WALLACE JORDAN - Key Persons
Bert Jordan has been a lawyer in Birmingham and Alabama for several decades. Much of his current work involves counseling and litigation about local government, and candidates seeking public office.
His past work ranges from private business personnel disputes and election campaign finance to real estate and environmental litigation. He has been attorney for each of the last three governors of Alabama, while they were in office. Most recently, he has been counsel of record for the Alabama Republican Party in U.S. Supreme Court amicus filings related to new State Congressional districts. He is also currently a Special Deputy Attorney General. That work has included service as counsel to the Finance Director and the Comptroller of Alabama in litigation over State policies barring government payroll deductions for political activity. He also has litigated over the land transactions supplying incentives to auto maker Hyundai in connection with its decision to locate its first North American assembly plant in Montgomery. He has successfully represented members of the Alabama Educational Television Commission in a dispute over the State Open Meetings Act filed by the Commission's former executive director.
From early 2015 to December 2017, he was the State Legal Counsel to the Alabama Republican Executive Committee. He is a contributing editor for the Alabama Election Handbook, 2017-18 (18th ed.), published by the Alabama Law Institute. From 2006 to 2010, he taught constitutional law as an adjunct professor at Birmingham School of Law.
Bert is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, all Alabama federal district courts, and all Alabama state courts. From 2002 to 2006, he served on the Alabama Supreme Court's Standing Committee on Rules of Conduct and Canons of Judicial Ethics.
Alex Underwood practices in various areas of civil litigation, including construction, insurance defense, and employment litigation. She joined Wallace Jordan in March of 2022. Alex's previous experience includes representing clients in the defense of medical malpractice and workers' compensation claims. She is admitted to practice in the State of Alabama, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama. She is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the Birmingham Bar Association.
Alex obtained her Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Florida and her Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law. At Cumberland, Alex served in leadership roles on the Trial Advocacy Board and was a member of the Negotiation and Mediation Teams.
In her free time, Alex enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her husband, Davis, and their family and friends.
Amelia Haston's practice encompasses various fields of law, including civil litigation, municipal law, real estate law, and estate planning.
Amelia received her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2022, where she served as a representative in the Student Bar Association, a Themis Bar Review representative, and led a study group for first-year students as part of Wake Forest's Academic Engagement Program. She graduated cum laude from Birmingham-Southern College with a Bachelor of Arts in History. At Birmingham-Southern, she served two terms as Vice President of the Student Government Association, Membership Chair of Mortar Board Honor society, and as a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society.
Amelia lives in Birmingham and is a member of Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church.
April Danielson joined Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt in 2016. She specializes in municipal law and has worked as an attorney representing the City of Hoover, Alabama - the sixth largest municipality in the state - since 2004. She has worked with many legal aspects of municipal government and has a wide range of experience in her municipal law practice, which covers the core areas of contracts, compliance with open meetings and records laws, employment matters and policies, election law, drainage, zoning, construction, revenue/taxation, code compliance, annexation, inter-municipal agreements, economic development, ordinance drafting, and real estate development.
April is admitted to practice before the United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama and all Alabama State courts. She is a member of the Alabama Association of Municipal Attorneys and the Alabama State Bar. She received her Juris Doctorate degree in 1996 from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. During law school, April was on the Dean's List and interned with the United States Attorney's Office in Birmingham, Alabama. April also attended Auburn University and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. While at Auburn, she was on the Dean's List and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi.
Ben Robinson is a general litigator with experience in construction, commercial, personal injury, government agent, and employment litigation. He is admitted to practice in the State of Alabama, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the Birmingham Bar Association.
Ben received a B.A. in English from Auburn University at Montgomery in 2006, where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his J.D. from Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 2011, summa cum laude. After law school, Ben clerked for the chief judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. After one year as an associate at another firm where he focused primarily on employment litigation defense, Ben joined the litigation group at Wallace Jordan Ratliff & Brandt in 2016. Ben enjoys the practice of law mostly because of the people he has had the privilege of representing.
Ben is a dad to five incredible children. In his (scarce) free time, Ben enjoys distance running, hiking, kayaking, experimenting with cooking, and playing piano. He aspires to one day section-hike the Appalachian Trail, write short stories, and return to the classroom.
Caroline McLeroy's practice encompasses various fields of law, including corporate work, mortgage lending, commercial transactions, and estate planning. She is a member of the Alabama State Bar and its Young Lawyers and Women's sections, and is also a member of the Junior Board for Pathways, a Woman's Way Home.
Caroline graduated from the University of Montevallo in 2016, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology and graduated cum laude. Caroline then went to Cumberland School of Law where she graduated cum laude in 2021. At Cumberland, Caroline served as the Online Managing Editor for the Cumberland Law Review and had both her student notes chosen for publication. Caroline also served as Secretary of Women in Law, the 2020 Director of Mediation and Arbitration, and was named the winner of the 2019 Mediation Competition. Caroline was also an Academic Support Mentor and a member of the Career Development Advisory Board. Caroline received the Scholar of Merit in both Employment Law and Local Government Law.
Caroline lives in Shelby County with her husband, Blake. She enjoys reading, gardening, and camping with her husband and their dog, Pippin. She and Blake attend the Columbiana United Methodist Church.
Job Titles:
- Associate Attorney, 2017 - 2018
Cecil "Coy" Macoy, Jr. practices principally in the areas of civil litigation and construction law. He represents insurance companies, construction companies, automobile dealerships, and other corporate and individual clients in both state and federal court.
Coy has been named to Best Lawyers in America. He has been assigned the highest possible Peer Review Ratings for legal ability and ethical standards in the Martindale-Hubbell ® Legal Directory. He is a member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute and American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Coy graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1989. He served as a senior editor of the Alabama Law Review and was honored by induction into the Order of the Coif. Before law school, Coy graduated with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Coy has been a deacon at his local church for many years. He is an active participant in his sons' youth sports programs, and he enjoys playing golf.
Keith Hamilton advises and represents Alabama businesses, municipalities, and individuals in nearly all areas of civil litigation and arbitration, from the initial filing through trial and the final appeal. His practice emphasis is on business and contract disputes, construction, employment litigation, non-compete agreements, insurance issues, and products liability. He joined Wallace Jordan after nearly thirty years of litigation practice in two other prominent Birmingham law firms.
Keith graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. Prior to law school, he received his B.A. degree in Political Science from Rhodes College, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of a national championship mock trial team. He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, and has been selected to the Alabama Super Lawyers® list, which has recognized him in the category of employment and labor attorneys. Keith is also rated AV Preeminent® by MartindaleHubbell®.
Keith was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1969, and has three sons with his wife Amy. He and his family are active members of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church.
Clark Hammond has served as a seminar instructor for many years and has been the author of Recent Developments in Securities Litigation for the 11th Circuit, which is published annually by the ABA.
Clark R. Hammond practices primarily in the area of bankruptcy, commercial and real estate loan defaults and workouts, construction litigation, workout of defaulted municipal and commercial bonds, creditor's and debtor's rights, securities litigation and general commercial litigation. He also represents clients in regulatory, administrative and litigation involving the Perishable Agricultural Commodity Act (PACA). Prior to 1989, his work included the representation of corporate debtors in Chapter 11 proceedings and the prosecution of civil actions involving commercial disputes, state and federal securities laws and construction litigation.
He received his B.A. degree from the University of Miami in 1975, and his J.D. degree (cum laude) from Cumberland School of Law in 1984, where he was an Associate Editor of the Cumberland Law Review. Clark is a member of Curia Honoris, which is Cumberland's highest academic honor society. From 1984-85, he served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert B. Propst, United States District Judge, Northern District of Alabama.
Clark's honors and awards include Alabama Super Lawyer (Bankruptcy and Creditor Rights), Birmingham Business Journal's Best of the Bar (Construction Law and Creditors Rights and Bankruptcy), Best Lawyers in America (Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization, Construction Law, Litigation - Bankruptcy), and a Mid-South Super Lawyer. Recently, he was the recipient of the 2016 Lawyer of the Year - Construction and 2018 Lawyer of the Year - Construction Litigation in the Birmingham market. He has been given the AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale Hubbell.
Clark was one of the 11th Circuit contributors for the 2016 ABA Recent Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation - Securities Litigation. Clark also teaches mediation at the University of Alabama School of Law.
When Clark is not practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his wife, three children, and two grandchildren. In addition, he is active in his local church.
Clark is an active official in USA Swimming. He is certified as a National Championship Referee and was a FINA Referee for eight years as a result of being nominated by USA Swimming for that position. He was the former Chair of the National Officials Committee, which oversees the officiating of competitive swimming, and was formerly the Chair of the Rules and Regulations Committee, which is responsible for setting the rules and regulations governing competitive swimming. Currently, Clark was recently re-elected to the Board of Directors for the 2021-25 term.
Job Titles:
- Member of: the Alabama State Bar
Gary W. Lee focuses his practice in the areas of business reorganizations, creditors' rights, and transactional law. He has substantial experience representing debtors, debtors-in-possession and creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, adversary proceedings and other commercial litigation involving purchase and sale of assets, secured lending, lien avoidance, executory contracts, preferences, nondischargeability, use of cash collateral, and a host of other disputes arising from debtor-creditor and inter-creditor relationships, including those under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Gary also represents business entities through all phases of acquisitions, divestitures, and other commercial transactions.
Prior to law school, Gary received a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Florida. While pursuing his joint J.D./ M.B.A. at Samford University, Gary was an Associate Editor of the Cumberland Law Review. He came to Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt after spending seven years with Spain & Gillon, LLC, as a Partner, and prior to that, an Associate. Gary's other prior experience includes serving as judicial law clerk to the Honorable James S. Sledge, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
Gary is a member of: the Alabama State Bar, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section; the American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, Committee on Business Bankruptcy; the American Bankruptcy Institute, Business Reorganization Committee; and the Birmingham Bar Association, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, teaching Corporate Finance law.
Gary's recent community involvement includes service on the Leadership Council of Junior Achievement of Greater Birmingham, volunteering as a Junior Achievement Classroom Volunteer in the Birmingham City School System, serving as a Project Coordinator with Hands on Birmingham, and serving on the Public Service Committee of the Birmingham Bar Association. He lives in Hoover with his wife and four children. He is a parishioner at Prince of Peace Catholic Church and he serves as President of the Parent Teacher Organization of Prince of Peace Catholic School.
Birch Bowdre practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and business and tax planning with an emphasis on contract work. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, and the Birmingham Bar Association. Birch is also a member of the Estate Planning Council of Birmingham and the National Association of Estate Planners.
Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1954, Birch graduated from Furman University in 1976. He attended Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and graduated cum laude in 1979. Birch received his LL.M. in taxation from the University of Alabama in 1985. He practiced with the Birmingham firm of Spain & Gillon for eighteen years prior to joining Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt in 1998.
Birch's honors and awards include Best Lawyers in America, Alabama Super Lawyer (Estate Planning and Probate, Corporate Tax Law) and Birmingham Magazine Top Attorneys (Tax). He has been given Martindale Hubbell's AV Peer Review Rating.
Birch is a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and a volunteer coordinator for Prison Fellowship. He is also on the board of the Boy Scouts of America Greater Alabama Council.
Britt Funderburk practices primarily in the areas of civil litigation and construction law. He is admitted to practice in the State of Alabama and the State of Tennessee. He is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association and Tennessee Bar Association.
Britt received a B.A. in Building Science from Auburn University in 2010, where he graduated magna cum laude. He received his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2014, where he served as articles editor on the Tennessee Law Review.
Britt is the father of two children, and in his free time he enjoys running, biking and home improvement projects.
Job Titles:
- Managing Member
- S Profile
For a majority of his legal career Jay has represented secured creditors in commercial restructuring, forbearance agreements, and foreclosure. He regularly appears before the bankruptcy courts throughout Alabama in representation of secured and unsecured creditors in filing of claims, preference claim litigation, objections to confirmation, and pursuit of nondischargeability judgments. In recent years Jay has represented and advised homeowner and condominium associations ranging in size from a dozen homes to several hundred homes in the association on issues of covenant enforcement and amendment, lien filing, litigation and contract revision.
Jay was born in 1964 in Prattville, Alabama. A graduate of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, he received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting in 1986. Upon graduation, he worked as an auditor with Ernst & Young in Birmingham, Alabama, concentrating in the fields of banking and health care. He received his C.P.A. designation in 1989.
In 1989, Jay left Ernst & Young to attend Cumberland School of Law. He graduated magna cum laude in 1992. While in law school, Jay was an associate editor of the Cumberland Law Review. He was also inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi and Curia Honoris honor societies.
After graduating from law school, Jay joined Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt. He is admitted to practice law before all federal district courts in Alabama and all Alabama state courts. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the Birmingham Bar Association.
An active member of Homewood Church of Christ, Jay is a past board member of Agape of Central Alabama, a faith-based adoption and foster care organization serving central Alabama. Recently he has joined the board at Ambucs Birmingham, Alabama, a charitable organization providing Amtryke therapeutic tricycles to people with special needs in Jefferson and surrounding counties in Alabama. Jay and his wife Vonya have three children and one daughter-in-law. In his leisure time Jay enjoys spending time with his family on Lake Martin and watching his youngest two kids compete collegiately in track and field.
John Martin practices in the areas of advanced estate planning focusing on advising individuals and families on the generational transfer of wealth process, retirement planning, as well as trust and estate litigation-settlement matters. John's decades of corporate fiduciary experience is of value in tailoring plans for his clients.
He is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association and Alabama State Bar, past director of the Estate Planning Council of Birmingham and the Harbert Center Management, Inc. He served on the faculty of the Southern Trust School and speaks at various Continuing Legal Education seminars around the state.
A native of Alabama residing in Birmingham for the past 46 years. John graduated from University of Alabama with a B.S. in Chemistry and from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University- J.D. He practiced with the Birmingham firm of Najjar Denaburg for 15 years prior to joining Wallace Jordan Ratliff & Brandt in 2019.
John is active in the Birmingham community and has served as President-Exchange Club of Birmingham, Secretary- Birmingham Museum of Art Foundation, Inc., Executive Committee Member of Alabama Bankers Association (Trust Division), Chairman-Community Ministry to Girls, Inc and Elder- Briarwood Presbyterian Church.
Jonathan Griffith's practice is varied, and includes litigation in various fields of law such as construction, insurance defense, and corporations. Additionally, Jonathan specializes in representing and advising churches and nonprofits. He provides outside general counsel for many businesses and nonprofits, and enjoys assisting them with formation, corporate governance documents, conflict resolution and reconciliation, contract drafting/review, religious liberties issues, and much more.
Jonathan graduated summa cum laude the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was a member of the Jere F. White, Jr., Fellows Program. He also served as Associate Editor of the Cumberland Law Review; a Caruthers Fellow teaching assistant for legal research and writing; and team leader for the Center for Children, Law, and Ethics. He was awarded the M. Alan Stevens Award for excellence in business law, and was co-recipient of the Daniel Austin Brewer Professionalism Award.
After law school, Jonathan worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Karon O. Bowdre, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
Jonathan lives in Vestavia Hills with his wife and three children. Before law school, Jonathan and his family served as cross-cultural ministers in India and Costa Rica, where they had the privilege of serving at-risk children for nearly 10 years. He and his wife continue to serve on the board of directors of a non-profit that helps send indigenous missionaries to remote parts of Southeast Asia. They are actively involved in their local church and are licensed foster care parents.
Larry Logsdon joined Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt in 1997. He practices in the area of general commercial litigation and has represented general contractors, subcontractors, owners, and suppliers involved in all aspects of the construction industry.
Larry was selected to the Birmingham Business Journal's Best of the Bar for Construction Law and was named to the list of 2016 Top Lawyers by Bhm Biz Metro Birmingham Business magazine. He is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, all Alabama federal district courts, and all Alabama state courts. He is an associate member of the American Subcontractor's Association and the Association of General Contractors
Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Larry attended the University of Alabama. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1987. He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1992. Larry was honored with induction into the Order of the Coif and served as a senior editor of the Alabama Law Review.
Job Titles:
- Foreman, Burr & Murray, Associate, 1984 - 1985