I watched the Netflix documentary titled, "Mike Wallace is Here." It brought back a lot of memories about the story “60 Minutes” produced and aired on former HealthSouth Corporation CEO Richard Scrushy. Mike Wallace was the correspondent for the Scrushy story.

"August 19 (A Poem for Clarence Norris)" is a powerful 1938 political poem by famed poet Langston Hughes. It was written from the perspective of Mr. Clarence Norris, one of the nine Scottsboro Boys.

Elbert Bertram "Bert" Haltom, Jr., was a master litigator. We only battled in court once, and he kicked my ass. After the trial, Haltom spent several hours with me reviewing every phase of our litigation battle. He analyzed every offensive play I ran in the courtroom, witness-by-witness, and explained the defensive maneuvers that neutralized them. In the years that followed, I used every lesson Haltom taught me on my way to amassing a record-setting 155 straight courtroom v

My investigation into the nationally profiled 1975 police shooting of an innocent and unarmed Montgomery, Alabama resident named Bernard Whitehurst brought threats of bodily harm to my young children. For months, anonymous callers to my home threatened to throw acid in my children’s faces if I didn’t back off. The two children who were most at risk were Donald Watkins, Jr., and Light Watkins, who were almost 4 and 3, respectively. This article tells that story.

Mrs. Gladys Laster’s bravery and courage as a named plaintiff in her 1975 landmark civil case systematically dismantled the "whites-only" hiring practices that locked black instructors, administrators, and staff members out of Alabama's historically white community and technical colleges. She single-handedly opened the door for thousands of black educators and staff members to work at historically white junior/community colleges and trade/technical schools in Alabama over th

In August 1974, Carl and Shirley Hessell, a Black married couple, filed a $200,000 racial discrimination lawsuit in federal court against Charles Harris, Jr., and Mead and Charles, Inc., a Montgomery, Alabama real estate company after their application to rent an apartment at 2142 Madison Avenue, in Montgomery was rejected. The apartment was in the “White" part of town. This was my first Fair Housing Act case.

In 1986, Jefferson County, Alabama Circuit Court Judge Jack D. Carl passed a note to his law clerk during a hotly contested court hearing. The law clerk read the note, smirked, balled it up, and threw it in the trash can. During the lunch break, I retrieved Judge Carl’s note from the trash can. The note said, “I can’t stand this arrogant nigger,” referring to me. This article tells the story of what happened next.

Robert Archer Martin died on September 15, 2020. He was one of the most important figures in Alabama judicial history. Never has one man done so much to impact the lives of Alabamians in such a profound and positive way. This article reveals the last secret of Robert Archer Martin.

I have met presidents of nations and dignitaries all over the world. I have visited people from the White House to the poor house. No man has ever stood taller than Mr. Ramus Rhodes. He was the definition of “greatness” and the epitome of “class and character.” He was my real "professor" at the University of Alabama law school from 1970 to 1973. He is the one who deserves the credit for my 217-8 win-loss record in courtroom battles during my 46-year litigation career.

The criminal case of USA v. Richard M. Scrushy made history and set several national records in American jurisprudence. These records remain unbroken 21 years later. It is highly unlikely that they will ever be broken. This article tells what happened and why these records remain unbroken.

From 1985 to 1998, I battled scores of good litigators while representing the City of Birmingham and Mayor Richard Arrington, Jr. The best one, by far, is Clyde E. Jones. This article tells the amazing story of my fierce courtroom battle against this master litigator.

Looking back on my legal career today, I am probably the only Birmingham lawyer who had three different local groups seeking to run me out of town simply because: (a) I disturbed the “good relations” White business leaders in Birmingham had with the "Colored community,” (b) I was proficient at picking the highest caliber of legal talent for my litigation Dream Teams, and (c) I was winning all of my assigned cases. This article tells the story of the third group -- local Blac

This team of exceptionally talented lawyers and paralegals devised and perfected the art of laser litigation. This litigation technique was deplored in cases where losing was not an acceptable option. Meet the lawyers who birth laser litigation and turned winning in the courtroom into an art form.

This is the true but sad story of how and why Birmingham, Alabama Municipal Court Presiding Judge David L. Barnes lost his judgeship. In the end, unbridled sexual lust cost this longtime and distinguished jurist his judgeship.

It was the week before Christmas, 51 years ago. Mr. Charlie W. Pollard and another survivor led me to a small shack in rural Macon County, Alabama. The man inside the shack could not come to the door, but he called out for us to enter his tiny home after Mr. Pollard knocked loudly on the door and announced our presence. This man was dying from the effects of 40 years of untreated syphilis and related health problems. He was a fellow participant in the infamous Tuskegee Sy

McKinley Bailey was an incredibly brave civil rights warrior. Bailey, who had a genius IQ, was a rising GS-11 aerospace engineer at Redstone Arsenal’s U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) in Huntsville, Alabama. He specialized in designing missile guidance systems. He was also president of his local NAACP chapter. Bailey's brainpower was mesmerizing. This is his inspirational story.

Every profession has bad employees. Police departments around the nation are no exception. Yet, we cannot have peace in the streets of America without justice, and we cannot have justice without a healthy respect for police officers and the rule of law by all Americans.

The never-ending legal battles for justice in America continue, with no end in sight. These battles are just as cruel, ugly, and vicious as they were in the 1970s. This time, there are very few lawyers who are qualified, capable, and committed to fighting and winning them.

In high school, I wanted to become a residential architect. A book I read in college inspired me to become a lawyer, instead. I have experienced a rewarding legal career and an inspirational and energizing career in international business. My career journey has been amazing, and the opportunity zones afforded to me have been fascinating.

She was my first divorce client who was a marital rape victim. Her husband was a high-ranking state trooper. This is her incredible story.