr. (20)--Antitrust Law, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Professional Malpractice Law, Railroad Law; Sydney F. Frazier, Jr. (10)--Labor and Employment Law; Workers' Compensation Law; Roy J. Crawford (20)--Corporate Law; Health Care Law; Tax Law; Benjamen T. Rowe (10)--Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation; Patrick H. Sims (*)--Labor and Employment Law; Donald J. Stewart (10)—Banking Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Municipal Law; William K. Thomas --Labor and Employment Law; David S. Dunkle (20)--Employee Benefits Law; F. Gerald Burnett --Corporate Law; Tax Law; C. Fred Daniels (10)--Corporate Law, Employee Benefits Law, Tax Law, Trust and Estates; Carolyn Duncan--Banking Law, Securities Law; R. Boyd Miller (10)--Personal Injury Litigation, Workers' Compensation Law; R. Carlton Smyly--Construction Law; Steve A. Tucker --Personal Injury Litigation, Railroad Law; Sandy G. Robinson (10)—Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment Law; Workers' Compensation Law; and Ian D. Rosenthal--Workers' Compensation Law.

August 4, 2008: Anna F. Buckner was nominated to membership of the Alabama Law Institute for a term which will expire in 2010. She will be involved in writing or review of meaningful bills that keep Alabama and its laws modernized.

June 18, 2008: C. Fred Daniels presented a program for the 32nd Annual American Institute on Federal Taxation entitled "Alabama's Uniform Estate Tax Apportionment Act--Don't Get Caught in the Apportion-Net".

May 21, 2008: K. W. Michael Chambers was recently contacted by the American Arbitration Association to have his profile printed in ADR Perspectives. http://www.adr.org/sp.asp?id=34534

May 8, 2008: Crawford S. McGivaren, Jr., Sydney F. Frazier, Jr., Benjamen T. Rowe, Donald J. Stewart, Roy J. Crawford, David S. Dunkle, C. Fred Daniels,and Sandy G. Robinson have been named by Alabama Super Lawyers magazine as several of the top attorneys in Alabama for 2008. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers.

The selections for Super Lawyers are made by Law & Politics, a division of Key Professional Media, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each year, Law & Politics undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by Law & Politics' attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check.

Crawford S. McGivaren, Jr and C. Fred Daniels were both in the top 50 who received the highest point totals in the state based on the nomination, research and blue ribbon review process.

April 3, 2008: K. W. Michael Chambers recently joined the Board of Advisors for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. He was recently highlighted in their publication, The Business View.

April 2, 2008: Benjamen T. Rowe is currently serving as president of the Mobile Bar Foundation. He has also been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Law Foundation and membership in the Atticus Finch Society.

February 18, 2008: Sandy G. Robinson wrote an article for the February 2008 issue of the Alabama State Bar Addendum entitled "If You Want to Be Treated Like a Professional, Act Like a Professional". Link to this Article

February 6, 2008: David S. Dunkle will make a presentation on "Using Trusts in Estate Planning" in a seminar for attorneys and accountants titled Fundamentals of Estate Planning. The seminar is sponsored by Sterling Education Services, Inc. and will be held in Birmingham, Alabama on May 13, 2008.

February 5: 2008: On February 26, 2008, David S. Dunkle will make a presentation entitled "An Overview of Estate Planning Techniques."  The seminar is sponsored by the investment advisory firm of Chitwood Advisory Group.

January 1, 2008 : Amy B. Nelson became a partner of the firm.

2007 News Items

December 13, 2007: Crawford S. McGivaren, Jr. has been listed in the 2008 International Who's Who of Commercial Litigators and recognized by Litigation 2007 - A Supplement To The American Lawyer & Corporate Counsel as one of the Top Lawyers.

December 12, 2007: The Diversity Task Force of Mobile reported early success of its pilot mock trial program with Leflore Preparatory Academy. This fall, Leflore students participated, for the first time, in the statewide mock trial Youth Judicial competition sponsored by the YMCA. Twenty four students and nine local lawyers participated in the program. Patrick H. Sims was among the lawyers who volunteered their time to coach the team of students.

November 2, 2007: Cabaniss Johnston sponsored the Birmingham Business Journal's " Going Green" Issue to support environmental design in construction, architecture and engineering.

October 15, 2007: Cabaniss Johnston has been selected as a 2008 "Go-To Law Firm®" in a recent survey of the Top U.S. Companies by Corporate Counsel magazine. In its annual "Who Represents America's Biggest Companies?" survey, General Counsel at each of the 500 largest companies were asked to name which outside law firm they "Go-To" in a variety of practice areas. This honor is awarded to less than one-half of one percent of all the law firms in the U.S. and abroad. The results of the survey will appear in Corporate Counsel, FORTUNE magazine, The American Lawyer, IP Law & Business, The National Law Journal, and the In-House Law Departments at the Top 500 Companies guide.

October 12, 2007: On October 1, 2007, the Alabama Supreme Court appointed Melanie Merkle Atha to a three year term on the Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions Committee-Civil.  Ms. Atha will serve with, among others,  fellow appointees The Honorable Arthur J. Hanes, Jr, The Honorable Julian M. King, The Honorable Janie L. Shores, and attorneys Joseph B. Mays, E. Ted Taylor and Belle Stoddard.

October 4, 2007: Anna F. Buckner has been elected Vice President of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Board in Birmingham. She will be participating on the "Make-A-Wish Dream Team" in the Mercedes half-marathon in February 2008. Monies that she raises will go to fund wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The organization has granted more than 144,000 wishes for children around the world. Amy B. Nelson will also be participating in the half-marathon.

September 28, 2007: John T. Howard and Nancy K. Williams became associated with the Firm. John received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and law degree from Cumberland School of Law of Samford University. Nancy received her undergraduate degree from Birmingham-Southern College and law degree from the University of Mississippi.

September 18, 2007: On September 25, 2007, David S. Dunkle made a presentation to the 401(k) small business round table at the 60th National Conference of the Profit Sharing Council of America in Palm Springs, CA.  David addressed legal and administrative issues affecting 401(k) plans, including automatic enrollment, default investments, and investment fiduciary issues.

September 6 , 2007: The 2008 Best Lawyers in America ranked Cabaniss Johnston #1 in Alabama for Workers' Compensation Law. The attorneys listed in the 2008 Best Lawyers in America are:  

Crawford S. McGivaren, Jr. (20)--Antitrust Law, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Professional Malpractice Law, Railroad Law; Sydney F. Frazier, Jr. (10)--Labor and Employment Law; Workers' Compensation Law; Roy J. Crawford (10)--Corporate Law; Tax Law; Benjamen T. Rowe--Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation; Patrick H. Sims (*)--Labor and Employment Law; Donald J. Stewart (10)--Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law;David S. Dunkle (20)--Employee Benefits Law; C. Fred Daniels (10)--Corporate Law, Employee Benefits Law, Tax Law, Trust and Estates; Carolyn Duncan--Banking Law, Securities Law; R. Boyd Miller (10)--Personal Injury Litigation, Workers' Compensation Law; R. Carlton Smyly--Construction Law; Steve A. Tucker --Personal Injury Litigation, Railroad Law; Sandy G. Robinson (10)--Workers' Compensation Law; and Ian D. Rosenthal--Workers' Compensation Law.

(*) Denotes First Year Listed; (10) Denotes Listed for at Least 10 Years; (20) Denotes Listed for at Least 20 Years.

September 6, 2007: The Alabama Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is preparing for the MS Leadership Class of 2007 Campaign, an annual event that honors the best and brightest professionals in the Mobile area for their outstanding contributions to the business, civic and cultural betterment of the city. The MS Leadership Class of 2007 has accepted the challenge of partnering with the National MS Society in its goal to end the devastating effects of MS by together raising over $50,000.  Sandy G. Robinson, partner with Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas & O’Neal LLP will be honored this year as a member of the MS Leadership Class of 2007.  Sandy will be presented with the Society’s most prestigious award at a reception and awards ceremony held at The Country Club of Mobile on Sept. 20, 2007. Monies raised will provide programs, services and research to serve the 4000 people in Alabama facing the devastating effects of MS. Over 400,000 people nationwide live with MS and while there are many promising treatments for MS, there is still no cure.

August 31 , 2007: On September 28, 2007: Phillip B. Walker conducted a workshop on "Writing Natural Resource Protection Ordinances for Local Governments" at the University of South Alabama Brookley Center in Mobile, Alabama. Sponsors of the program are the Coastal Alabama Clean Water Partnership, the Southeast Watershed Forum, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources/State Lands Division, Weeks Bay National Esturarine Research Reserve System, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Auburn University, the Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation, the City of Fairhope, the City of Mobile, the Baldwin County Commission, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Walker, a corporate and tax lawyer who also advises clients about regulatory issues, will be speaking on the sources of local governments' lawmaking authority and common challenges that are made to that authority.

July 5, 2007: On June 21, 2007, Mobile attorney Ian D. Rosenthal, of Cabaniss Johnston Gardner Dumas & O'Neal, LLP, was inducted into the Litigation Counsel of America at the LCA’s Spring Conference and Induction of Fellows in New York. The Litigation Counsel of America is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.  Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only.  Fellows are selected based upon effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.  The LCA is aggressively diverse in its composition.  Established as a trial and appellate lawyer honorary society reflecting the American bar in the twenty-first century, the LCA represents the best in law among its membership.

May 15, 2007: It is with great sadness that we report William F. Gardner passed away today. Mr. Gardner is a fifth generation Alabama lawyer and he practiced his entire career, since 1959, with Cabaniss Johnston. He was the only lawyer in Alabama to be elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. He was named in Best Lawyers in America, America's Leading Business Lawyers, International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, and International Who's Who of Labor & Employment Lawyers. He was recognized as one of the ten best labor defense attorneys in the Nation by the National Law Journal. There were over 140 published decisions in cases in which he was the principal attorney.

April 2 , 2007: Melanie M. Atha , Annette Lanning Kinderman, and George L. Morris IV spoke at a one-day seminar entitled "Medical Records Law in Alabama" on May 23, 2007, at the Sheraton Birmingham, 2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North, in Birmingham. The seminar covered State and Federal laws governing the maintenance and disclosure of medical records, liability issues regarding documentation in the medical record, special issues related to the disclosure of psychiatric records, and effective methods for procuring medical records. Link To this Lorman Seminar

March 1, 2007: Sandy G. Robinson was recently certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (“NBTA”). Ms. Robinson is only the second female attorney in Alabama to receive this certification. There are currently about 2,000 attorneys certified in the United States of which only about 60 reside in Alabama. NBTA is accredited by the American Bar Association to certify lawyers in key specialty areas, including civil trial advocacy. The certification process requires proof of extensive trial experience, written references from both judges and fellow attorneys and successful performance on a comprehensive examination.

February 1, 2007: Joey A. Chbeir became associated with the Firm. He has clerked with Judge Tom King, Jr. and Judge Joseph L. Boohaker. Joey received his LL.B. from the Universite La SaGesse and LL.M. from both the University of Minnesota School of Law and the University of Alabama School of Law. 

January 25, 2007:Melanie M. Atha has been selected as Fellows of the Litigation Counsel of America Trial Lawyer Honorary.  Mr. Davis represents product manufacturers and distributors, universities, transportation companies, and real estate developers in environmental matters and toxic exposure litigation.  He also litigates business disputes.  Ms. Atha routinely represents hospitals and physicians in cases of alleged medical malpractice and defends employers in worker compensation and other employment-related claims.  She also represents product manufacturers and handles business and probate litigation. The Counsel is an honorary comprised of effective litigators, experienced in trial work, and represents less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.  Fellowship in the Counsel is limited and is by invitation only.  The Counsel is dedicated to promoting superior advocacy, professionalism, and ethical standards among its Fellows.

January 10, 2007: David S. Dunkle published The ESOP Advantage, which explains an ESOP, the tax advantages to the corporation, the tax advantages to the owner, the advantages to employees, and setting up an ESOP.

January 1, 2007 : Diane B. Maughan became a partner of the Firm.

October 10, 2006: October 1 marked E. T. Brown's 63rd anniversary with Cabaniss, Johnston. He continued to come to the office until two weeks ago when he went into the hospital. He passed away this morning, and he will be greatly missed, not only by our firm, but by all who knew him.

October 4, 2006: C. Fred Daniels spoke to the 57th Annual Tennessee Federal Tax Institute in Nashville, Tennesee, on November 2, 2006, on the topic GRATS That Transfer Business Interests. The presentation was repeated on November 30, 2006, for the Fall Estate Planning Seminar presented by the Alabama Bar Institute for the Continuing Legal Education.

October 4 , 2006: C. Fred Daniels taught the Fall 2006 course on Tax Exempt Organizations for the Masters of Laws in Taxation Program of the University of Alabama School of Law.

October 4 , 2006: C. Fred Daniels spoke to the 60th Annual Federal Tax Clinic at the University of Alabama on November 17, 2006, on the topic Subchapter J--Fundamental Principles.

October 1, 2006: Michael Chambers was selected by the National Board of Trial Advocacy ("NBTA") as its state coordinator in Alabama. NBTA is accredited by the American Bar Association to certify lawyers in the specialty areas of civil, criminal and family law trial advocacy. The certification process requires proof of extensive trial experience, written references from both judges and fellow attorneys and successful passing of a comprehensive examination. He has been previously certified by the NBTA and in his role of state coordinator will represent it throughout the state and encourage other attorneys to apply for certification. There are currently just under 2,000 attorneys certified in the United States of which only about 50 reside in Alabama.