General Info

The law firm of Beddow, Erben & Bowen, PA has its origins in 1895, twenty five years after the founding of the City of Birmingham in 1871. Although the early focus of the practice was criminal defense, as the years, partners and associates have come and gone, our practice area has grown to incorporate business law, civil litigation, matrimonial and family law, and probate matters. The firm's rich history includes members of the 1901 Alabama Constitutional Convention, the 10th Judicial Circuit Court, and the Alabama Supreme Court. Our members have been past presidents of the Alabama Bar Association, Committee members of the Legal Aid Board tasked with the establishment of Legal Aid Clinics, as well as the Grievance and Ethics Committee, and the Alabama State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee. Our firm is well known for never shying away from representing unpopular clients. Periodically, such representation would result in the creation of important new law. For example, our involvement in the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan case, resulted in a United States Supreme Court decision which established the actual malice standard in libel and defamation law and is a key decision supporting freedom of the press. Beddow, Erben and Bowen, PA is the firm it is now because of Frederick A. Erben who has practiced here since he was admitted to the Bar in 1966. Through his leadership, our practice has and will continue to expand beyond its original focus. During his tenure, he was mentored by Roderick Beddow, Jr., and practiced with other lawyers who have since become Circuit Court and Alabama Supreme Court justices. Among other milestones during his practice, Mr. Erben and the firm participated in Civil Rights era cases, argued before the first Jefferson County Alabama jury to include women, and won sizeable monetary judgments against corporations, cities and insurance companies. Because of the influence of our talented past and present members, we are currently a firm uniquely prepared to handle almost any legal issue for any client.