AUBURN, ALABAMA (JUNE 25, 2019) – The Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA) held its 55TH Annual Meeting in Destin, FL, June 13-15, 2019, swears in a new slate of Officers and Directors at the close of the meeting.
CHRISTINA MAY BOLIN was confirmed as the President of the Association. Bolin is a lead partner with the law firm of Christian & Small, LLP in the Mobile/Baldwin County office. Bolin was previously a founding member of Alford Bolin, LLC in Mobile until her firm merged with Christian & Small, LLP in 2018. Bolin has dedicated her practice to assisting clients in the development of strategic solutions to legal disputes and litigation risks. Since 2001 she has defended property and casualty losses, catastrophic casualty claims, complex insurance coverage questions, fraud and bad faith. She received her B.A. from Binghamton University and holds a J.D. from the Hofstra University School of Law.
ANDREW J. RUTENS assumes the position of President-Elect. Rutens is the managing partner for Galloway, Wettermark and Rutens, LLP in Mobile. Additionally, he serves as the City Attorney for Saraland. His practice areas are employment and labor law, government entity liability, law enforcement excessive force defense and general defense litigation. Andy previously served a three-year term on the ADLA Board of Directors and was serving his second term when he was elected to serve as an officer.
GERALD SWANN, JR. was elected as Secretary Treasurer. Mr. Swann is a partner at Ball Ball Matthews & Novak, PA Montgomery. He practices in the areas of Construction Litigation, Products Liability, serious personal injury and wrongful death. He has represented both commercial and residential contractors in disputes over construction quality and job site injuries. Additionally, personal injury claims arising out of the use of products in both the private sector and industrial settings have been a large focus of his practice. With over 32 years of litigation experience, he has taken numerous cases to verdict and/or arbitration decision. Mr. Swann is a 1983 graduate of the University of Alabama and 1986 graduate of Samford University Cumberland School of Law.
DENNIS R. BAILEY is immediate Past President. Bailey is a shareholder with Rushton Stakely Johnston & Garrett, PA in Montgomery. He works closely with corporate counsel and is therefore familiar with corporate litigation guidelines, reporting, and budgeting requirements. He has managed and argued complex litigation for corporate manufacturing, insurance, and financial services clients as pro hac vice counsel in federal or state cases in Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and California. He has served for years as general counsel for the Alabama Press Association and other media clients, and now supervises a statewide media hotline. In September 2018, Mr. Bailey became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. He is also a member of the Defense Research Institute.
The ADLA welcomed the following new members of the Board of Directors to serve a three-year term ending in 2022:
Daniel F. Beasley, District 1, Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, Huntsville
Stephen Still, Jr., District 2, Starnes Davis Florie LLP, Birmingham
Amanda Hines, District 3, Rushton Stakely Johnston & Garrett PA, Montgomery
Jeffrey L. Luther, District 4, Luther Collier Hodges & Cash LLP, Mobile
About the ADLA: Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA) is a professional organization of over 900 attorneys dedicated to the defense of civil actions and the promotion of fairness and integrity in the civil justice system. For more information about the ADLA, please contact (334) 395-4455 or visit www.adla.com.