Best's Insurance Professional Resources
Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts
Best's Insurance Professional Resources
Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts


Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys - General Defense

2001 Park Place North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203

Practice Areas

  • Admiralty and Maritime Law
  • Appellate Practice
  • Bad Faith
  • Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Complex Litigation
  • Construction Litigation
  • COVID-19/Coronavirus
  • Employment Litigation
  • Employment Practices Liability
  • Energy
  • Environmental Litigation
  • ERISA
  • Health Care
  • Insurance Coverage & Defense
  • Intellectual Property
  • Jones Act
  • Labor and Employment
  • Litigation
  • Oil and Gas
  • Personal Injury
  • Premises Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • Railroad Law
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Reinsurance
  • Securities
  • Tax Litigation
  • Toxic Torts
  • Tort Litigation

About Us

With offices positioned along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, Phelps Dunbar is a regional law firm of nearly 270 attorneys uniquely equipped to serve clients in the major commercial centers of the burgeoning "Third Coast" of the United States. Locations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Tupelo and Gulfport, Mississippi; Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Tampa, Florida; Mobile, Alabama as well as Raleigh, North Carolina; and London, England enable Phelps Dunbar to serve clients not only along the Third Coast, but also the South, nationwide and abroad.

Regardless of a client's size or stage of development, we believe that successful legal representation begins with a clear understanding of our client's business, industry and objectives, followed by collaboration with the client to achieve the best possible results. Our lawyers and our support staff work together to deepen client relationships through a commitment to understanding their businesses and their goals, and we strive to advance our clients' interests by providing excellent, effective and efficient legal services and creative solutions across all areas of our practice.

Additional Locations

  • New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Canal Place
  • 365 Canal Street, Suite 2000
  • New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-6534
    • Telephone: 504-566-1311
    • Fax: 504-568-9130
  • Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • II City Plaza
  • 400 Convention Street, Suite 1100
  • P.O. Box 4412 (70821-4412)
  • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802-5618
    • Telephone: 225-346-0285
    • Fax: 225-381-9197
  • Jackson, Mississippi
  • 4270 I-55 North
  • P.O. Box 16114 (39236-6114)
  • Jackson, Mississippi 39211-6391
    • Telephone: 601-352-2300
    • Fax: 601-360-9777
  • Tupelo, Mississippi
  • One Mississippi Plaza
  • 201 South Spring Street, Seventh Floor
  • P.O. Box 1220 (38802-1220)
  • Tupelo, Mississippi 38804
    • Telephone: 662-842-7907
    • Fax: 662-842-3873
  • Gulfport, Mississippi
  • 2602 13th Street, Suite 300
  • Gulfport, Mississippi 39501
    • Telephone: 228-679-1130
    • Fax: 228-679-1131
  • Houston, Texas
  • 910 Louisiana Street, Suite 4300
  • Houston, Texas 77002
    • Telephone: 713-626-1386
    • Fax: 713-626-1388
  • Tampa, Florida
  • 100 South Ashley Drive, Suite 2000
  • Tampa, Florida 33602-5311
    • Telephone: 813-472-7550
    • Fax: 813-472-7570
  • Mobile, Alabama
  • 101 Dauphin Street, Suite 1000
  • P.O. Box 2727 (36652-2727)
  • Mobile, Alabama 36602
    • Telephone: 251-432-4481
    • Fax: 251-433-1820
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Lloyd's, Suite 725, Level 7
  • 1 Lime Street
  • London, United Kingdom EC3M 7DQ
    • Telephone: 011-44-207-929-4765
    • Fax: 011-44-207-929-0046
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • 4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 530
  • Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
    • Telephone: 919-789-5300
    • Fax: 919-789-5301
  • Dallas, Texas
  • 2102 E. State Highway 114, Suite 207
  • Southlake, Texas 76092
    • Telephone: 817-488-3134
    • Fax: 817-488-3214

Client Information

Insurance Clients

*Principal outside law firm as designated by insurance companies

Personnel Information

Senior Partners


F. Gerald Burnett

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Mississippi, 1972
  • District of Columbia, 1979
  • Alabama
Education:
  • The University of Mississippi, B.B.A., 1968
  • The University of Mississippi, J.D. (with distinction), 1972
  • Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., 1977

Roy J. Crawford

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1977
Education:
  • Troy State University, B.S. (summa cum laude), 1971
  • The University of Alabama, J.D., 1977
  • New York University, LL.M., 1980

C. Fred Daniels

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1973
Education:
  • Auburn University, B.S., 1970
  • The University of Alabama, J.D., 1973
  • New York University, LL.M., 1974

Carolyn L. Duncan

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1978
Education:
  • University of Montevallo, B.M., 1971
  • University of Montevallo, M.M.E., 1975
  • Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D., 1978

Sydney F. Frazier, Jr.

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1972
Education:
  • The University of Alabama, B.A., 1969
  • The University of Alabama, J.D., 1972

Crawford S. McGivaren, Jr.

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1968
Education:
  • Vanderbilt University, A.B. (magna cum laude), 1965
  • Harvard University, LL.B., 1968

Partners


John M. Graham

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1992
Education:
  • The University of Alabama, B.S. (magna cum laude), 1989
  • The University of Alabama, J.D., 1992

James Henry

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1997
  • Mississippi
Education:
  • The University of North Alabama, B.S., 1978
  • Samford University, M.B.A., 1984
  • Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, J.D., 1997

Diane Babb Maughan

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1999
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, 2001
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Memberships:
  • American and Birmingham Bar Associations
  • Alabama State Bar
Education:
  • Baylor University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1996
  • The University of Alabama, J.D. (summa cum laude), 1999
Law Review:
Member, 1997-1998, and Articles Editor, 1998-1999, Alabama Law Review

George L. Morris, IV

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 2005
  • U.S. District Court, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Alabama
Memberships:
  • American and Birmingham Bar Associations
  • Alabama State Bar
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Alabama Defense Lawyers Association
Education:
  • Millsaps College, B.S. (cum laude), 1997
  • Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D. (magna cum laude), 2005

R. Carlton Smyly

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1982
Education:
  • Birmingham-Southern College, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1979
  • University of Virginia, J.D., 1982

G. Thomas Sullivan

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1977
Education:
  • Emory University, B.A., 1974
  • Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D., 1977
  • The University of Alabama School of Law, LL.M., 1996

Steve A. Tucker

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1984
Education:
  • Samford University, B.A. (cum laude), 1974
  • Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, M.Div., 1979
  • University of Kentucky, J.D. (with distinction), 1984

Michael E. Turner

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1996
Education:
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., 1993
  • Wake Forest University, J.D. (cum laude), 1996

Herbert H. West, Jr.

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1987
Education:
  • The University of Alabama, B.S. (summa cum laude), 1984
  • Vanderbilt University, J.D., 1987

Counsel


Jason W. Bobo

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 2008
Education:
  • Huntingdon College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 2005
  • Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, J.D. (magna cum laude), 2007

Annette Lanning Kinderman

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 1996
Memberships:
  • American and Birmingham Bar Associations
  • Alabama State Bar
Education:
  • Amherst College, B.A., 1991
  • Washington and Lee University, J.D. (magna cum laude), 1996

Associate


Courtney S. Adams

Birmingham, AL

Admitted
  • Alabama, 2009
Education:
  • The University of Alabama, B.S. Finance, 2005
  • Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, J.D., 2009
  • The University of Alabama School of Law, LL.M. Taxation, 2012
(See profile under New Orleans, LA for additional information)

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