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Judicial Award of Merit

Hon. Robert L. Minor – Presiding District Judge, St. Clair County. Judge Minor has led St. Clair County’s District Court since 2009 and established the county’s first Family Drug Court, which went on to be recognized as Alabama’s Drug Court of the Year. He currently chairs the Chief Justice’s Juvenile Task Force and serves on multiple statewide judicial and Supreme Court committees focused on juvenile justice, ethics, and dispute resolution.

Michael D. Ermert Award of Merit

H. Thomas “Tom” Heflin, Jr. – Retired civil litigator whose four-decade practice in Tuscumbia and Sheffield spanned asbestos defense, personal injury, municipal and education law, real estate, probate, and mediation. A past member of the ASB Board of Bar Commissioners and numerous Bar committees, Heflin is also a Fellow of both the Alabama Law Foundation and the American Bar Foundation. His long record of professional service and community leadership exemplifies the spirit of this highest honor of the Alabama State Bar.

William D. “Bill” Scruggs, Jr. Service to the Bar Award

D. Marcel Black – Marking 50 years in practice, Black has dedicated his career to the people of Alabama—as a practicing lawyer and through 28 years in the Alabama House of Representatives, where he championed legislation strengthening the justice system. A steady mentor in the Colbert County Bar, he has supported generations of younger attorneys.

J. Anthony “Tony” McLain Professionalism Award

Sharon D. Stuart – President & Claims Counsel, Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South (AIM); founding partner of Christian & Small LLP. Stuart’s career reflects sustained leadership in litigation, lawyer well-being, and risk management. A former president of both the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and the Birmingham Bar Association, she currently chairs the Alabama Supreme Court’s Standing Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure and serves on the ASB Board of Legal Specialization. She is widely known for her generous CLE teaching and mentoring.

Commissioners’ Award

H. Jerome Thompson – Moulton practitioner focusing on real estate and probate law, mediator, and long-serving community leader. Thompson is President of the Lawrence County Bar Association, a member of the ASB Board of Bar Commissioners, and past International Director of Lions Clubs International. Through a multi-organization partnership, he helped launch and fund the Lions Quest program, supporting adjudicated youth—now boasting strong completion rates and dramatically reduced recidivism. He also serves in a leadership role supporting the Bar’s Harvesting Hope rural access initiative.

President’s Award

Forrest S. Latta – Partner, Burr & Forman (Mobile). With 42 years in practice, Latta has served on the Alabama Board of Bar Examiners, the Alabama Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Rules of Evidence, and as Immediate Past President of the Mobile Bar Association. His recent writing in The Alabama Lawyer, highlighting declining numbers of rural practitioners, has informed access-to-justice discussions statewide. Latta was recognized by the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association for outstanding service and remains deeply engaged in professional and civic volunteer leadership.

Albert Vreeland Pro Bono Award

Michael W. Jackson – District Attorney (Fourth Judicial Circuit) and former Municipal Judge for the City of Selma. Jackson’s public service career includes nationally recognized prosecutions and sustained engagement with statewide professional leadership groups. He has long championed equal access to justice in the communities he serves.

Law Firm / Group Pro Bono Award

Jefferson County District Court Mediation Program – Revitalized in 2020 to help move a pandemic-related backlog, the program provides day-of-court, pro bono mediation in Small Claims and District Court cases in Birmingham. Volunteer mediators donated 100 hours in 2024, handling 50 cases and achieving a 52% settlement rate—delivering meaningful, swift resolutions for self-represented litigants and the courts.

Mediator Pro Bono Award

Charles L. Denaburg – Veteran Birmingham attorney whose decades-long practice evolved into a respected mediation and arbitration career. Admitted to practice before state and federal courts, the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court, Denaburg remains active in professional mediation organizations and continues to serve his community and profession.

Law Student Pro Bono Award

Savannah G. Nelson – Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. Nelson devoted hundreds of hours to civil legal aid work with the Montgomery Volunteer Lawyers Program, advocating for clients in eviction defense, garnishment reduction, and other critical matters while helping build a sustained student volunteer pipeline.

Maud McLure Kelly Award

Hon. Tamara H. Johnson – Jefferson County Circuit Civil Court Judge. Judge Johnson’s career spans prosecution, municipal leadership (including service as Birmingham’s first female City Attorney), advocacy, and decades of bar, bench, and civic involvement. She is the first African American female to receive the Birmingham Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Susan B. Livingston Award

Sherrie L. Phillips – Montgomery attorney concentrating in creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, and commercial litigation. A past chair of the ASB Women’s Section, Phillips serves on The Alabama Lawyer Editorial Board, the Bar’s Character & Fitness Committee, and numerous community boards, including an international children’s nonprofit. Her sustained mentoring and service reflect the award’s purpose.

Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship

Constance C. Hodges – Cumberland School of Law (Samford University). Ranking near the top of her class, Hodges combines academic excellence with service through internships in federal and local courts, leadership in student organizations, and community volunteerism. She plans to return to Anniston to practice family and probate law and to continue civic leadership.

Jeanne Marie Leslie Service Award

G. Douglas Benson – Partner, Dunsmore & Benson (Scottsboro). Benson’s ALAP Committee service, workers’ compensation practice, and commitment to supporting colleagues confronting substance use or mental health challenges earned him this recognition for exemplary service to lawyers in need.

Jesse Price Evans III Award

Sam Irby and Taze Shepard (posthumously) – Named the inaugural recipients of the Jesse Price Evans III Award, presented by the Solo and Small Firm Section. This award honors the legacy of the late Jesse Price Evans III—attorney, professor, author, and founding member of the section—and recognizes exceptional service, mentorship, and commitment to the legal profession.