Family Law

• Guardianship
  Mr. Benefield currently chairs the Alabama Law Institute Committee on Guardianship Reform. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the American Bar Association, and several sections in both organizations.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Steve is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the American Bar Association, the Birmingham Bar Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is admitted to practice law before the United States District Court for the Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama and the State Courts of Alabama.
• DUI/DWI
  In 2015 Steve received the Omicron Delta Kappa, Frances Summersell Award from the University of Alabama. He has been recognized since 2009 for his practice of White Collar Crime, DUI Defense, and Family Law by Alabama and Mid-South Super Lawyers. He has made numerous presentations and training for State and local elected officials and public employees under the Alabama Ethics Law and Campaign and Election Laws.
• Fraud
• White Collar Crimes
  Steve Shaw joined Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt in 2020. He practices in the areas of Family Law, White Collar Crime, Campaign Advice and General Litigation. He has represented public officials and witnesses and conducted internal investigations. This gives him a unique understanding of involvement in both Federal and State investigations.
• Misdemeanors

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  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.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  For twenty years, Dale Wallace’s practice included all aspects of civil litigation with primary emphasis in the areas of insurance and corporate defense and construction litigation. For the past several years, Dale’s practice has concentrated in the areas of alternate dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, and complex negotiations.
• Business Formation
  Speaker and Author at numerous Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars on business formation, business exit strategy planning, estate planning and administration, ethics, professional liability and related matters.
• Business Disputes
  Wes Winborn practices in the areas of health law, business law, and civil litigation. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Alabama Bar Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association.
• Business Transactions
  Caroline McLeroy’s practice encompasses various fields of law, including corporate work, mortgage lending, and commercial transactions. She is a member of the Alabama State Bar and its Young Lawyers and Women’s sections.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Glenn Estess practices in the general area of tax law, including estate planning, charitable giving, tax-exempt and charitable organizations, corporate, limited liability companies, closely held businesses, partnerships, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Glenn serves as counsel for several tax-exempt organizations, including the Auburn University Foundation, the Woman’s Missionary Union Foundation, and the Alabama Waterfowl Association.
• Construction Contracts
  From 1981 to 1987, Oscar practiced law with The Rust Engineering Company and Rust International Corporation where his work included the preparation and negotiation of engineering and construction contracts and related documents. He also supervised the resolution and litigation of construction claims and disputes, as well as other matters.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
  Sally Reilly practices in the area of intellectual property law, specifically, trademark and copyright. Before coming to Wallace, Jordan, she spent 20 years as Director of Legal Services at Southern Progress Corporation, the publisher of
• Antitrust

Employment Law

• Employment Discrimination
  Maintaining a diverse practice, Trey handles both trial and appellate matters involving commercial litigation, consumer fraud and bad faith, employment, and financial services. Prior to joining Wallace Jordan, he worked at another Birmingham-area litigation firm. Highlights of Trey’s work include winning summary judgment for a publicly traded company on an employment discrimination claim related to COVID-19, winning summary judgement for a health insurance company on RICO and fraud claims, obtaining dismissal for a medical device manufacturer on preemption grounds, and securing a defense verdict in a property fraud case.
• Employment Contract
  Some years ago, I was visiting with a retired coach who had been the head football coach at a major athletic program in the south. We were talking about the highs and lows of his career, as well as things he would do differently if he had it to do over. He mentioned that he’d never had an attorney review his employment agreements, maybe because he knew I was an attorney and represented coaches.
• Employment Litigation
  Tom McKnight is a commercial litigator who practices principally in the areas of construction, real property, business, and employment litigation. He has served as a lead counsel in jury trials in each of these areas. Much of Tom’s practice is focused on the enforcement of restrictive covenants in employment and other contracts, such as non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality provisions. In addition, Tom often represents public officials in various civil litigation matters and has served as a Deputy Attorney General on behalf of the State of Alabama in this capacity.
• Non-compete Agreement
  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.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Phillip Corley joined Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt in 1995 and served as managing member of the firm from 2008-2013. He practices in the areas of real estate law, commercial lending, commercial transactions, and municipal law.
• Premises Liability
  Mr. Benefield has tried over 40 cases to a conclusion in state and federal courts and argued multiple appeals in the Alabama Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Litigated matters have included severe personal injury and death cases involving burns and other trauma resulting from automobile accidents, product defects, and premises liability, a broad range of business and commercial actions involving fraud, antitrust, securities violations, ERISA, fiduciary liability, contracts, interference with business and contractual relations, trade secrets, covenants not to compete, general commercial contract matters under the UCC and common law, construction litigation, Miller Act claims (state and federal), professional liability claims against lawyers, engineers and veterinarians, RICO, injunctions and other equitable remedies, actions to determine individual capacity in property transfers and donative intent, will contests, conservatorships, guardianships, and contested settlement of estates and trusts, insurance coverage issues, interpleader actions, as well as income, gift and estate tax matters before the Internal Revenue Service and Alabama Department of Revenue from audit through appeal and in the U.S. Tax Court.
• Construction Litigation
  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.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Phillip represents lenders, borrowers and developers in commercial real estate transactions both in Alabama and across the country. In his commercial mortgage practice, Phillip has extensive experience representing lenders in portfolio, CMBS, and Fannie Mae loans and credit facilities for commercial and multifamily properties in more than 40 states. He serves as the City Attorney for the City of Hoover, Alabama, the sixth largest municipality in the state.
• Land Use and Zoning

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Cannon v. Lucas, 346 So. 3d 949 (Ala. 2021) – defending judge’s refusal to allow use of post-accident criminal conviction as impeachment evidence in personal injury trial
• Medical Malpractice
  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.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  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.
• Wills
  Sam Sessions practices in the areas of construction law, will contests, fiduciary litigation, landlord/tenant law, insurance law, and general civil litigation.  He is admitted to practice in the State of Alabama and the U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Birmingham Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.  Sam also serves as the prosecutor for the City of Hoover misdemeanor appeals.
• Trusts
  Mr. Benefield is a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, where he is a member of the Fiduciary Litigation, Professional Responsibility, and Diversity Committees and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2006 -2019 in the fields of tax law, business organizations, and trusts and estates. He was named the 2014 Birmingham Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) “Lawyer of the Year.†  Mr. Benefield received the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale Hubbell.  Birmingham Magazine named him as a 2019 Top Attorney in the fields of ERISA, trusts and estates. He has been certified as a Merger & Acquisition Advisor by the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Lauren Walker works in civil litigation, and her practice includes commercial litigation, insurance law, construction law, employment law, and bankruptcy law. She is admitted to practice in the State of Alabama and the Alabama federal district courts and is a member of the Alabama State Bar and Birmingham Bar Association.
• Foreclosure
  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.
• Tax Law
  €œNo Plan for the Succession of Your Business? Plan for the Business to Fail,†in Family and Business Succession Planning Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Navigating Key Tax Issues, Dealing with Family Concerns, and Avoiding Potential Pitfalls for Closely-Held Businesses, 51 (2009).