The Wiggins Law Firm LLC
334 Sixth Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205)252-3999 / 

Tameka is a 2005 graduate of the University of Alabama and Talladega College where she graduated magna cum laude in 1993 with a BA in Finance. At UA, she received “Best Paper” for Transactional Drafting Corporate Law. She is an associate attorney for The Wiggins Law Firm LLC and practices Criminal Defense, Probate, Contracts, and Employment Law. She previously clerked for Whatley Drake LLC.

Tameka is affiliated with the Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar where she has chaired the Public Relations and Technology committees. She has served as the Community Outreach Chair for the Magic City Bar Association and is a Junior Board member for the YWCA Central Alabama. Past employment includes AmSouth Bank of Alabama as Management Associate Program Coordinator, Employment Specialist and Human Resources Officer, at Sonat Inc. as Recruiting and Community Relations Advisor, at Wachovia Corporation as Staffing Consultant, At Mirant Americas, Inc. as Staffing Consultant, University Relations Team Lead, and Energy Development Program Coordinator. She was also Compliance Consultant and HIPAA Analyst for BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama, as well as the Compliance Coordinator for Alabama Power Company.

The attorney who recommended Tameka said, “I have known Tameka since 2005. Tameka is very committed to the legal profession and the community. She currently serves as the Community Outreach Chair for the Magic City Bar Association. In this role, she recently organized and moderated an Alabama State Bar approved CLE entitled “Sharpen Your Practice.” The purpose of the seminar was to assist solo practitioners and attorneys with one to six years of experience in becoming more effective practicing attorneys. In 2010, she organized a Law Day at Christ Health Center in the Woodlawn community. At the Law Day, attorneys spoke with residents about criminal and landlord tenant law. Tameka is also an active member of the Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar. As a Women Lawyer Section member, she has taken on multiple responsibilities including, but not limited to, newsletter and public relations chair and program and special projects chair. Tameka brings zeal and resourcefulness to every project in which she is involved. She gives 100 plus percent to all of her endeavors. Tameka’s leadership in bar activities, her community service and her work experience make her an outstanding choice for the upcoming Forum. The Forum will allow Tameka to enhance her leadership skills which will assist her not only in the practice of law, but also in her bar activities.”

In her own words Tameka said, “I was never an outdoor girl. I hated the bees, wasps, mosquitoes, ants, beetles and every creepy insect found outside or inside. I dreaded leaving my air-conditioned home in Birmingham with cable television and MTV to stay with my grandparents – with no air-conditioning and a four-channel television. I also disliked waking up before dawn to plant peas, corn, turnip greens, watermelon, squash or any other vegetable that you can name. But despite those dislikes, my character was being developed, my patience was being tried and I learned a lot about life. These life lessons have prepared me for the practice of law. My grandparents instilled in me the importance of education and tenacity through the many hours spent on the porch listening to their insights about life. They humbled me by never allowing me to avoid manual labor or to overlook menial tasks. Through my summers on the farm, I saw first-hand the rewards of hard work and learned not to allow tough circumstances to discourage me. When I first began practicing law, I was making $20 an hour as a staff attorney summarizing depositions, conducting document reviews and answering phone calls from potential class members in a class action case. It was humbling. Prior to attending law school, I was a manager making $75,000 a year, and told people what to do. Now, at 34 years old, I was, once again, at the bottom of the totem pole. I knew and respected the concept of seedtime and harvest. I knew that keeping a good attitude and doing menial, routine tasks well has a huge reward – and it was. Farming also taught me that good things come to those who wait. In farming there are months between seedtime and harvest. But you cannot be idle as you wait to reap the results of your labor. You must pull up the weeds, water your crop and fertilize the soil. Becoming a quality, effective attorney, takes time. It means spending late nights reading cases, reviewing files, and going that extra mile to ensure that you are well-prepared for every court proceeding and every client meeting. It means realizing that this is the practice of law. The better you practice, the better you will perform. I remember my first bench trial. I spent several nights preparing; reviewing the facts; prepping witnesses; and studying the rules of evidence. I was so prepared, and yet, I lost. But my preparation helped me perform to the best of my abilities. And, next time, since I have more information and more experience, I just might win. My most important contribution to the legal profession and to the community is my desire to share information and to help people. I began my career in banking because I wanted to learn how to manage money so that I could teach others. I moved from banking into human resources so that I could learn and then teach others how to apply for a position and how to interview. Later, I pursued a law degree so that I could advocate on behalf of a client to resolve legal matters and teach others about basic legal issues. Although I have spent many years as a human resources professional and compliance analyst, my current practice is primarily criminal defense. I enjoy it and I am trying to make a difference. I see so many people that would be in a different place had their choices been different or if they exercised more self-control. If they understood that you cannot rush prosperity, even when the need is great, or even when your circumstances are unfair and intolerable, then they would not be facing jail time or have to manage the negative effects of a criminal record. So I take time with my clients, explaining the elements of the crime and helping them to see that they had options and the ability to make a different choice. I am hoping to increase my knowledge and expand my network. I want to be a more effective leader and effect positive change in the legal profession and the communities in which we serve. There are some things that you simply cannot read or find in a book. You must develop relationships with more experienced attorneys who have the knowledge and are willing to assist you. You cannot affect systematic change alone. It takes all of us working together to make a difference.”