Dennis R. Bailey

After serving as a federal law clerk in the Middle District of Alabama for one year, Mr. Bailey began practicing law with the firm in 1980 and has been a shareholder since 1983. Building upon a strong background of product liability and insurance defense, Mr. Bailey's practice has evolved into handling a variety of complex litigation directly for clients who are either self-insured or have control over the selection of defense counsel.

Mr. Bailey 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 also represented clients in construction arbitration proceedings and has served as an arbitrator.

A former newspaper reporter, cartoonist and magazine editor, Mr. Bailey has been involved in media law since 1980, particularly matters involving First Amendment rights and open government. He has served for years as general counsel for the Alabama Press Association and other media clients, and now supervises a statewide media hotline.  

Recent Practice Highlights

Led the Rushton Stakely trial team which after nine days of trial in federal court obtained verdict of $1.825 million for construction company against engineering firm in a case involving the construction of an aircraft hangar.

Argued and won summary judgment for a regional bank sued by borrowers in Alabama for failing to monitor construction litigation; case is currently on appeal.

Argued and won summary judgment for an Alabama newspaper in libel case filed by an elected official; case was affirmed on appeal.

Argued and won summary judgment for Texas cancer insurance company in civil cases filed for 17 plaintiffs in Arkansas on question of "actual charge."

Honors and Awards

While attending Auburn University, Mr. Bailey was a scholarship baseball player and was a member of the student newspaper staff. He made the Academic Baseball Team in 1975 and was named to the Outstanding College Athletes of America.

Mr. Bailey is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and has been selected one of The Best Lawyers in America (2008 - 2013). He has been AV peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell for many years; commended by Joint Resolution of the Alabama Legislature for work in drafting Alabama Open Meetings Act of 2005 and by the board of directors of the Alabama Press Association for helping to pass that legislation. Mr. Bailey was the recent decisions editor for Cumberland Law Review and a member of Cumberland School of Law's Curia Honoris Society.

Mr. Bailey has been named as a “Top Lawyer” in the Litigation 2011-Supplement to The American Lawyer® & Corporate Counsel, Spring Edition.

In November 2011, Mr. Bailey was selected for inclusion in "Top Lawyers: Commercial Litigation" by The American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel.  This special supplement includes The Best Lawyers in America® 2011 Annual Guide to Commercial Litigation. American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel magazines distribute the annual guide to their combined readership, highlighting the top firms and attorneys in the area of Commercial Litigation.

Publications

"Defamation in Alabama," Jones Law Review (2000)

"1975: A Code Odyssey," Cumberland Law Review (1979)

Presentations

May 2010: Alabama Press Association Webinar: Media law Refresher Course 

Adjunct Professor: Department of Journalism, Auburn University:"Mass Media Law and Press Ethics."  2007 - 2009 

Alabama Bar Institute:  "Removal Jurisdiction in Federal Courts: The New Standards" and "Recent Developments in Civil Procedure" 

"American Products Liability Overview" - Swedish Manufacturers Association (Stockholm) 

"The Alabama Open Meetings Act of 2005" sponsored by the Alabama Press Association in conjunction with the Attorney General of the State of Alabama

Adjunct Professor, Jones School of Law: Conflicts of Law, 1983

Community Involvement

Mr. Bailey is involved in a number of community activities and has coached youth baseball for many years. He is a member of the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery, Alabama. He is also a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, serving as the liaison for the firm's participation in the MOW program.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Capri Film Society.