For more than a century, the law firm of Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas & O’Neal LLP has served its clients primarily in the area of civil law. Founded in 1887, the firm conducts one of the oldest continual law practices in Alabama.

Originally known as Cabaniss and Banks, the practice began in Birmingham when E.H. Cabaniss first moved from Union Springs in 1886. Cabaniss was a state senator, and he practiced law with a number of attorneys as Birmingham’s industrial development gained momentum.

In 1920, the firm, then operating as Cabaniss and Cabaniss, merged with Johnston and Cocke to form Cabaniss, Johnston, Cocke and Cabaniss. Prior to the merger, Forney Johnston had practiced law with Lawrence C. Leadbeater, and later with Edward K. Campbell, who left the firm to serve as Chief Justice of the Court of Claims. In 1974, the firm assumed its present name when Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner & Clarke merged with the firm of Dumas, O’Neal & Hayes. A merger with the McRight, Rowe and Stewart firm in Mobile in 1983 gave the firm a presence in the state’s two largest cities and economic centers in Alabama. The strategic north-south location of our offices and their respective spheres of practice support our ongoing statewide presence.

Cabaniss, Johnston, Cocke & Cabaniss
1920-1929

Cabaniss & Johnston
1930-1963

Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner & Clark
1964-1973

Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas & O’Neal
1974 to Present