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Get to Know These Members
Get to Know These Birmingham Bar Association Members
One of the most significant hallmarks of the Birmingham legal community is the professionalism and respect attorneys have for one another. This is possible because we get to know one another on a personal level and better understand the motives, values, qualities, likes and dislikes of our colleagues.
In this series, we will reveal some of the professional and personal details of BBA members’ lives so that you can “get to know” them better. Read on and you will likely realize that we are all more alike than we are different!
Get to Know BBA Member Hope Marshall
Q: Describe how you decided to become an attorney.
A: If I am totally honest, I must give the TV show “Matlock,” credit for opening my eyes to the legal field. As I learned more about the profession, I realized it was the best way for me to help those who could not help themselves, by giving them a voice.
A: Helping others and learning something new every day. It’s thrilling when you get to be part of justice being done, and even more rewarding when your client hugs you and says, “thank you.” I also love the camaraderie I have not only with my law partners, but also with co-counsel, opposing counsel, court officials, and law enforcement.
Q: Who is your role model in the legal profession and why?
A: I have a few role models in the legal profession — the top 3 are H. Clay Davis, Augusta S. Dowd, and Hon. Bill Bowen. They have all helped sculpt me into the attorney I am today. They showed me what it takes to be a diligent attorney, while also enjoying life outside the office.
A: Although I am a mother of 3 young children, I try to use my extra time to help with community service work, such as dedicating time as an Alabama Civil Justice Foundation Grant Evaluator, representing clients pro bono, and volunteering in the class room.
A: My family, work family and close friends are definitely what make Team Hope thrive.
Q: What is your favorite podcast?
A: I don’t have a favorite podcast. However, one of my mentees started a podcast called “Music Joy - Catch the Vibe.” I listen to it often.
Q: What is your motto at this stage of your life?
A: Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.
A: First, don’t sweat the small stuff. Every situation doesn’t need a response — learn what’s worth responding to.
Second, opinions aren’t facts. Stop worrying about what people think about you.
Third, believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.
Fourth, treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO.
Get to Know BBA Member Perryn Carroll
Q: Describe your role as the new Executive Director of the Jimmy Hale Mission and tell us a little bit about the organization.
A: Jimmie Hale Mission has served the homeless in Birmingham for over 78 years and consists of three facilities: Royal Pines, a center for men on 75 acres in Hayden; Jessie’s Place, a downtown Birmingham shelter for women and children facing homelessness; and the Shepura Men’s Center, which relocated in 2007 from the corner across from the downtown post office to the current campus just past Sloss Furnace.
Jimmie Hale Mission has always been a place where the homeless and hopeless have found a hand up. However, recent statistics reveal that more than 90% of the homeless population in our community is plagued by substance abuse. To combat this, Jimmie Hale Mission now goes beyond rescue to provide our Active Recovery program at all of our campuses. In Active Recovery, clients learn physical health, mental health, relationship health, vocational health and spiritual health. Additionally, each facility provides education remediation and job readiness in our learning centers.
After graduating from Active Recovery, most clients stay in our continuum of care program and in on-campus housing for approximately 6 months while they work and build up savings to live on their own. Through this process, clients go from homeless and hopeless to productive, contributing members of the community who are able to reunite with their families and break the generational cycle of addiction.
When my husband Mike and I formed our own law firm in downtown Birmingham in the 1990s, I first encountered the homeless. I could not imagine anything worse than being alone and homeless. We began volunteering at Jimmie Hale. After a while, then Executive Director Tony Cooper asked me to go from volunteer to board member. For the last 25 years, I have served on the board at Jimmie Hale, served meals, helped clients prepare for job interviews, helped in the business office or done whatever else was needed.
This past May, the Mission found itself in need of new leadership. I was chair of the board and knew that I could not let our clients and our dedicated staff go without the support they needed. So, I began serving as interim director and accepted the position of full-time Executive Director on Sept. 1. I see myself as both a leader for the mission's vision and a supporting cast for our front-line staff.
A: I have taught Sunday School and been involved in various aspects of the youth and contemporary worship program at our church, Canterbury UMC. I have also served on the board of Aletheia House since 2014 and have been a King’s Home “Show Your Love” campaign captain since 2015. With four sons, I am an experienced team mom (I am great at boy food), and even coached soccer one season (they were 5 years-old — so I just needed to bring good snacks).
A: Without a doubt, my husband Mike is Captain of Team Perryn. I could not ask for a more supportive soul mate. He keeps my crazy ideas in line, too. In starting lineup of Team Perryn are our boys, Caleb (and wife Adeline), Jacob, Zachary, and Sam, my SIL Beth, and the “mama mafia” who are there before I can even ask.
Q: What is your favorite podcast?
A: I know this is behind the times and I am missing out on so much great information, but I greatly prefer a few minutes of contemplative silence to a podcast. I definitely have a lot still to learn, but silence is underrated and helps me to mull my thoughts.
A: I am a natural-born advocate and love standing up for a cause or persuading someone to a position.
Q: What is your motto at this stage of your life?
A: I am driven by John Wesley’s quote: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
A: Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to conquer Rome in a day. Enjoy the journey and those dear to you.
Memorial Scholarship Contributions
Honor the life of a colleague or loved one through a gift to the Birmingham Bar Association Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Your tax-deductible gift is used to award scholarships to second-year and third-year law students at Birmingham School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Miles Law School and The University of Alabama School of Law.
Donations may be sent to the Birmingham Bar Foundation, 2021 Second Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203. For more information, please contact Jennifer Buettner Bates at 205-251-8006, ext. 3 or jbuettner@birminghambar.org.
We are thankful to the following generous donors for supporting this important scholarship program and carrying on a legacy of justice in future attorneys:
In memory of The Honorable Alfred Bahakel Leslie R. Barineau
In memory of John Brooks Jennifer Buettner Bates Robin L. Burrell
In memory of Carin Burford BBA Workers’ Compensation Section Larry King
In memory of Nancy L. Drummond Leslie R. Barineau
In memory of Michael D. Ermert
In memory of Professor Frank W. Donaldson
The Honorable Tom King Jr.
In memory of Robert Lee Sr. The Honorable Tom King Jr.
In memory of Rhoda Denaburg Link Robin L. Burrell
In memory of Eugene DeArmit “De” Martenson Leslie R. Barineau
Birmingham School of Law Professor Spotlight
Robert Keller teaches Legal Writing and Research and Legal Methods at Birmingham School of Law and has been here since 2019. Teaching runs in his family, with his maternal grandfather, mother, and sister all being teachers. He attended The University of Alabama for his undergraduate degree in English and for his J.D. In his spare time, Professor Keller enjoys Alabama football and is a lover of anime. He also enjoys reading and writing and has published a short story, the first chapter of which was recently a finalist in a fiction contest. He has been married to his spouse Randy for 20 years.
Keller is a partner at Russo, White & Keller, P.C., where he practices bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation, personal injury, corporate formation, and general litigation. Before Russo, White & Keller, he practiced at Dunaway & Greenway, then was a solo practitioner. He is admitted to the Alabama State Bar, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama.
Birmingham School of Law 231 22nd St. S, Birmingham, AL 35233 (205) 322.6122
