Lawyer 3 87 web by Alabama State Bar Association

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Schroeder. Hoffman and Thigpen on

ALABAMA EVIDENCE INTRODUC10RY PRICE

S89.96 RBIIIl'.f ly S74 91>

bV William A. Schroeder, Jerome A. Ho ffm an and Richard Thigpen

In thi s comprehensl\I& Okamlnlllion 01 th e rule s 01 Aleberna Evidence, the au thors present an In·dopth disc u SSio n o f aU areas 01 evidentiary procedures from the rolatlvely ' "'!'Iple way s to object to eVidence ttlrough competence, privileges. relevance, Impeachment the best (Mdence lule and parol o\lldence Many sec ti ons can ta n 8 discussion 01 Fedelollawand how il compares to it a Alabama counterpart Case law IS thoroughly ci t ed throughOut the book . An excellent re ference tool 101 bo ttl tile

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r - - - - Table 01 ContenlS - - - , Obltllnmo, OIlO"no lind ObJec tlno to EVIdence ' Competence • e_6mmrlllon W,1I18l581 • Relevance and l ,muahons on the Adml S$IOI'I 01 Releva nt Evidence ' Pf,v,legel • tmpeaChment • E_pen Teslln'lony • Helll laY • Authentica tion and Ic!entillca t,on - Rul(l s 90 1, 902, 903 • Specla' Au'ea Relating to Wlltmgs Th e BeSI EVidence Rule and Iho Parol Evidence Rule ' Real and Oemon8lflllive EVldonco ' Judlcilli Nollce ' PtOlumptl ons BUldens Pi ool lind PlusulISlon

About Ih. Authors _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ Schr_ " ",.. wd hi. 8 A _ J 0 IlhflOll If'Id ~,' II ~ II"", 1i.. ~ .. cI la ... Sclloc' 1ie.1 • ~ o' lhe

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Unestablished Business ..... 78

Snakes and l adders .. . ..... 94

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In commercial li tigation a dRlm for 10$\ profits Is frequently the focal point of il damage award , Can a plaintiff recover lost profits for a new bu siness "emurel

Should a lawyer drafting a will for il dient resisllhc temptation to serve a. (!xccutorl There are obvious pitfalls con(rontlng a lawyer electing 10 accept an executorship.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE President's Page ....... .......

Book Review . . .....

E>eccutivc Director's Repor1 . . . . ..

101 105 107 11 0

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Postmaster: Send address chil!lges to The Alaba ma l.wyer, P.O . Bolt 4 156, Mon tgomery, Al 36101.

The Alabama Lawyer

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Recent Decisions Young Lawyers' Scclion

About Members, Among Fi rms . . . Riding the Circuits. . . . . . . . . . . . Bar Briefs . . . ......... ele opportunities .. . Consultant's Corner . ..........

72 7S

Legish.ltivc Wrop-up .. Memorials ., , ••

DiSCiplinary Report ... , MelE News . .

Editorial ...

90 96

Classified Notice$ ...

"' "' 113

President's Page By now each of you shoul(! h~ recei YCd the latest edition of the Alabama and acknO'Nledge the fact that Bar Directory. While the new form al and the ma jority of the accomplishments ilnd size are more e~pen5iyc, both in producsuccess of our association is due to thc tion an(! mailing costs, I h~ receI....-d nu\IOlun teer commil1ee work of OU f merous CornlTlCflts from Alabama la-.vyers membership. prilislng the book, espe~:lally ilS larger type The value of Ihe service 10 Inc b.l( by an(! 1<I)<lU1. Thanks 10 committee leadm volunlL'er dll<)rn('YS amoun ts to appro,,· Do!oIhy NOI\'.OOd, BI'l'Oda Smith 51edham imlllcly TWO "I UNDRED FIFTEEN al\d Rick Flowers for Ihis f ne v.orit. Tl"IOU$AND DOLLARS (S2 15,OOO.OO) As alwJY5, the Young Law~rs' Section annually, If these 13wyers were paid II is full of energy and vitality, especially modest hourly biUing fOlIe. The 5<l crifice Ihis yc." under th£! (clld£!nhip of Claire and dcYQrlon of commlttf,,'e chairmen BlilCk. I had Ihe pleasure of attending one and members allow the bar 10 Cilrry on (If Iheir recen t £!xocu t l~ committee SCRUGGS its progr"ms while k(.'(!ping bar membermeetings and wa ~ quit£! In'pressed with ship cost at a ~asonable 1~1. the scope and fe-ult of their work. laSt ~ar\ committee on computerization, chaired by January 1, 1987, marked a n£!W sYSlem of glM!f/lance for I lamld Speake, has dol'lC an outsl1lnding job in the selec· th~ "Iabama State Bar. lIs of thaI date, the ElI.e(u l i~ Comlion, Installation and programming of our new compu ter mitl£!e of the bar has authority 10 make decisions between system. As those of you who h.we been through iI klllm, nleetlngs of the board of bar commissioners. A greater the conver!ion to compoter can btl an exasperal lng and degree of continuity is assured by statute with the presexpensive process. l h,mks 10 lhal commltlCoC Ihe comence on the commi ttee of the past presiden t and the presI)Uleriziuion of Ihe bilr has bcon r£!lalivcly I)ainless. The Ident-elcct. The Executive Committee's abi ity to act for result Is very impressive and wi ll continue to PilY dividends the b.1r is an ill>sol~I'e nfo'(;;e"sily in this day of r.tpldly changIn the fu ture. illg demilnds ilnd expt."(tlltloIlS. The Permrlnent Code Commission, under the palien! Thc next I)r(.'$ident of Ih£! state bar, of course, wUi be and careful leadership of Wilbur Silberman, has been elected by II mail ballot, and the number of b..lr commisplowing through the ABA's proposed model rules of consioners will be Incleased by aPl)ro~ l ma tel y ten (10); product for attorocys. Their ,.15k is wilhou t question the laIRest, jections now are that Bimlingh"m will have an additional most far-re~ching un(!ert<tking in r(.'cent bar hiStory. The six (6) commlssionoo, Montgomery 1\'00 (2), B£!SSCfT1er one commission Is making a \'lOrd-byword and line-bv-line (I), Tuscaloosa onc (11 and Huntsville one (I). revl(.'W of thc model rules, comparing them with the The t\'lO most imponant llnd, frankly, burdensome comAlabama Code of Prokss ional Re$ponsibilily. I am confimittees of )'Our bar have to do with admission to prilctlce, dent th" t when the commission gl~ Its report to the boord The three p.1nels of the Chilrilcter and Fitness Committee, of b." commi ssioners, the new rules governing our con, haiwd 1'eSpt..'Cti vely by Wanda Devereaux, J"mes Jerry duct wi ll h.1VC been as thoroughly reviewed as Ihose of Wood ;lIld CllfQllne W!ll s I-tlnds, must wade through hunany b." In the country. dreds of appllclllions per )'eM, and the actions of Ihese

idw;IY throug h the bM year Is

the apilropriatc ti me to IhlUSC

March 198 7

p.lncis directly determine lhe (juali!y and makeup of your bar. I wry much appreciate their service and dedication. The Bo.lrd of Bar Examiners of the Alabama State Bar has a oatlonal reputJtlon for thorough and ftl ir elC.lminillion, <lnd David Ik¥f and his predecessors dCSCMl all the crt.-dit. The preparation, adminl~lrdtlOf'l arId gradi ng of the Alabama es!kIy portion of the bar exam Is a tremendous effort. A number of states havc aoondoned or subst.lntJally reduced their loc'llized or ess..lY bar I!X..lm requirement and rely entirely or almost entirely on the multi-state ex,lm to 5(rt..'Cn admi llees. II Is a gteal sMisfacrion th,1t in this state, Wl! still havc lawyers \lllIllng 10 make a real and substan!!al saerfflce 10 prepare li nd administer a localized e~am, In spite of thc trauma associated with It. Although not a prosr,lm of the Alabama Stolle Boll, I would like to congratulate the Alabama TriallawYCf5 and their Prople's L'IW Sc:hool Commiu(.>(!, ch"Irt..'£I by AI J. Sansone, for dc·..·ciolling one of the most Innavati-..e, popular and civically responsible prog'ams I na-..e ever seen. The People's law School is at once edu· cational, iln enn'lneer of the lawYCf5' 1magc, and, further, has economy of skill, all [0 [hc ~t er'll th:1I it deservt'S 10 be a permanent program. Dennis B.1lskc and his Indigent Dt.... fense Committee hOlVC completed rt..'Com· mendations and study on the level of competence of ,1ppointed counsel, the results of which will be Sloen In The A/<lbama Lawyer In the future. Dennis is serving his fourth term as chairnllln ;'lncl is 11 national expert in the neld. Finall y, I want to plJISC the membors of the M,lOdatory CLE Commission, PolSt 11l1d present, for their di ligence in the even·handed administration of the Cl E rult!s over the last five years. Fourteen states have adopted such rules since Alabama's 'Here adopted and ~ril l of them havc paltemcd their ,ules and adminlstrativc poliCies aftcr tho S(! of the Alab.lma State Bar. Under thc leadership of Richard Hanley, Jonn Scott and, atl)rcSCrll, Gary Huckaby, this program has been successfu l and wcll-devclol:ted .•

The Alabama Lawyer

MEET DAVY CROCKETT.

HIS TITLE: OF THE WILD FRONTIER!

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Executive Director's Report Lawyers and the Legislature "wyers historically have been lie-

l iv~

in Ihe aff1'l ir$ Of government and contribUled to the foundation

of our country since lis earliest days. Forty person s signed the Un ited Siaies COrlsfilu lion; Ihirteen of those, or 35 percent, w ere I"wyers, In Alabam a, I.. wyers long have fjlled posi tions of leadership from Ihe precinct

10 the stille Capi tol. Many pOsitive (II;compli shmenrs have been made by Ihese public SCrvtH11SIn yearSpAst-and In spite

or their diminish ing numbers,

am confident they will continue In the

future . I confine my comments to lawyers and rhe legi sl(ltive climMe in Montgomery I have observed or worked in (or o ver 20 years. I genuinely (1m concerned about the :Inti-lawyer atmosphere Ihill l ~ <lnd abou t which you probably have read. t hope you Me equolly cOr\cemoo because your state b..l r needs your help In stemming this tide by working with your legIslators "back home," That person who would oppose an is· ~lle just 1x.~i1use it is " i1 Iilwyer 's bill " would be 11;!5s likely to do 50 i f his neighbor, city att orney or P.T.A. member "Ii"lwyer-frlend" took the time to articu late his or her sen timents on th e issue. Your leslslator most probably Is tl1inking of " o tner" lawyers If he or she 15 caught up in so-called antl. lawyer sen· timent. Believe m e-such sentime nt is

pre sently at an ali - time high In MOntgomery. The current speaker of the Georgia House of Representa ti ves, a lawyer, recen tl y wrote to thm bar on the subject of lawyer. legislatOls, He said : " t n,m lv ~dhe,e to Ihe preml5e I h~1 If we as la""Yers seve our clients 10 the best of our abililiel, treat our clierHs as we would like to btl Ircaltod ~nd in !len. iir.ll '00 ourS(:tves' we WOn 't hnve to wQr,v HI)(lI.JI any w-<:alled aOlII -lawyer sentiment " Mr, Speaker M urllhy reviewed the factors reduci ng the nlMl1ber of lawyers will. ing to seek legislative office. They in. cluded il practice of lilwthill nQW is more involved, as well a$ the amount of time legislative service lakl;!S from il practicE!. Infl atiOn and th~ COSt of running on~'s praclice, in addi tion to the gCl\eral costs o f gell ing elected, have had a r'cgallvc impact on Ihe number of lawver. leglsla. to rs, Finally, he ti ttS the ominous situa· tion invol ving potentiill, perceived ilno real conflicting interests. Giv~ n this inCrCil){.'(.! anti-lil w ycr $(!n timent in the legi slative ~nvironment and the dt.'dining tawyC!r-legi slator popula11011, It Is gOing 10 be Increasingly difficu lt 10 be sure our views on what is in the publiC Interest-and, yes, wh at 15 in our professional interest- are accorded a fa ir hearing. YOU are the key, if we ilre 10 conti nue to fulfill our h istoric role in the governmenTal p rocesses.

HAMNER

I would be surprised if you do nOI en· joy more thllr\ a nodding acquolnlar\Cc with one or more of yoU! county' s legislative delega tion members, You probably were asked to contribule to a Cilmpilign or two. Do not be til ken for gr'lIlted-YOll have ton sliluent right s, 1001W hen t il lied upon by you r local bar associa tion, your bilr COmmissiOner Or a ( I)mmin(!C Or SeCtion of Ihl1 slale bar ar\d bar leadership, I urge yoo 10 be preparcci to do some real " hon\ewolk ," That Is w hem the grade will be made. Lawyers are uniq uely qualified to make positive con tribu tions to Ihe legi slative process. Let us not be subje(;tcd 10 11 dcfiluh judgment. • - Reginald T. Hamner

Ma rch 1987

(The views expressed here are thO~e o( the author and not necessarily tho~(1 or the bar, /1$ officers or members.)

Dear EditQr: Respondi ng to Jim North's " Presi dent's Page" article in The AllIbamawwyCf last May, and because the legi slature Is expected 10 take up th e issue of " tort reform" again during its llpcomll1g scsslol1, I submit a few though ts on the subject. Despite Mr. NOrth's IISsertions, there is no single cau se motivating efforts to change the tort reparatlol1s Sys tem; the flngcr cannot be pointed solely at the inSU rllllce industry. The c ri sis, if there be one, Is not solely an insw,lnce crisis. l im condemns the insurance Industry for "compet ing frantically for premium dollars when Interes t Tates were ,1t historic highs,H by ch~rglnglCMtCr premiums when investment return s per'r'rlltted it i1nd then rai si ng premiums when they did 1101. This argues th~ t insurers. should have conspimd to keep premiums high arrd reap windfall profit s from high interest rales. To blame Insurers for high premiums and limited availability is akin to ~hooting the messenger. ll1surance premIums and availilbility <lfe a reflection of risks and investment returns. As Jim poin ts ou t, insurers are competillve. If risks could IX! profit.lbl y underwritt en, or at lower premiums. Ihey would. Jim (ail s 10 account for the fo ct that, for the past ten years, verdicts have increased (It an flVCragc of 15. 23 J)€rcent annually. Many of Ihc largest increases In verdicts coincide with the highest increases in th~ con sumer price Index. lury verdicts, be. ginningln 1979, rose dramalica lly, juml~ ing from a 6.5 l>ercen! Increase in 1978 to 30A9 percent In 1981. In 198), Ihe ra te of incre(lse beg.l n to decline, going from 27.54 percen t to 12.24 percenl for part of 1985. There Is a popular perception that hlsur;lIlce premium s and i1VJilabll1ly do reflect loss exposure and, as Jim observes, that the tort repar,l tio ns system should be re-cvalua tiXl and. marly say. revised, to 1000000r the loss exposure ar\d, pl"(!:Sumably,

insurar\ce premiums, and make Insurance more readily available. I agree with Jim In his o~rviltir:m ~r(1t the bar shou ld be in th e forefront of ~ny stu dy or revislorl of the tart system. Obviously law'y\!rs. are more concerned and have more ~nO'Nledge of the tort system tharl ;.tny other group of ci ti l!el1S. If we leilve th e proi('C1 lo othefl, we are likely to find that the baby has been thrown out with the bath water and the house burn!..'" to rid It of tcrmir(!i .... Jim North's ilSS(!tIior"l thar "i l Is well documented that Insurance rates have not come down in state s adopting 'tort reform'" is unsubstantiated, in his piece and in feu,;t. In many "tort reform" jurlsdic. tl o ns the "reform" has been more cosmetic than real, offsetting one measure with ,mother of oPl>os'te effect. In most it is too early to conclude what the result will be. H~r, the Ir"l stilute for Civil Justice reports that carefully drawn "tort reform" measures have apparently lowered medical malpractice premiUnl $. No rea son IS evidenl witt similar results would 110 1 be obtaint.>d in other areas, In principal, and In pr.lctlce over most of its severJ! cen turies, our torI system is the best yet devised for the redress of wrongful injury and damage. Public acceptance hilS supported it, because it appealed to most people as being ba sically fair arId sensible. BUI there is nO'N under\lable pressu/'C for adlustment s, ,lnd I am convinced that Intransigence is the road 10 dlsllster for us in the liti8alion bar. Some of us contend that comparallve negligence would be an improvement In our lort Sys tem, .md that elCtension of the

Please ser\d yo ur editorial s ,mel len ers I Q:

The Alab<1m<1 L<lwyer P.O. Bo x 4 156 Montgomery, Al 36 101 YI.JUr op inions o n subjects of interl'S t to other AlabillThl La wye r~ arc al w [l Ys welcomed.

Editorials one-yeilr period of limitation was an 1m· provement. "lmpr()V(!ment" possIbilities surely are not confined to measures cal. culated to fadlilat", plaintifk' re(overie ~, or to enhance them. The popular perceptlO!l Is clearly thllt Ihc sys tem is out of balarlce. \10k: Itrw)1'lr'S in litigation had best involve ourselves In readlu!llng thaI balance before it is thrOW"n out of kilter In another directior\ andlo r we are removed from il. Sincerely yours, Poltrlck W. Richardson Huntsville, Al J,lmrar y 15, 1987 Dear Edito r: I read the edi torial by Mr. J. Edwtrrd Thornton with much Interest, having experienced the S[lme situations In the Army. Today I rei.1d the coul11er-editorial by Ms. lindsey R. Gravlce. To the most casual observer. it appears that M s. Cr.wlee missed the point (j Mr. Thornton's editorial. Simply put, I vli!'WCd his editorial as a commentary on altorru.-ys, not secretaries. I suggest tha t most at· torneys have encoun tered, to varying degrlXls, the fru Stration described by Mr. Thorn ton, and as a resuit, read his editorial in the same vein as I. It lIppcars that Ms. Gravloo may nQW work for attorneys not ir\clLided in Mr. Thornton's editorial. but apparc!ltly b still defensive about her former empl¥fS. Cert(llnly she is correct in asserting that secretaries shou lder most of the blame when working for an attorney match ing the description in Mr. Thornton's editorial. Tharlk yOu for your time. Jo hn R. Stewart, Jr. Major, JudKe Ad vocate Gener., I's Corps U.S. Ar my JanUJry 20, 1987

About Members, Among Firms ABOUT MEMBERS Mari o n Spina i~ pleased to announce his association WiTh The firm of Kim, Chang & Lee in the practice of Intern'lllon:.1 law. Offices are located al the Inlcrnalionallnsuranee Building.. 8th floor, 120, 5·ka, N<lmdacmun·ro, Chul1S,ku, Seoul tOO, Korca. Phone 82·2·777·9061.

• ut,

Crady O. lanier, formerly the Covington County dlS(tlct att orney, announce~ the opening of his office

at 5 Court Square, Andalusia, Ala· bilma 36420. Phone (205) 222·1158.

•

LJuren l, Decker announces her association wi th th e firm of MMl in, LlVan & Anderson, p,e., 1140 Mon·

Joseph G, Gamble, Jr., formerly secretilry 11m:! a~siSliln t gen<!rill c;;ounsci for Torchmark Corporation, annoum:es the opening of hi s oftlce at Suite 100, 2120 16th A\17!nuto, SOuth, Birmingham, AlabJma 35205. Phone (205) 933-1065.

•

Michael F. Terry announces the relocation of his office to lt6lce Strcet, N.E., Decatur, Alabilma 35601. Phone (205) 351-1911.

•

It:oAnnc Est ~ Donner announc;;es th e opening of her office at 502 14th Street, Phenix City, I\labama; the mailing address is P. 0. Box 1369, Phef1lx City, Alabama 36866·1369. Phone (20S) 297-6478.

arch PIUltl, 3414 Peachtree Rond, N.E., Atlanta, Georgi;] 30326. Phone (404)

231-9800.

•

J. Rich.lrd Duke announces the opening of his office at 500 Bank for Savings Building. Birmingham, Alabama 35203. Phone (205) 328-2200.

•

Barr y A. Friedman aMounccs the relocation of his offices to 115 Sou th Dearborn Street, East Chu rch Street Hi storic District, Mobile, Alabama 36620. Phone (205) 432-2660.

•

H . Jere Armstrong has been appointed as a United Slales Immigr.llion Judge and Assist,lIlt Chief Immigration ludgc. A nMive of Dothan, Armstrong was counsel to the chief immigration Judge prior to his ap. pointmcr)1. He now re~ides In Annandale, Virginia, with his wife and two dAughters,

•

Thad Yarll:ey, Jr., announccs th e reloca ti on of hb offiCe to 114 Williams Street, Troy, Alabama 36061-1912. Phone (205) 566-3400.

•

Ern L~ 1

•

N. Blasingame. Jr., announc· es the relocation of his office to 206 South Pine Street, Suite 203, P.O. Box 1402, Florence, Alabama 35631. Phone (205) 764·1224. He previously W.1S a member of tI,e law firm of POliS, Youn g, Blasingame & Pulnam, Florence, Alabamil.

•

Carol J. Millicall announces that she has chanSoo tll!~ local ion of her law office from Birmingham, AliIbama, to 115 Malf1 Street. E.• P.O. Box 1025, Rainsville, Alabama 35986. Phone (205) 638·4453.

•

Joseph w . w.llker announces the opening of his pr.1ctkc at 960 East Andrews Av(>nue, P,O. Box 1487, zilrk, Alabama 36360. Phone (205) 7745533.

AMONG FIRMS M,lrIinson & BCilSon annoul'cc Ihc association of Charles Hooper, former assisl<1n t district altorn<.y, with offices at 11 5 North Side Square, Huntsville, Alaooma 35801. Phone (205) 533-1666.

•

The law firm of John T. Mooresmith, P.C., is pleased 10 announce tha t Sheryl To11ar 0 .1C5O, formerly le8<11 counsel for Providence H051)ital. has hocomli! I,lf (Ounsel to Ihl,! firm, with offices at 2970 COllage Hill Road, Suite 158, Mobile, Alabama 36606. PhOrl€! (205) 479-0953.

•

Cassady. Fuller & Marsh an· nounce thn! Mark E. Fuller has I» come a partner of the firm, with of. fi ces at 203 Easll.ee, P.Q Drawer 780, Enterprise, Alabama 36330. Phone (205) 347-2626.

•

Kevirl Teague arld lohrl Zingarelll annou nce the formation of a partnership under the name Teague and Zingarelli, with offices located at 2128 6th Ave., S.E., Su ite 509, Decatur, Ala· bama 35601. Phone (205) 350-1264.

•

Dalch & Hingham, of Birmingham Md Montgomery, AI;.bama, announce that WtIlIMI H. Satterfield, formerly general counsel of the Fed, eral Energy Regulatory Commission and deputy solicilOr for the U.S. DeP<Jrtmenl of lhe Interior, has joined Ihe firm as a partner. Phone (205) 2518100 (Birmingham) and (205) 8346500 (MOntgomery).

•

The law Orm of lyons, Pipt.'S & Cook af1(1Qunces that Oby T. Rogers and c.uoline l. C. M cCarlhy have become associated with lhe firm, with offices at 2 North Royal Street, Box 2727, Mobile, Alabam~ 36652. Phone (20S) 432-4481.

P.o.

•

The members of the firm of Miller, Hamilton, Snider & adorn announce that Richard P. Woods, li>!;ter M. Bridgeman and louis T. Urbanczyk have become p.1rtners of the firm, and Joseph R. Sullivan ilnd Thomas P. Oldweiler hil\lC become a;sociatfJd

March 1987

with the firm. Also, the W,lshlngton, DC, fiml of Bridgeman & Urbanczyk hilS merged with Miller, Hamilto n, Snider & a dorn. Mobite offices are located <I t 254-256 Stille Street, 36603. Phone (20S) 432·1414.

lo ney announces thai l ynn Belt Schu l)pert ;md Kenne th M. Schu ppert, Ir., hiM:! become members of the firm, with offices at 802 B,lJ1k Street, P.O. Box 1469, Decatur, Alabama 35602 . Phone (205) 353-7826.

The law firm of Loggi ns & lDggins announces the dosing o f their o ffices In Opp, Alabama, as of January 15, 1987. li rno lh)' H. Loggins has accepted a position as ~ t aff attorney with Ala· bama Electr ic Cooperative, Inc., in Andalusia, A,abama, and Eugen'" L. Loggi ns has been ell'Ctcd distriCt attorney for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, Covin8Ton County.

Ha nd, Arendall, Bed sole, Greavt.'$ & lohnsto n, 30th Floor, First National 8ank Bldg" Mobile. Alabama, an· nounces that T. Bruce McGowin alld O rrin K. Ames, 111, have become members of Ihe firm.

•

SIt.'Ve n O. Ti p ler onnounces th€! associa tion of Michael S. Herri ng and the relocation of his offices to the 6th floor, FiHley Building. 1929 Third Avenue, N., Birmingham, Alabama 35203. Phone (20S) 326-6800.

•

The firm of Floyd, Kee ne r & Cusima no announces that lam es E. Hcdgspelh has left the (lrm to serW as Etawah County district attorney and that Mar v Ann Stack ho u se has become associated with the firm. The firm name hasbecn changed to Floyd, Kee ne r, Cusi nlano & Robe rts wilh o(fices at 616 Chestnu t Street. Gads· den, Alabama 35999·2701. Phone (205) 547-6328.

•

Phc1ps, O Vo\!ns, Jenkins, G ibson &I Fowler announ(C!'s the association of Susie T. Carver and the relocation of the firm to 1201 Grl.'Cnsboro Avenue, I~O Drawer 20, TuscJloo~a, Alabama 34502-0846. Phone (205) 345-51OQ.

•

The law firm of Colebeck &I Ya tes announces Ihal I. Wi lson Mitchell has becomc a member of the firm, which will continue the practice of taw un· der the nC'W name of Colcbl'Ck, Va tes & Mitc hell. Offices Me located at Suite 300, Firsl Federal Building, Flor· cnce, Alabilma 35630. Phone (205) 764·0582.

•

The law firm of Blackburn a nd Ma·

Tile Alnbllmll Lawyer

• •

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401. Phone (205) 349-4300.

•

The IOlW firms o( Hr Oln ti ey & Calhoun and Clower & W.ttklns announce the merger 0( lhe firms under Ihe name of Calhoun, W.t tkln s & Clower. Richard F. Cal ho un, Keith W,llkins and lames G. Clower are pal1ncrs In the firm, with olfices located ill 104 Sooth Brur,d ldgc SIIl.'i!t, Troy, Alabama 36081. Phone (205) 5660424.

•

Roger C. A p~ II , lames S. Oste r, J. Edmund Odum, Ir., and TOI11 F. IDung, Ir., o1nnounce the relocation of their offices to the Leary Redus Building, 2122 First Avenue, N., Birmingham, Alabama 35203.

Crownover &I Black anllQunces that Cind y S. W.l ld ha~ OOcome an associ· ate of the firm, with offlce~ at 2600 7th Street, P.O. Box 2507, TUSC1JOOsa, Alnb,lnla 35403. phone (205) 349·

Prince, McG uire & Coogler, P.C., announces thaI Ion M Turner, Ir., and R. Shan P.tden havl! lx"Come aS50ciatt'S In the firm, with offices at 2500 6th Slrt"Ct, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401. Phone (205) 345·1105.

The law firm of Schael, O,le and Dent on announces that Douglas I. Cenl eno has become a partner In the firm. The firm also announces that Ed ga r C. Ge ntl e, lit, formerly assoclaled wi th the law office d James l. North, has bt."Come a panner In thc firm. Offices arc loe<lled at Third Floor WilliS Building, 2008 Third Avenue, N., Blrmingh.tm, Alab.tma 35203. Phone (205) 324.4893.

• •

Rosen, Harwood, Cook & Sledge, P.A., announces Ihat C. Barton Adcox has become a sharehoklcr.... mployce, effective lanuary I, 1987, and that Kathryn McCull ough Ho.rwood is a new associ:lIe. Offices arc locatt>d at 10201 ur1een Wallace Boult'Volrd, N., P.O. Box 2727, TuscalOOSJ, Alabama 35403. Phone (205) 345-544Q.

•

80 1t, lsam, Jackson & Bailey, P.e., announces that ThomJS H. You ng has become a pmtner in the firm, and Thomas B. Richardso n has jOin(.>d the firm as all associate, with offices ilt 822 leighton Avenue, P,O. Box 2066, Anniston, Alabama 36202. Phone ~205) 237-4641 .

•

The law firm olTanner &I Guln, p.c., annOur1ces that Bruce P. Ely and Kim Ingram L1ry h<l\l(! lx.'Come members of the firm, effective J ~11U'lry 1, 1987, and that the firm wlll now be known as Tanner, Guin, Ely & lAr y, P.c. Offices are;U Suite Capitol P<lrk Center, 2711 University Boulcv.lrd,

roo.

1727.

•

la mes W. Webb, Ro bt!rt D. Crump· ton, Ir., Jnd Thomas C. McGregor, formerly of I/okbb, Crumpton & McGregor; Ro be rt E. Sasser ;md Jo hn T. Alley, Jr., fornlerly of Jones, Murr.ty and Stewart, P.C.; and lanw s E. Dav is, formerly of Azar, Campbell & Alar, announce the formation of il parmer· shi p for the general practice of law, under the nal11l! Webb, Crum pto n, McG regor, SaSSer, Davis & Alley, and Ihilt Do rothy Wells Li ttleton, former law clerk to United States District Judge Truman M. H~, has become associated with the firm. Offi(es Me loe.lled at 166 Commerce Street, Monlgomery, Alabama 36104. Phone (205) 823·2250.

•

Effl'Clive December 31, 19B6, the law firm of Al ar, Campbell & Az.u was dissolved. \-\Vod ley C. Camp bell

and w. Clark Camp~lI, Jr., announce thl! formation of Campbell & Campbell, atlOrrl eys at law, and the relcx:atiOI1 of their offices to 25 W.15hingt(m Avenue, Suite 201, P.o. Box 5018, M ontgomery, Alabama 36103. Phont'! (205) 262-0232.

•

The law firm of F.lrmer & Farm er, P.A., announces Ihilt W. Davis MaIone, III, has lx.'Come an associa te of the firm. Offices are l ocil t~ at 11 2 VWSt Troy StrC!Ct, Dothan, Alabama 36303. PhOlll! (20S) 794·6596.

•

Maynard, Cooper, Frierson 8. COlle, P.c. announces thilt Deborah J. lOng, Frank D. McPhillips and Maibeth I. Pmter have \)ocoflle partners with the fi r!'n. Of(lc~ a't'! located n1 1200 Watt s Build ing, Birmingham. AI3ba ma 35203. Phone (20S) 252-2889.

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- NOTI CE-

Committees

Administrat ive Law Reports In Septt'!mbt'!r 1983, the Alabama RL'Wnue Dcpartmt'!r'l t organized an Administrative L:lW Di";sion to comply with \he provisi ons of the Alabama AdminlstrJtive Procedure ~t, Code of Alabama 1975 §41-22-1 et 5(..'<1. The statL'<l purpoSt'! of the IIdmlnlstr.'i tl\1! Pl'OCf!durc Act Is "to provide a minimum p roc~ ural code for the opt'!ratlorl of all >tate agencies when they take action affect ing the right s and duties of the public:' To accompli sh t h~t gO(l I, the Administrative I.iIw Division provides all parties wh o would be directly ;Iffccted by any prQrll)$(od actio,\ of the Rf!Vet)ue Dt'!partmen! an opportunity 10 be heard al a for. mal, contested case hearing before an Impartial administrative law judge. Said proceed ings encoml1ass disputed prelimin(l ry assessments; cont%ted refund lX!tlti ons; the granting. renewal or revoca tion of licenses. certific3ll!s of titlt'!, Ctc.; and ded ,lratory rulings 0 1'1 tht'! applicability of regulations (100 statutes. The I)Urpose of the Admini strative l.Jw Reports Is to provide aU interested par. ties with a substan ti ve summary of the fa cts and concl usions of law involved in e<rc;h ('(lse of intereM dl;.'c idl;!(;l by thl,): Administra tive I.aw Division. Publication of the decision Itself Is prohibi ted by the confidentiali ty statutt'!s containc.<:J In tho revenue codt'!oFor reference purposes, a key word digcst and sta tutoJY index hilS been developed to allow the reader to easily find {lnd rese.lfc h ca ses involving a particular topic OJ st(ltute. Applicable fed eral and Alabama appellate court authOri tieSare i nc; l ud~ with each C.1SC. The Administrative L.1W Reports are published by the Admini strative I.ilw Oivi$ion of the Revenue Department and may be obtained bywrltln8 Hili Thompson, Chief Admlni sllative law Judge, 219 Administrative Building. Montgomery, Alabama 36130. An initial charge of $15 must accoml>any your order, fil ch subsequent monthly report will be i ssu~ without e~ tra charge. •

Alabama State Bar Model Mediation Program Avai lable The Al abama State Silt has made avall(lble iii model mL'(jiatlot) progr.1m. It is a public service projt'!cl endorsed by the board of b.'\r COn\mlssloners on April 19, 1985, dcvcloj)t'!(i by the Task Force on AI Wrnatlve Methods of Disputl;l Resolutlor\ olld oper(lted by local b.1r associations In cooperation with ci ty and county CQUrts. The progrnm offerS cl tl:tC,\s of Al abama a volumary alternative hearing process, outside no rmal court pro cedures. Through such hearin gs, interperson<ll disputes that might othclWi se df."MIOp into crim inal or ci vil court ca ses may be resolved. Court personnel $cte(!n possible participants, and Iicet)SC<i attorneys who are memberS of the participating local bar AssoclatiOrlS St'!!"It'! as mt'!diators. Referrals are made through various sources, e.g. city attorneys', distri ct attorneys' and court derks' offi ces, pollee and sheriffs' departments and sod al service agcrl cies. CitiJ!i;.'IlS also may comt'! directly to the program. Tht'! model for the state bar progr.1m wa s the Birmingham Dispute Selliemcnt System begun in 1982 by Judge T. M . Smallwood, with the aSSISlance of local allornC'y'S. Judge Smallwood started the progl'(Lm to " 55iS[ with a ooavy municipal court caseload. Abou t 1,000 cases have been heard and 92 perct'!nt have been deemed successful. Members of the state bar task fOfce have been authori ZLod to assist any lOCAl bar interested in starting a mL'tIiation program. Q~Jc sti ons may be M swcroo and 5peakers obtainLod by calling Rodney I. MOl. alli8-S760 or William D. WIse at 226·6298. Copies of the plan are a'o'ailable from tne state bar, P. 0. Box 671, Montgomery, AL 36101. Th is rcporr W,15 prepared by lask force member WiI//(im D. Wile, a 1978 A/aooma Slaw Bar admlucc and an auorney In private practice In Birm/nsham. Wise

asslslt'!d Judge Smallwood in de'leJoplng the Blrmlnghllm program.

M {lfch 1967

Riding the Circuits

-NOTICEAllorneys Filing Chapter 13 Cases in

Birmingham Division BoJdwin County Bar Association

of the Bankruptcy Court

all Friday, N()\ICmbcr 21, 1986, the Alabam<l Supreme Court held court for Ihe first time In lis hiStory In Baldwin County.

The court session

WoIS

Jointly sponsored by the BOlldwin COl,m-

ty Bar Association, the Baldwin Coun ty Commission, the Bay

Minette Chamber of Commerce and FJulkncr Slate Junior Col-

lege. ApprolCimalc1y 2.000 people anendcd the sessioll. Attorney and Chamber of Commerce Prl'!sidenl AII"n R. Chason W,lS the coordinator of the visit, and a reception and

river lour were gilltm in honor of Ihc Justices and their SI>OUses, with attorneys Daniel B:ackburn .md Mollie Johns ton helping organi ze these I!Yt.!nIS.

Or,ll argumCI11S were heard in one civi l case and onc crimlnill case with Baldwin County :mornL'yS !Job Wills, Tolbert 8rantley, Sam Crosby and DM Blackburn presenting oral Jrguments in the civil CJ'if'; Mobile anomey LInda Perry and "~5i5tant Altorney General Cedi Brindle presented oral arguments in the criminal case,

The Baldwin County Bar Association, through bar President Marion Wynne, Secrclary-TrCi:lSun,lr Mollie Johnston and at路 torneys Grt'S Jones and Sam CroslYt. hosted an Appell,lIe Advocacy Seminar presented by justices Richard L. Jones imd J. Gorman Houston, Jr" as part o( the Continuing Legal Education Program.

Begi nning MARCH 1, 1987, debtors must begin payments within 30 days from the filing of a c ase. Payment may be made di. rectly to the standing trustee or by payroll deduction, if requested . Failure to make paymcntils proposed will be grounds for deni;l l of confirmation ;)Ild/or dism issal o f the case.

William E. John son, Jr. Bankruptcy Judge January 7, 1987

THE ALABAMA BAR INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION presents THE 27TH ANNUAL SOUTHEASTERN TAX INSTITUTE June 4. 5, 6, 1987 Marriott's Grand Hotel. Point Clear, Alabama This Institute will feature three natlonally路known tax experts. They will conduct In.depth workshops on the subjects 01 Corporate Taxation , Re.1 Estate Taxation and Estate Planning. Approved for 12.0 Alabama MCLE credit hours. CLE credit applied lor In Florida, Mississippi & Georgia .

(le(,IO rl8M Bay Minette C/),lm/)cr of Commerce President Allnn Chason. Alaoom,l Supreme Coon Chief lustice C C. TOlber!, pro/),l te jud8c Harty D'Ollvc and mi11W8Cr, SCO/l PJpCf COmP.lny, Woodli.lllds Southern OpcrJ l iOnS, Tom Kelley-photo courtesy The Baldwin Times

The Alabama LlIwycr

For more Inlormation contact Alabama Bar Institute lor Continuing Legal Education . P.O, Bo)( CL, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, (205) 348路8230.

Bar Briefs children, L. Charles Wright, Ir., Dennis M. Wright and Nlele Wrl8ht Kalllck, ,lnd five grandchlldrm, At the time of his appointment to Ihe court of civil appeals, he was a partner in the law firm of Dortch, Allen, Wright and Wright He was elected \0 the court in 1970 and reelected In 1974 and 1980. Wright is a member of the Alabama Law Institute and wiI$ prcsldlrlg Judge of the AIJb;lnla Court of tila Judiciary unlll his rell rcment,

Wrignt

Judge Wright retires Judge l. Charles Wright retired January 19 after serving on the Alnbama Court of Civil Appeals shce 1969; for almost 15 of those ycar~, he was presiding judge. Judge Wright Wil ~ born in EtoY.'ah County May 14, 1922. ilnd Is a graduate 01

Etowah County I-tigh School and Auburn University, and rcceiYC<l his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1946. lie scl"lL'd in the United States NilV)' (rom 194J-1946 and is a commander, USN~, (Ret.). Wright Pr.lcticcd law in Gadsden (rom 1948 10 1955 (1I1d 196J to 1969, and

was circuit solicitor, Sixteenth Judlclll l Circuit, from 195510 1963. l'le was cI&l(.'(1 as II statc! representa!l\/(! (rom Etow.. h County and scr'l't!d from 1967·69. Judge Wright is a member 0( Farrah Order of Jurisprudence, Phi Alphil Delta legal Fraternity, the Alab.lma imd Amer· lean Har Associ~tions and lhe VfW. "Ie SCM.od as president of the EtO'Wah Coun. ty BM In 1954, and is a member of the Baj)tJst Church, He married Maxine McClendon In 1944 and Ihey have tl1f(,.'(l

Alabama's judicia l disci plinary panels The retirement of Judge Wright from thc court of civil appeals created somc changes on Ih~ Slates two Judicial disciplinary panels. Judge Wrigh t WilS also chief ludge of the court (If the Judiciary, the fi"'-..... member court which hears complJhllS filed by the Judicial Inquiry Commission, RCj>lacing Wright as chic( judgc of the di scipli nary court Is Judge Richard L. Holmes of thc COUl't 01 civi l appeals. Judge Holmes has bten a member 01 Ihe appeals court since 19n and served as vicE' chairman of tne Judicial Inquiry Commission until his appointment "" the supreme COUll to SCM! as chief judge of the court of the ludlciary, Holmes' move fro1'! thc Inquiry Commission to the court of the judiciary left a VilCanCy, ,md the 5ypreme court named William M . Bowen, Jr., presiding Judge of the court of criminal appeals, to (ill Iioimes' position on thc comnlission. Sowcn has served on the appellatccoun since 1977 after seNlng as an assistant a1torney general from 197.l-76. Judge Kennelh Ingram, who was elected to replace Wright on the court of civil appeals, had served as chillrman of the Inquiry Commission while on the clrcuil

bench, His elevation to an appellate judgeship created a Vilcancy on Ihe com· mission to be filled by the State Association 01 Circuit Judges. The association of circuit judges named Circuit l udge Bra~ton Killrell of Mobile to replace Ingram 00 the commission. Kittrell has se.-...ed a$ 11 cirCui t judge since 1976 and curJtntly represents Alabama on the ABA's National Conference of Stille Trial Judges. Birmingham attorncy William B. Hair· ston has Ixlcn elected chairman of the Judicial Inquiry Commission. The coml>05;Ilon of the court of the judiciary is; Richard L, Holmes of Montgomery, chief Judge Circuit Judge J. Edward Tc~se 0( Florence CircUli Judge William C. SuUilliln of Tallade8~

Allomev William O. Scruggs 01 Fo'l P<lyne Anomcy J. Marvin Albrlnon of And~lusla

The composi tion of thc Judidallnquiry Commission is: AUOIr1e'f William B, Hai"Ston 01 6ir·

mlngham, chahman Appeals Cou rt Judge WiHlam M. ~n, If.. 01 Montgomery a",slt Thompsoo of And~lusla Circuil ludlle Tom YounSer 01 H unt~vme

M ~rtha

M. Scon of Opcllka AlIomcy Don Foster of Foley Circuil Judlle 6raxton Kinrell 01 Mobile

Alabama's judgeship changes A cirCuit judge moved to the state appellate COurtS, lour dlSlfkt judges assumed the circuit bench and 17 new district judges have tilken office in appointment or election changes since September.

March 1987

Circuit Judge Kenneth InglUm W.)$ SCated January 20 on the Al abama Court of Civil Ap~i1I $. He ran unopposed for Ihe position to nil the vacancy creiltecl by the r'C tlr'Cr'rlcnt of l. 0111r1es Wright, presiding judge of lhe appeals court. Ingram $e~>d as a circui t Jud geof the 18th Judicial Circuit for the P..1st 13 years alld alro as presidenl of the State AS50d1uion of Circui t Judges and Ch;lirman of the State Judicial Inquiry Commission . Judge Robert P. Bradley succeeds Wright as presiding judge of the court of civil appeals. He has served on the COUM sincf! t969; prior t¢ that he waSan ;lssislall1 attorney gener.)j and legal advisor to (ormer GCM!rnor John Patterson. Bradley was the first chairman of the Judicial hlquiry Commission . A IIS1 of the state Judgeship changes

folloo.vs: Appellate Judgeship ( h,m8es: Court of Civil Appeals!

L. ChMles Wright Retired: 1119/87

Kennelh II: I!lgram Elected: 1120187

Circ uli ludS4..os hip (ha ngM: Jrd Circui t:

4th Circui t:

12th CIrcuIt:

lack w. WJttocc Retired: 12/21186 Wtlli~m H. Robertson Appohut.'d: 12/22/86 FMrolt McKelvey Wr Ight fnd 01 Tl'rm: 1119/87 C h~rte~ A. Thigpen Elected: 1/20167 Samllcl Adllms End o( Term: tMIlI7 Gary l. McAttley £k'(lt-d: l/2a187

Holmes

The Alabama Lawyer

Bowen

16th Cil"(:ui!:

Cyril L. Smllh RClired: 1/12187 Wlttlam H . Rhea, It! Appointed: 1113187

Dallas Count y: B. M. Miller Childers Reti red: 1119/87 Nathanlal walker Ell.'(:lt.od: 1120187

181h CI rcuI t:

Kc:nr~th F. tr)~r .. m Re5lgned: 11IS/67 flecled 10 Court o( Civil Appcals John E. Roches!c' Appointed: 1/16/87

Hale County:

t91h Clre",":

Joe MaCO n Retired : 12/71136 John B. Bush Appointed: 12/8186

21st Cll"(:uit:

Earnesl R. White End 01 Term: 1119/87 Bradley E. Byrne Eleeled: 1120167

Jackson ( Oullly: Joh,) L. H(llslip End of Telm: 1119/87 Ralph H. Grider EII!CI<!d: 1120187 L...lmM County: Wltt lam 0 Winston

End o( Term: tll9/87 John langley Ele<;te<\; tl2()/67 lI!e County:

District Judges hi p Cha.nges: Barbour COurtly: Wl I1Iam H. Robertson 1tc!lgnlld: 12/2 1186 At)pt. to (I rtu lt Court Jad W. Wattace, Jr. Appointed: 12/22186 Calhoun County: Na thaniel D. Owens End 01 Term: 1119/87 larry F. warren £If'(;ted: 1/20167 Choctaw County: Johll Y. ChriSlopher Retired: 1119/87 l\:!em Scurlock Elected: V2018 7 John E. Kochestcr ReslSlled: 1115167 Appl. to Cll"(:uit Court Geo,!!e Simpson Appolntt.'ll: 1116187 Co(floe County: Gary l. McAtiley ReSigned: 1/19/87 Eleeced 10 CIrcuit Court Thomas E. Head, ttt Appolntt-d: 1119187

In8ram

Kittrell

Charles A. Thigpen Resigned: 1119187 Elected to Clrtult Court

LI mes tone COUnty:

James Noel Baker Rellrt'<l: 1119187 Michael A. NIx EI~ted : 112M 7 Howard D. Burns End 01 Term: 1119/87 Gt.'o~e r. Craig Ek'Cled; 1/20187

Marion CounlY: Edw.lrd Fowler Reclred: 916166 James C CashIon Appointed: 9/8/86 elt'Ct4..od: 1120167 Mobile (mlllty: Thomas F. Sweeney Retired: 1119/87 Ml ch~el E. McMaken Electe<f: 1120167 Pickens County: B. C. Robison. Jr. Retired: 1119167 Thomas Woodward Ell'Cted: 112M7 Tuscilloosa County:

BMbara W. Mountain End 01 Term: 1119187 Jim Culn Elected: 1120187

-Administra ti ve Office of Courts

Hairston

Bradley

Profit Recovery for the Ne" by Michilcl L.

RQbe r l ~

For many years, new and uncstablishcd businesses' efforts to recover dnmages for lost profits were Impeded by 11 principle known as the " per sc" rule or the " new

business" rule. The per sc rule was ap. pli(.."(l to preclude profits claims of new or unC5tabli shl!(j businesse s, with COi.trts

declaring lh<ll such anticipated profits are 100 remote, contingent and sp(!culalive 10 meet required standards of f'Cilsonablc

certainty,' The lule was manifested by rf,l(u sing to l.ldmit evidence of profits 'hill

would have been C(lrncd or by withdr,lIo'." ing Ihe i SS ~le (rom Ihc Irier of f(leV 111 February 1985, however, the supreme court In Morgan \I. Soutll CCIlIfal Bell Te/c. Co" 466 5o.2d 107 (Ala. 1965), demonstrated that Alabama does not labor under the arti ficial constrOlinlS of the J)(!r SI! rule. Morg,ln, which al· icr.vcd profl~ rCC(M!J)' lor a rlew buslrllSS, represents pragmatic and commendable protecti on for th e rights of business, In dcclining to apply the per sc exclusOJ)' rule, Alabama's holding is consistent with modem case t<Jw developmenl el~ where. MoSt juriwiction s that have con· siderl;!(! the question in recent yea f5 h;we det:iSiVf"!ly J1!fw$ed te) i1pply a l>er se exdusory rule.) Orle apparent reaSOl1 is the more sophlsticatoo and rellable scientific evidence n()Y,' ""ailable for projecting business perform<lnce, Significant tech· nological advances In business foreca sting ;\J1d projl..'ction methodology, particularly In computN capabillti~ and usage, produce data systematically relied on 10 Justify manJsement declsIOrlS," This data is being submitted by litigants when future business performance is al issue, Another fac:tori s the polll;)' rec:ognition that denying recovery merely because a bu sln~s has little or no oper.'lting hlste)ry would encoura8l! a wrongdoer to commit or aggr,"lV.1te Its breach to prcYCnt the generillion of a performance track record,) Three requiremen ts for profit damages often expr(.'Ss(.od are: the damages must have been foreseeable by the deff'rldar\!; the damages were proximately caused by

th e wrongful conduct of the defendant; and the damages are proven with " rea!JOnabl£! certainly.'" A lthough rnu ch diSCU$sil;m in I"o(il ca!;€'s focu ses on "I"<.'ilw nable certai nty," few opinions urldcrtake to define the term.7 Its practi cal application seems to involve some degree of "probability," tempered with certilln principles operat· ing as qualifications upon the requirement. These inClude th e follO'Ning: if the fact of damag£!5 is proven with certainty, Ihe extent or amounl thercof may be left to reasonilble inference; where a df'ff'rldant's wrong has caused the difficulty In I)roving damages, he cannot complain of the resulting un c:ert ~ inty; mere difficulty in ascertaining the amount of damages is not fa tal, and math ematical precision in fixing the exact amOunt is nOI required; and it Is sufflclenl If the best evidence of damage available is pro.. duced. A ~ seen in the following discussion, these and similar ideas8 figured SiSIllfiCi"lrllly in ('VOlving interpretiltions of " rea sonable certain lY" In the: new business context.

I. Alabama treatment of new o r un-

established business profit cla ims Although Alabam~ did not adopt the per se cxdusory rule in 50 many word s, for m:llly years rhere were cases ilppearing 10 embrace Its substance, with language dedarlng that profi ts fOr new businesses were too sp<!Culative to (ec~r. FOr example, Taylor v, Shocm,lker. 34 Ala.App. 166,38 So2d 895 (194 8), "'firmed a denial of profit claims where {I defe ndant had brea( hl..>d a contract to j)fovide automobile1 that the pl;:rintiff planned to usc In a new !<Ixi business. The court applied the!;€' gener:JlI:'m tions: "The prospectille p-ofirs of rhe new business or enle!prisc Me 8(m(:rdll y ~g~rdt'<l as being 100 remOte, con· tlngent, dod spt."<:uldtive to meer rhe legal ~la lldMd Of ~~)on ~ ble certain· ty .. , . P~pectlllC ~ Ild cOlllemplated profits from ~ m."W business ellt erprl ~ are roo uOCcr!"ln to be ~ u KCptlbll! of JCquisite proof." Morf' (('c('nt cases h[J~ irlVOkt"'d this language while denying profl ts, partlcu·

COULD'V': f/lM~ ,

MIt.LlorJ!5 ·

lariy In situations where liule profils dal" is proffered. Wray v. /-I,w is, ]50 So.2d 409 (AlII . 1977), held that sped fi c l)Crform,mct: should be ordert"'d for conveyance of properly on which defcodJnt had contr[Jcted to build for plaintiffs a filling 5t[Jtlon, restaurant and motel. The court stated In dlclUm that profi ls were not recoverilble, OS there were "no I)rior record s" on which profits for thi s new business co(dd reasonably bi! bast"'d. in King Coal Co. v. G.1rJnon, 388 So,2d 886 (Ala. 1980), plaintiff millers sued 11 coal company on contract for rejecting 1)lainlills' co.,1. Finding no brC(lch, the court al so observed that plainrills were engaging in a " new business for whi ch they hJd no record of p,lst profits, exrX!n ses or OVC!rhead:' The ol)lnlon docs not indicate the use of ally expert tes!!mony regarding profits. In Mall, Inc. v. Robbins, 412 So. 2d 1197 (Ala, (982), a former milll lenanl alleged fraud in a tranSilction involvln8 the mali's r~ject iOn of 11 propQSl..>d subICn[Jnt, a di ~ coth(!(lue. The court rej<!Ctoo th e tenant's claim fOr anticipated profits from the proposed sublease, sta tlns that those pmfits would have been dependent upon the fu -

M,HCh 198 7

or Unestablished Business

lure success of the ullCslnblishcd busl1'1(,'55, the discotheque; ~t by the time of

the trial, the disco's business perforffiilllce had fahcr!!d , being $31,000

behind on lIS rer\t ,., clue Ihal adequate profi ts evidence fn ight produce il dif. (erent analysis, however, Is found In the commcnllhllt "subsequent business experience is not ne<:essarUy cooclusiYC on the iu ue of lost profits." E~

while language in some C.lse5 ap.

pcared to exclude profit clalnlS for new

businesses as a maliC( of lilW, Alabama courts nt.Wflhclcss rctalned a pragmatic inclln;JliOIl to examine the merits of the

dilmages ...... idence where sufficientl y reliilblc proof was I,resented . ~$Iem Union Telc. Co. Y. Tarum. )S Ala."pp. 478, 49 So.2d 673 n950), allowed a rt!coYCry by a pla intiff who had missed all opportunity 10 SCM! as a ship master be-

Ciluse o( defendant's Ime telegram deli ..... ery, Although the business rcl;Jllonship between the plaintiff and the ship com· p.~ny fl(,'YI!r became establishoo, the coun .lPl)rO'v'Cd rccOVCl)' for the lost future In· come. The ship COrlll>ar\y'S accountant conOrmed plainli/(,s qualifications as a ship master and lhe evidence demon·

the

Alabama Lllwy('r

SIr"ted a "reasonable probability" of his employment for a "rt\lsonably substan· tialtime;' though It v.ould have been at will. The coun quoted Story PJrchmem Co. v. PJlerson Parchmem PJpcr Co., 262 U,S, 555, 51 S.Ct. 248, 75 l.Ed , 544 (193 1), stiHlng that "the wronSdoer is not entitled to complain Ihat {damases] can· nOI 00 measured with the eXllctnes5 and precision Ihal \o\CUld be possible If the case, which he alone is responsible fO/ making. were otherwise," Arnerlciln Life Ins. Co. If, Shell, 265 Ala, 306, 90 So,2d 719 (1956). also per· mitted income l\."Covcry from lin uncstilblished business relillionshlp, Shell, who was sett ing up II lifc nsurancc agency, enlered Inlo a contract with a Mr, For· syth, whose agency r,a<! a number of sal(!Smen, under which Shell would recei'.1! commissions on military InSUtilflCe to be )()Id IJ,< Forsyth's s.l lcsmen. libel by the defendilnt caused Forsyth to termi· nate Shull's contract only a ft....... days aftcr It was made. Shell claimed as damages the loss of the commission Income he would hil\le reeeived through Ihis i!r. rangement wilh Forsyth and his salesmen, Evidence was introduced of the premo ium income produced by Forsyth's 5olles· men, seiling for another Insur.lnce com· p;lny, during a six·month period aftcr the termination of Shell's contract. There was prool"thatlhe Iype of Insurance sold, the territory und the conditions for sale of this other insurance were comparable to those that would hiIVC ilpplllod to Shell's enterprise. The a~nCI! of it prior performance track record for the Shell.forsyth venture did not trouble the court, which rejected the defendant's argument Ihat the damages were speculali'.1!. Quoting StOlY Pdrchmenl extensl'.1!ly, the court noted that d.,mages rnilY be a milller of opinion and probable l'Stimale, ilnd Ihilt public I)()licy r<!quires till! defendant beilr the risk of uncertainty produced by his own wrongful act. F,fe5 v. Schaibfe, 445 So,2d 257 (Ala. 19841, affirmed r«overy for a restaurant operated by plaintiff for only eigtll months I)rior to the defendant's breach

of a nOfl<ompetitlon agreement. Despite the brevity of the operating history, the court concluded that evidence had been adduced sofficient ror a rea500able basis 10 l'$lablish the "Iosses.~ The busin(!Ss' il(. countant pr<widlod a delaikod '1I1(1lys15 of the business records during the p((>bre.lch eight-month periOO, and the 1)lal",lff sha.ved Ihere were no reasons for loss of customen other than the defendilnl'S competition. The opin ion Stated damages need not be measured with mathematical prccis:on, and evi· dence need only be produced affording a reasonable basis (or estlmmlngthe loss. Finally, MOf81.ln v, South Cent"ll Bell Tele. Co., 466 So.2d 107 (Ala. 19851, resolved any doubt that AI~ bama would decline to iml)QSC a pei" sc exclusory rule upon iI new business thai adequately proved lost profits. This decision four'ld erroneous a triul court's J.ND,V, order thm sci aside u verdict ag.1lnst Bell ;and another defenda nt In iI suit arising from the omission of a Dr. Morgan's name from the YellOW" Pa8~ Drs. Morgan and Speed, periodontists, retired from teaching allhe Univenity of Alabilma at Birmingham's Dental School to form u professional ilssoclation for prlVilte l)tIlctice. Though their business had not been established prior to the defandants' breach', Ihe CQur1 held their evidence did pro.-ide a reasonable basis for the jury to appro).imatc their damag(!S. Morgun, who had OJ bac<ground as a 51iltlstical researcher, performed a survey, asklnB lxltlcnts whether tht..'Y hlld come 10 thtl off ices as a result of the Yellow Pilgcs' advertisement of Speed (whose name was not omi tted). The Interviews with 18 patients dUling the three weeks studied showed that 1.6 p..~llents per wceIc were brought by the advertisement. Multiplying this by 48 weeks, ilnd by the "normal ft..-'C" ch;'rgcd, produc(''!:1 il tl)l(I1 1978 105S of $55,760. A non·party expert In statistical research eXJmlned this suf'.ey and con· firmed that the sampling W<lS large enough thilt the inferences could be projecled onto Ihc plaintiffs' tot.ll numher of

patients. and tftat "Or. Morgan's data were (casontlble lind tke projections ck'" rived from the dalil ~r'e r'easonablc." The supreme court approved thc "common· Iy acceptable practi ce of m.lking a horl· zontal compari;on of two businesses;' al'ld held Ihal i1b$(llutfJ c('rtillnly is nol requlre<L TIl(! rule precludes only damages rIOt resultlilS from thc wrong. allowing dllmages stemming from the wrong but uncertilin in "mount. The court noted Ihal disallowing damages unless absolutely certain would encourage breilck. es of con tract wirk new bu ~ ine5se s ,1nd those who§(! Ilrofits fluCluale. Shortly afler MOf8<1 n, the Alilbarnil Supreme Court issued anotker decision, Dorm v. MYM, 466 SO.2d 952 (Ala. 1985), approving profits rccovery for an unconsummated business venlure. The p.lrties had agreed to pool their efforlS and resources to construct a condomin· ium complex, il'lVOlving five phases of constru cti on. Alter substantial completiOl1 of the fir.:t phase, the defendant wrongfully termina ted the plaintiffs' in· YOlvement in the project. Evidence relied on by the coort in affirming the Judgment included pre-dispu te projections that the pltlin tiffs hi,ld pr~p,lfed 10 obtain bilnk fi · nandnij. Most of the profits anticipated by the projectiollS ~re to be rClllb:i!d from the later phases never built, due to the defendant's conducl.'<1 The COUrl held Ihat the evidence o( profits could sustai n the IICrdict, slat· II'IS;' Upon De,l rr's breach, the work ilnd labor done and expenses incurred by M~rs alld McCmckcn. together witk prof'lts reasonably certain to be r~alized (rom later stages o( the project, became proper elements o( dJmages:'

II . Proof of profits by new or unes· tablished businesses How does the new or unestablishcd business prove o st anticipa ted profi tsr The case law re-.eals c;ertilin patterns in· to wkick muck of tke evidence ul ililed in these ca SeS Cdn fall. (A) Prior performanc e histor y of th e subject business-Whcrc the buslncss upon which the cl aims are based has some opera ting history, even if brief, prior to the bre<J(;h or wrong by the de-

fendan t, courts ha..e allowed tnl s evl· dence to be used in measuring damages (or the profits claim ." Even if tke subject business lacks a prior performance trilck record, where it Wi15 planned to be associated with a large-scale, standardizl.'CI business sys tem, the experience o( thi s system and Its components may be probati-.oe of the likcllh(lod of success of the subject busincss.'l The plaintiff's own prebreilch eXJ)fJrience 1'1 a Simllilr busineSS or inYOlvementln the !>amc Industry may be pertinent to the issue of his qullllffca· tlon s to successfull y operate the enter· prisc.1l (8) SuIJsC<luenl performan ce history of subjecl business-The actual experi· ence of the businesl, subsequen t to th e breach or wrong. also has been acceptoo in approximating losses.' • (C) (oml)arable txp erl encc of olher businesses-This type of proof Is allowed where it is established that the comp..lred businesses, though operated by persons o ther tkan plain tiff, h(l1lC ch(lr{lcteristics sufficiently similar to tile SUbj~ bu siness regarding such fac tars as location, oper· atlng methods, size, cap!talizat1on or market.!) Pilrticulilrly in il more sophisticilted operation, the questi on of simililri ty lends itself to eXp!!rt testimony, ;lnd, nalurally, room for disagreement betWCl!n Inc adversaries' CXI>l!rts regard ing the d egree and significance of Ihe simi· larities and dlfferencc s. Courts are especially receptive to comp.lrisons where the compared business appears to be a successor to tke opportunity or loca· tlo" promised to Ihe plalntiff'~ I)r where tnc defendant kas t<1<I!n adv.lntage of or assumed for himself the plain tiff's oppor· tunity.'f (0 ) tndustry averilges-Where the nature of the bu sine~s lends itself to ana· lysis through irrdu 5try <tVt!rages, thi s evi. dence has been relied on by courts.II (E) Defendant's swements of the an· licipilled Sltccess of Ihe subicct busl· ness-Considerable deference naturally has been accorded such evidence, par· ticularly where proj ection ~ of business performance were made prior to the dir pute for the purpose of Induclrlg or guld. Ing th e l>artles In determining whether to enter Into the corrtfaCl or relationshlp.'t

As one court observed, pre-dispute projection s are "110 Ii\erc 'Intcrested guess' prepared with an eye o~ litigation. tn· stcild, they fare) Ihe product of dellbera· tion by experienced businessmen chart· Ing their future CO\Hse:'IO A number of cases hiM! In-.,")I..,::O ..n ex· pert analyzing data establi shing a projected annual return for the subject busincss, then extrapolating this Income over 11 certilin period of tim e (such as the period of the plilnned relationship or Con tra ct) to determine total profils.11 Thi s Income S\re.. m then may be the b,, ~ is for calculations supporting the expert's fair mJrket "Jluc op lnlonP The following arc nOMble cases typi. fying th e m(lnner in which these types of proof h1lVf;! been ilppllOO: Chung v. Kaonohi Celller (0., 62 HawJil 594, 618 P.2d 283 {1980}, af· firmoo a fU l ure profits recovery for iI Chinese restaurJnt that neYer became establi sht,'CI, due to the defcnddllt l'I1all's breack of contract to grJnt the plaintiff a lease. The plilintiff's expert, iln appriliscr. g.we an income STream villue analysi s. He eslinlllt~ first-ycar J:!rQ5S income by examining similar Cnlnese restaurants, including one th aI occupied the site originally commilled to plaintiff; a MedilY sur\ll.'Y of customers and gross reo ceipts of Thi s compar.1ble res~aurant was l>I!riormed. The expert projected that thi s gross income figure would increJ sc 10 percent annually, and I!StimlltOO exl)enSes from Industry standards data and the plaintiff's operJtional plal\>' pron ts fOr the ten yea rs of the I>rornlsed lease were cal· Culilll.'(!, w ith these being capitali zoo alld discounted to present v.llue. The court rejected the defendant's arguments that this testimony W<lS speculali~, obl;erving thilt the C>iDCn W.1S (IUalified. The d(!fend· ilnt's Compl(lln ts about thc factors and reasoning employed in the analysis were deemed nilltlers going to th e weight rather than tile comp!!tel1(;e of the testim ony. Somewhat Simllftr ~idcnce ill.lthorized il recovery in Lee Shops, Inc. v. Sch'l!len· Cypress Co., JSO F.2d 1216th Clr. 1965), for a discount department store that was r~~r built. The plaintiff intended to In· stitute what would h~ been the fi rst disCOIll1t dcpilnmerll Stor'e ill Naslwilie, and

Milrch 1987

contraCted to sublease a desirable site (rom the defenddnt. Due to defendant's problems in negotiations with a third 1><1rty, a site was nol provided. The plaintiff's evidcmce included Infor_ mulion provided by Ihe defendanl Ihm Ihere could be $5,000,000 in annual sales at that location, and a suM!y mCide by the plaintiff's treasurer, prior to tOe contract, confirrring the validity of that rcprl!Serllation. This expert prepared profit .md loss SlmemenlSshcrwing estimated ann uill sales and costs of goods afld Ol)()r(l\ions, (or which he provided a detailt.>d explanation. The annUallJrofits shO\Yn then were projected Into the 15year term of the proposed sublease, producing 10lal profits for ,hat period. Tht! expert g.wc his Qjlinion of the (,lIr market value of the promised lease, considering these cMpectcd J.... les and profits. The court held the verd ict sustained by the woof, stating thai it Is sufficien t i( the evidence sh(J.vs the extent of damilge5 as a mal1er of just and reason.1b1e In[cr(!o(:e, ilhhoogh the result be only apPfIDlimate. bpert testimony will not, hQWC".1!r, bootstrap an Inh<.-Jcntly specu lative proIcct Into the real m of reasonable certainty. In Rancho fbcado, I,)c. v. Northwes tern Mut . Life Ins. Co., 140 Ariz. 174, 680 P.2d 1235 (I984 ), an award of profits (or ant....... c.. tfish ranch venture was disallowed, where the Industry ~rages demonslr.lted a 95 !X!rcent failure rate for this type o( business, and the record sh(M'l.'(! defects In the f~a s i bili t y studies Ihe IJlaintiff had conducted. Further, it at>peMCtI that the plaintiff lacked an adequate system for marketing the fish, as his planned diStrlbvtor had gone bankru pt. Similarly, In KtmfOTd Co. v. COUnty of EIle, 469 N.Y.S.2d 939 {A.D. 4 Dept. 19a5}, affirmed 67 N.Y.S.2d 257, 493 N.E.2d 234 (1986), the CO Ull remi tted profits d<1mages where, notwithstanding eXI>ert testimony, Ihe nO\lCI and unique n;lIurc of the proposed ventuw made it simply too speculative. This suit sought profits becau~ 01 a cQunty's failure to construct a domed stadium, around which plaintiff had Intendt.>d to dcvclop a theme park, goll course, hotel and 0(' fi ce 1),1Ik; to acquire a major league baseball franchise; and to operate a stadium

The Alabamil LilWYCI

management contract for promoting such events as professional foolb..11l 8Olme-;, circuses and consumer and entet""talnment showl'. Even though subst.l ntial CKpert testimony was presentt.">(! ilttempt ing to I>rojetl the revenue that ~ul d be derived from these events, the very nature oftl1i$ entcrprise limited the types of proof appllcablc. The only fad lily arguably available for comp.uison was Ihe Houston Astrodome, and this type of cont(,)ct could not lend itself to Induslry averagcs. Accordingly, the COutt (ound no rational basis for calculating 1051 (uture profits. Central Teiccommunlcallons, Inc., v. 1(1 Cablevision, Inc., 800 F.2d nt {8th Clr. 1986}, affirmed iI recovery of $35.8 million, o(which $10.8 million were actual damages, for an unest<1bllshed business' claims under Missouri interference with busi ness eMpectancy law Md under federill antitrus t 1;lW. TO acted iml)roper. Iy to prevent Centr,,1 from obcaining a cable telwision franchise in Jefferson City, Missouri. TO's arguments that a business can p/O\.1! only imticip.llcd pronts with past IncOme lind expenses were un-

successful. The record showed Central h..1d made sufficienl prep.lrations to enter the cable television business; it had raised ilnd ;l(raflgcd for CillJ!tal commit· ments, dctOliled (easlble plans for its cable system, ~nsu rt>d its pcrsonnC!l had the necessary expertise ;md secured the award of the fr.lnchi!O(l by ...:lte of the city council. Stating that the wrongdoer shoold bear the risk of uncertainty creatCtI by its wrong. thc court cited Central's dClailcd damilges Study ilnd e~ tenslllC sUllponlng expert testimony, Includ ing fhm of an "Industry rule of th umb" establishing the lost frilnchlse's value to be "ten times (the) cash now in Centrill '~ proposed third year of operations." The award was held SUSI<1lnC!d by the evidence. as Central presented an "estimate of damagcs b.1sed on reasonilble Industry ass\lmptlons:' Conclusion The recen t willingness of courts to look paSt exdusory labels a'ld realistically eJC.lmlne the merits ofl)rofits evidence makes sense. There certainly are no valid policy reasons for arbitra ry dlscrlmlna-

Introduce Your Clients to a Valuable Service. Hoefer them 10 Business Valuatio n Services for CXpCtt dl,; tcrmination of f.lir markct valuc of busi ness,. s, and fina ncial anal~is and conslIlr.ltio n in C:\.'iCS of: Cl Estate planning

0 Bankruptcy ,)f()Ceedings Marital dissolutio ns 0 Mergers o r acqlusitions Rccapitali7..atio ns 0 Buy-sell agreements o Employce stock 0 Dissidcnt stockholder ownership plallS sui ts Comacc Dr, Jo hn 1-1 . Dayis, ill 4 Offi ce Park Cirdc • Suite 304 • Rinninghall1, Alabama 35223 P.O. Box 7633 A • Bimlingham , Alabam a 35253 (205) 870-1026

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lion baS<,.'<l On the uge of the business; rea$Onably reliable I)roof of eXI>cctcd business petform(1l1(;e should ~ scruti I'II1:ed ilnd given appropria te weight. A per se exclusory ru le 'NOuld enCour(lge IhOSIl who huve obllgatlons with new busi nesses to commit or Dggrilv<lte tlwir loorNO'l£S

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U Io, 51 S.CI. 1411, 2S1, 'S L fd 14., 547 119ln; CMIt.1 T~"'''nc01iot>l 11>1:. '" Itl C.trl",,~ '!orr. I~.. 1 T.l~. 7)0; V"llffl ik>nd,n~ In., Co. v. II' S. N=cll. t~ . lM AI • • m. l80, ll1 So.ld 616. 6H (19691; lifo! In!. c~ ~ Shtll, 265 AI • • J06, 311. J11, 'iO So.ld 718, 719. n5 11956). BomdI<! (,,. tQ!JIu.. I~ ~ CI«r"",k f nll"""'" I~" ~ s~ SO ld 'on. 103' (Ar.J,:I •."l~1 1 ~84I; _ Coo1nlf'lll, 1"1"' • • 1 1'Il~ . 'Nll'Ilhe. Or MD<)I.o:I "'" Dr. !pc!td hold ~ged In I»"' " 1».Ctil:e . 1 pe'loIlonl' tl! br " Ie." IS \'1"". M,," br AI>' ....11"" L M. 1lc''Y & CO,.I J(I, M" irdn \'. Soulh C~n,,"1 8111 '~Ie Co.. JIJ(Jr~ '"No. unl" nad l>clI:n I.OId .,IM II"", <>I the brNcl>""" no profito _'" Ktu.lly ",.1,,00, 6r ~ br A$)I)OlIaOl ol 7. ()r.on •. "'I'M< , ....~, A<;(QI(I,nglj.\ ''''' pM/II d~lm. /0. cl>M!d "" ,hi! pn;dl>pule 11IOjcc:llttln pmdu(.1!d prior 10. ~Ionl') OOI.ll1ng ,,,- 11<0 0<1. ~1H!f lot "l~",I"'" 01 l!i. 186 U.s'

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used by busillesses to project performance (or their emn managemenl decisions, are available to as.i.1 Ihe Irler of f:U;:I. The dCMllopmcnts d l ~ussed in this Mtlch! arc evidence of jlragmal!c and (air protection fo r (undamcrlta l expectancy Interests of businesses. • Vii! .. 11>1:. • /l fC C"'P. """. 1I(.,,!lIIIi'-V F,I"" ClIick"" fro'lChl .. l, "f .... ".ulln"~ CII ..k..,. ViII .. Inc. ~ KfC COff>.. ,""'. I I~~IR"U\ 1)11(>1 (IIllmll., /"""hIM'lli Cilrdi.... , C""",ItI"11 Co. '" ClIC<> Re.... , ~ Inc. • • UI"'lpI.lnIl W. (!>,. I""",,, n .... " ....... In too" '''''''>lI'J') "E .• ,. M",,,,n y. SOclih C,nll" IlII! rlt~. Co.. Will.; F,Ie! >\ S<:I.. II*. WP'O/ Aliliff ,,,,*,,1t1<1, i>< ~ CoI"""I", I'M:_ lOt Co.. 'Up" Smllh ~ CaP, ~ 8,Iow (n"-"'H'..... 1111;.. I~pt..· M,I"" INIu,/I"'~ 1<1('. .. CM"q)lU., l,o{l ..... Co.. 'UPI'. c..llnIkt v. Hubh.Jrd, "''''', 11'111:0 01 N.,h"", III( ~ T"'~ IIHIIy. I...:~ "'PI' "4,. Cllv"J ~ ~,. CO!~ 1<1(', WV'"- " " _ InC ". I'btIlf:Ol. 1...:_, .upt., \~ltt',n C«tpIIyor.:.1 Cd >\ IIr!II II"IX/"II~~ Inc" 58' r,M Ill>' Ild 1'1&1. "(. , C..,I"I "'1«""'mu"r.:'I""'~ 1...:_, C.ht",,~ Inc" cu,.,.. 11:>«"'1 " SIIoppI'1l C~n",'\ 111(., ~02 M,ch 5'6. 2M N,W.ld 1~8 119781 "In Ih /oIIo:O.... ln8 (_In. the ~"I\ ~I.""I' pe,. for""."", 1~jcc:I""'. OII""""",,,IQI'I WoO. UHII,,,,, I" mo:.-. w"n~ loll ptOIII> d.t ..... IIft' Compulr' S~m, (,,"1.......,.. InB'- Inc, '" a.",~1 C"'p.. jj~)I' lillOI'll .n<! 10M jI"emtn, /<)t ~O)i'll,..., <>I """'.,,,," •• "'*nWoI\ dlllribulo.j; R<!""",h ~ ~/of>nl(lnt C(I >\ $IRIIt' Co.. wpt. (.."" IJIUIKIIM> bf dI.'Io!ncbnl\ ""'''''' """"'"~; !toe 5/IaJ>I. Inc >\ S<;h,lI""o.C~1 Co..>li/!r4 ~ ~ i _ l'llimole d .,,"uII wi", "" pl.lnll f); lVy<.>minB 11.1>(01' ()Ot',/Qn ~ lIonIIo"" "'PI' l~l<I)m(IC'ti""" """.ull <""'!"J'"ion, of I" los"", rIIICI "" 111.ln,,1I bo~k'l ( om!lfll· I~",I P!1!-<II'!>II1e P'O/ectlon. """",red bf pI.l"tlff .M . 1'0 .Krocdi'd _IShl wiw'M ''''''' hold ~~ In'~ 1(11",,,1, l!n1"""J In", ,hi! ",11I1"". hlp '" PfOjcc:I. s..... "-fl., ""'_It Inc· >\ ~""'" 11>1:" 11Ij)I'4. ONn ~ M~ ,up,.; I.ttr S""",- I~_ ~ Xl• ."o;n·CYJ>fI;'I\ I""", WfI"; Up. /OlIn Co. ., IIKIleI~ (,obot. tori/:" i><" j IJI". ~'_'" Inc. ~ /'eu8f(l(, Inc , ;;.pl., or 566. "h,. C.""".,Il'r S).orem. C"8' ......i'" Inc. ~ 0."'1t'1 C"'p. Mil>. U/)/<>IIn Co. >I /l4rllC'lI~ 1./,('~I<.Ir"~ I~" .up.., I.ttr V. /<m'p/I C. ~,.", , Son\ 111<" . uP", Allin.! 1Ifo~~h & 0... Co. '" Slnrre< CIl. lUI".; ....,"""". I~, v.1\ov1/<'Ol- Inc.• Su<h ""*,,,1... te<:hnl~ . 111 .....

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breach ro thr.llhc v Cl lnl migHt be aitogcthcr preven ted from commencing business, The argument for declaring a damages claim 51J(..'Culalive as a mOllCr of law no longcr Is warranted when advanced scientific foreca sting !echn iqUe!j, rOLJ tinely

Michael L. Roberts, or Ihe firm of floyd, Keener, ClIsim,lllO & Robcrls in Gadsden, Bradualed from Samford University in 1974 and Cllm berland School of I..lw in 1977. /ole servcs as a special ass /stanl a/lomey general and i$ a member of Ihe E(OI't'ah County, Alabama Stale and American Bdr Associations, as well as (he Alobilmn Tri,,1 Lawyers Assoc/afion.

March 1987

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Notice of Election Notice is given herewith pu rsuant to the Rules Governing Eleclion of President-cicci and Commissioners (Of 1987. members of the stale oor with principal ofrices therein, The new commissioner positions will be determined by a census o n March 1, 1987, and vacancies certified by the seCrelary on March 15, 1987. The terms of any incumbent commissioners arc retained and, for 1987 only, commissioners In nlUltlple commissioner circuits will be elected for terms as fo llows : Places 2, 5, 6 1 year I'laces 3, 6, 9 2 ycars Places 4, 7, 10 3 years All subsi:"quen t terms will be for three years. Nominations may be made by petitio n beal lng tne slgnatUrt!i of OV{! members in good standIng w th principal offices In the ci rCuit in which the election wJII Ix! held or by the candidate's written declaration of candiCommissioner Oar commissioners will be elocted by those lawyers dacy. Either must be received by the secretary no later with their prIncipal offices in the following circuits: than 5 p .m . on the last Friday in April (April 24, 1987). 81h, 111h, 13th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 21st , 22nd , 23rd, lOth, Ballots will be prepared lind mailed to members be· 31 sl, 33rd , 34th, 35th and 36th and Ihe Bessemer Cu t-or! tween May 15 and June 1st. Ballots must be voted and division of the 10th JudIcial Circu it . Addilional commis- retu rne d by 5 p.m . on the second Tuesday in June (June sioners will be elccled in "II circuits having 300 or mOre 9, 1987) al state bar headquarters,

President-eleci The Alabama State Bar will elect a president-cicCI in 1987 to assume Ihc presidency of the bar In July 1988. Any candidate must be a member In good standing on Mar( h 1, 1987. PeUtlons nominating a candidate must bear the signature of 2S members In good standing of the Alabama Slate Bar and be received by the secretary of Ihe state bar o n or before March 1, 1987. Any candidate for Ihls office also must submit with the nominating petition a black and white photograph and biographical data to be published In the May A/.lt).1mn L.1wyer, BallOts will be mailed between May 15 and June 1 and muSI be received at state bar headquarters by 5 p ,m . on July 14, 1937.

The Alab"ma La wyer

Economic Experts for Reduction to Present Value of Future Lost Earning Avvards by Q,wid A. Ragwell

I. The l)rCicllt uncertaint y

Tht:! Supreme Court of Alabama In Mullins v. Summer}, 465 So.2d 1126, (,,101. 1986) dealt with the (;ontCnlion of a dcfcnd.lnt that the supreme court should overrule the holding h' LDulsvllle & Nashville R.R. Co. v. Oiuard,' which

rcJecllhe Irrefutable logic of [dcfendllI11'sJ argumenl':1 and, further, lhal : 'while rcio.:Clmg at thl~ tIme Appellilnt'S challenge to thOJ st.-md.-ud 01

""oof 3P1)rGYe<i In Grllurd, the Court

is Sympathl,.11c to Appellll, rS argun'lCnI. It Is the al)pr(-henslon of acTlng_ith-

our a dll1.lll(!d stud~ 01 the problem10 add one more 1¥. ol e~~rT (!V;dence 10 what ord inarily Is alre,l(!y .. cOmplex Iriill !hilt influt.'OCes this leSuh.

But we IICkoowledgl' thai this position I~ not easily defensible In Ught a tM jury's obYlOUS need for kelp In iTS applicatiOn dtlle ~ubslantile rUle cJ law, "~ause th iS ISSue 1rM)lves ~ ques-

holds ,hal plalnliff may recO'v'er for IOSI future munlng capacity €'\en without

lion of procedure,

l)rO\'ln8 an appropriate interest rale to COmpll1C present value. The defendant In

we wH1

ask tills

Advisory Cornmllll,.'C o n Civil I(uit-s of I'r,lctlce lind I'ror::cduru 10 study the ptobl em ~I O~ I herein and 10 report 10 Ihls Court lIS recommen· dalions for dealing with Ihal problem In (ulun: C<1St."lI,'" Courr~

Mullins asked the su preme courl to :ldop! 3 rule reqlliring ,h.., a plaintiff can· not recover for permanent losl earning cap.lclty unless he or she In1roduces ev-

idence on Ihe method of reduction 10

Juslice

present value and expen testimony on

lones, concurrinfl,

wrote:

" I wllte Sc":1).lr.llely 10 §08.8e!it f<lr the hlvlsory Committee's considerJI I()n iI srmplified lull' 01 civH pmcedUI1!: where rt"COW!ry'or loss ol fUlure earnIngs or eJ.nlns c~ paclty Is )usrrfred by Ihii (:vidun(c, the pl,llnl lif ha~ the bu t'

the aPI)roprlalc Intcrest rate to be used. The defendant in Mumns conced(.>d the

applicability of Grizzard and 11'1.11 111111 rule WJS rel!eclcd in Alabama Pilucrn Jury InSlrucflons-Civ ii § 11.11. The Alabama Supreme Courl a(firnll.ld whal II lermed the "long-standing substantive rule," bUI wrote thil t "wtl do not

den r;tf prOYrrlll life expect.1ncy, the melhod of reduclnll the full loss of future eM nlng\ to pHlsenl value, and the Itt>prot)r!ate I~IU QllnteleSt; and thi s

, 84

March 1987

burden may be mel by Introducing In. towideoce the mortality t.lbl~ the annuity t~b'es. ll~d the letlJl r~le of intemsl (8 pen::enl per annum for written cont rad~J. all ofwhlch are fooM In rhe iUlnUill Acls 01 Alilb.lm/1 ~nd A/.100mll Co</c !19751.R4

II , Advisory committee action Th~ Mvisory Committee, aware as is the court of Ih!,! limitation UI)()n the court's rulemaking power, sct out In Secl Ion 6. 11 of the Judicial Article (Amendment 328 to the Alabama Constitution of 1901), has deferred actIon on Ihe question, al least for the present, leaving the issue to be handled either by the Supfl_'fllC Court's paUern jury Instruction commlttL'(!, or liliganl5 In Indl ... idual cases, or both. Hence, the nel!(j (or not) of eXI>crt testimony, and the mechanics of It If offered, iHe timely questlOr'ls In Alabama law.

III. Present Alabama r ule: compula· lions lead ing up 10 the present va lue issue The rule in Cr;zzard CJ MOI be analyzed In lsolmion Imd must be examined with the backdrop of the mccharltcs of I)roof of diminished future earning cilpilcity, The qu~t ion is made more difficult by the fact that Ihcre Il1e not many rl.>(enlly reported Alabama cases on thc I~sues ral~ here, which one commen tJlor explains to be the result of Alilhilma's puni t i~ damages stJndilrd for death cases, and the preference of thl! Alab..lma plaintiffs' b." to see!< punitive rilther thi\n compensatory damages in personill injury caSLOS SO thtlilimiting anJlysis cannot be SO ligorously tlpplied.' First. plalntUf must plO\IC IJy lay Or CJo:pert testimony that his ilbUHy to earn money in the fu ture has been reduced or eliminilted as a pfoximilte consequence of the wrong of the dl..(cndilnl.' SCCOr\d, plaintiff must prove (with the requisite certainty) ha.¥ much he would have made durinS the l:>eriod in which he will be untlble to work, which may be the same as or In some ctlses more than he mtldf' prior to the accident.' Third, if the rcdLJction In I.!ilrnlngs Is 10 be permanent, plalntlff must sha.¥ how many yetlrs' loss of earning there would be. In many HgJrden-variety" cases this element is praYed simply by introduction of morl<l lity tables sha.¥ing life expectan· The Milhama Lawyer

~ This is done LJndoubtcdly for reasons

of ease and cost, since mortality tablf!S printed in the A(u of Alabama arc the subject of Judicial notice under Ala. Code 1975 § 35-16-4. Though the reported cases do nOl address the i5sue, the difference between Ihe agc of PrObable death ilOO that of proil.lble cessation of employment-if treated in the Irial at all-I>resumably is slnlply argued to the Jury. Fourth, the remilining life or WOrk life multiplied by" the ri'lte of lost earnings muSI be reduced to presenl value, and it is here that we arrive at the Crlzzard case and the SUpre'lle court's posed dilemma. IV, Reduction 10 present value As Deans Gamble and Corley wrote: "f't!l'SOI1allnjury JWilrd~ in Ahll';1nl~ 11m In l. lump sum and the p/illntrff hilS rim ""I ....lflt,lge 01 t~tlng Ihe money and mcer ...lng Income from It. To accounl for this factor 1M 'n!()ucuon to pni\.(!nt v~luc ,ule' has been emplo,«f to reduce the award by II reasonable rate of return Ihal might bel eKpt.'Cled durins the COmlll!nsatlol'l period:" E1to1ctly how this should (or l.wn actually does) t;lke place In circuit COurts O'ICr the stale Is subJcctto some question. In some Il.'poi1ed cases plaintiffs IKlVC C<llted expert witnesses (actuariC\ In two reported c,lsesl to testify upon the catculalion of the reduction of the lost l!iHnings i'lWilrd to present valuc.'Q As the supmme court recognized in MullinS v. Summers", hOWt.'Wr, under the rule in louls ... llle &. Nashville R.R. Co. .... Gr;ZZilfd'l, the plal",iff need no( introdoc::e testimony on the appropriate rate of interest or method of n.>ductioll to l)resent Villuc. All InfOlmill survey of I;w.<yers prJcticln8 In V<lrious Pilrts of the Slate indicates thilt in IllOst "gilrdcn-vMll.'ty" tOlt ca~, the reduction to present value Issue Is handled simply bt' gi ...ing the jury an annuity table of which Judicial notice is tilken under Ala. Code t975 § 3>-16-2'~ In such a situation the problem of the choice of the actullI Interest rare is taken carl.' of simply by OrBl argument ,lI'Idlor reliance upon the everyday experience of the JUry. Though it does not apl~ar to be widely known or followed, the actual rule In AIJOOma seems to be Ihat in an Alabama law caSe tht' r"liuctl01 to present value

should be on the basis of Ihe HlegJl rate"

of interest d 8 percenl, though in (ederill law cases (such as F.E.l.A. and Jones Act cases) the ril te may be set by use of the .lctual currem IntC(C!;l rJte iiI tho business world." The federal rule will be discussed In more deta!l In the following p."ts of thi5 article. The Reller courl, in f,tc;;!, included a hf:!lpfullablc (al>parentIy for purposes of judicial notice) along with comments by the "able mathematician of this State" who prepared It, n011ng Ihe need for an 6 percenl t,lhle, since In Europe "where annuities Me popular, 6 percent Is an unheilrd-of "'Ie:'" This may well ~plain why a pillinliff in "the old daysH might hil\e calkod an actuary 10 COIllI)ute present value, ~n though Grizzard says ~ does not have to {basically, a tilsk In which defendant might hiIVC had more Interest thal1 plaintifO, since by doing so 1>lillnti{( could limit the amount of the presenl value reduction from 8 percent to, S<ly, 4 ~ percent in the "old days" as in f.ouisvUle & Na~hvUlE'

Rd. Co. v. Richardson.".

It Is probably safe to say that praCl ice In many or most circuits does not curremly follow the 6 percent rule, though thilt rule appears to (emJln the law In iI Cilse In which Alabilma Inw SUPI)lies the rule of dl.'Cision.

V. Should CriuiJfd be over role<! by rul e Or oth~ rw ise: the experience in feder.l l law cases i n which experts arc used The Issue riJised by" Ihe supreme court In Summer) .... Mullins i) whether il would be a good idea 10 fCqulre Ihal plaintiff Cil lt expert wltneS~5to explilin to the jury Ihe method of r(!(.iuction to present v.llue.

Richard Wilson & Associates Reg iste red Professio nal Co urt Repo rters 17 Mildred Strcct Montgomery, Alabama 361M

264-6433 85

The question Is p(lrticularly important

bec.1Use of the extra expense to each party in connection w ith the hiring of CXperts. Alabama Is for1l,lnatc to hilW A test CilSC to examine: t>Cl'SOnallnjury ca ses under fcderJII;rw, such as F.E,L.A. iJnd the Jones Act (which ooopts F.E.L.A. by rcferen(:cJ. We next examine the experience of the federill courtS in those c,lSe~ over mllny ycar~ with the usc of economic eXllerts.

VI. E<:onomic experts in the courtroom: the federal experience The cxperlen(:e of the fcdcra l courtS w ith ~xpert s on thi s tOlii c Is blld. The SUI)('(!me court In JO/l(~S & Laughlin Steel Corp. v. Prci fcr summed up years " of dreary CXI>crlence with experts in per. sonal Injury ca>es to redu(:e fulUre lost earni ngs award s 10 present v,l lui'), by quoting the Second Circuit, that "{tJbe average acddent trial should not be conV(!rted into a g,.lduale seminar on economk forecasting".'· A'1yone w ho read s four cases" usually wi shes the same principle applied to ajljlCliale OI)lnlons and easily ca ll see why the federal trial courts have such problems with Ihe Issue,

There! are said to be four steps to the procedure, namdy. "estimating the loss of work life rcsul tlr\g from the irljury or death, calcula ting !he lost income stre(lnl, compu ting the tot,,1 danlage, imd discount ing thilt amOUI11 to it ~ present v<llue"., g For purposes of clari ty It is worth taking those four slep~ Olit! <11 a time, though for the true picture It Is useful to read any of the cases,

The courlSuse workllfe tables (nOt covered by the Alabama judicial nOtice ~til t u td ; WQrklife t<lbles often show ce~~ t ion ill agl.'S less thiln 65, for early rctirement, di sability or death.ll

Evidence QI1 11~~lihood of 1)laintiff's being cli fferunt fro m the norm is admlsslble.Jl

Parries m<ly agree on the age of c~ of work; In I & L lhey agreed it wa s 65?" bu t thilt may give too much 10 plaintfff. because most work life table~ show cessation at yOunger ages, :lr\d Ihus counsel tYlllcally do not agree.

~dti o n

IL.M

in REAL PROPERlY

in TAXATION

Program

cons tntc Lion,

time, W riu! or Call:

Graduate Program in Taxation

Development and

Univenlity of M iami

Unive~ity

of Miami School of L;IW

P.O. Box 248087 Coral Gal>les, FL 33 124 Telephone ( 305) 284·3587

COrpOrate, Foreign and Esta(e concenWouions available in a Qnc-y<..o;u" progr am , fuU o r pan·

Write or CaU: Graduate Program in Re al Property, Land Finance Law

Annual wage or holse

Base The com putation "{b]egins with the gross eMnings of the injured party or the time of injury."!!

Add-ons "To thi s amounl other Income Irlcidentoll to work, such as fri nge benefils, should be added,"u liS well as " insurance coverage, pension and retirement plans, profit-sharint! .l nd in-kind Sl!rvices."21 Fringes "arc frequently cxciudl.'C i for SimplicIty's sake:'u presumably by agreement.

Deducts (I) Ta)((.'S On the other hand. the injured worker's lOS t wag~ would haV(! been dl· minishccl by mtc and federal income lases. Since the dnm· agcs aw;]rd is tolll-free, the relevarlt weam is ideally of after-tax wages and bencfil5.lt If til xe~ ilre de minimi$ the parties may ignore them,'" but taxes normally Me nOt de minimis excepl in non-ta:rt SImes, like N(.W Hampshire, Economists often ignore slate taxes on the theoretical as· sumption that the persO n could have moved to lind worked in a non-ta x ~ta te, QUI this ~rm un rea!.Or)ably theoretical and oversta tes lhe 'U\\OUfit of fulure 1051 cam· In&5. (ii) U nreimburscd cx pe n~es VVorkcrs often incur unreimbursC(i costs, such as 1r<U15parlill itm to wolk and uniform s, that the injured 'M>rker will rlOI IrICU·. These COSts also should be deducled in estim ating the 105t stream ."

A. Estlmilte loss of work tife"

IL.M

lncludes leasing, laxalion. finan c ing, zoning :U1d putnning, in a o ne-year progr.:un, full or pact timc.

6, Calculate lost incomt' stream

School of Law

P.O. Box 248087 Cornl Gables, FL 33 124 Telephone (305) 284·3587

Expected evidence by plaintiff: inere,lse (or individu" lb;ed (" Ctors " If sufficient proof is offered, the trier of fil( t mny inCTf:!OIse Ihal figure {I.e., Ihe basic annual wage] to reflect the approprlilte Influcnce of Individuillized fa ctors {such as foreseeable promotions),u Exam· pie:

M.1rch 19B 7

With the pilSSilSU 01 time, an Individual worker often becomes mort! valujlblu to his empl(lyel HI) personal work e~. perience,o; Incft!m his hourly c()(ltrlbo· tlons to nrm profits. To It.'fkocl that heightened value, he ofIeo will receive ~scniority" or ~exper lenct!" raises, Wme"t~ r.lI!tt.'S, or cYt!n promotions. A.lthough It ~ be difficult to Pf(Ml when, and whelhet; a particul.lr Injured WOrker m,ght two..l recelw.'d such wage Increase'! .•• . /Cjl(o omirlt'(/t they may be Il!lIably demonstrated (or sonle WOrkers."

EJ.:pectcd tes timony from plaintiff: i ncreilse fOf" society faclors If ) uf· ficicn t proof Is offered, the trier of (act may Increase that base w<lge figure to reRect the appropriate influence of "societal factors," such as foreseeable produCllvlty growth wi thin the worker's Industry,)O

C. Compute tot al damage This Is the si mplest SICp and the leas! discussed-apparently just add the sum of the annual payment during the remaining working life, keeping In mind thi s canno! be the end l"CSult."

D. Discount raIl'

nmlon. The resulting Income :ilfeam Is discounted by a below-mar\(et discount rolle. This discount raIl! 1l!!11t.'SCntS thf: l'Sum,u<'d markl'l intcrt'Sl rail', adjuSted for the eUecl Qillny Income lax, and lhen offset by the eslimatcd rate of general fUlull! Ilflce Innation,H"

Thl} s~rpreme court left open the possibilily of an even BreMer discount rate.· O 2.

w hich theory 10 usef federal court 's Hobson's a. choice: " below-market dis· Count rate IlH!thod " The Court of Appeals for the old Fifth Circuit (On bane reduced the avall~ble opliorl S from three to one in federal courts in the southeastern Sliltes, holding in Cvlver /10\ Ihill faclfinders in federal courts in this circui t must adju st damage awards to account (or inflation by using Ihe "beIow-m."ket di scoun t rale method," which the en ballc court describes 3S follows: Hln the bclow-mar'<et discounl method, the f,lCtnnder d~ nat ~ltcmpl to predict the wage Increnscs the p;)rt,cul.1r plainliff would hil\~ ret"el\()(l ;u a result 01 price Innation, Instead, the Iller 01 filCI estimates Ihe wilge increases the plaintiff would h."l\IC recel\UI each ~ar as a f1!Suh of all f4Clors OIher ,hM In.

NO case com£'S very dOS(', but Culver /I comes closest \0 giving k~rs a black· letter rule un(ler this lheory: "We hold lhat (acrflndcts In 'hl~ Circuit mu~1 adjuSt dama/jle awards to accounl (Of Inn~tlon ;tCl:on:!ing to the below-market discount rate methoo. The partl~ may, I( tkeywlsh, stIpulate Ih€! bclow-malkel diSCO\lnt rate, as lhey n\;'Y stipulate nny otherdlsputt'd Issue. If Ihey are unabll! do !!c), they may IntroducCl cxper t o,)lnlon concerning the 3tJt)foprlalc rale. Other evidtlnce aboul the effC(:t o( prin Inflalion I! Ir,· admissible. [vidence lIlIout Ihe likelihood Ihat the earning> of lin Injurl>d worker WOuld InC/case due to l)Crson~1 merit, Increased experience and olher Individual lind wclc l~1 f.)clof"'i con· Illlue, o( course, to lie admissible. 'M.! recognize Iha' the supremO COurl declined In P(elfe, to selt.'C1 a $Ingle nl(."hod 01 acCOUllIIllg '(If Inn.1.loo. 1M! an:: confronted, ~,with Ih€! nct.'d to iKl.lpllhm opinion jury tri als. We

If the entire sum of lost Income \NCn:!

paid on the judgment date, plaintiff would gct a windfall, since he could In· vest the money and earn Interest. To ad· just for th"t interest, since 1916 estimated fu ture benefits of present Investments of future income hllVC been discounted in making up the aWJrd In federal cases.'· It is thi s area, III particular, ill whi ch l'Xpert economic testimony has made (cd(.'r31 COurt litigation of prl!scnt value In· tolerably complex.

Three possible th eori es The supreme court in I ,~ L identified thrcc possi ble methods of discounting for Interest anv Infla· tion, namely th e "casc·by·case method:' the "below-m.1rkCt dl ~ count method" and the "total off· set mel hoo".)1 In discussing the amount of thc rate, the Supreme court wrote th3t "[<ll lthough we find the economic ...>vidence di ~ tinctly InconclUSive regarding an essential premise of those ap... proaches",n stili : ~ do ~ 0011(....,. a 111011 cotm adol>' ling suth iln appfC).lCh In a sui t under § SIb) should be ~rsed if It adopt) a rate beI_ I and] percent and e.. plains Its choice.~"

The Alabama Lawyer

When title insurance services aren't going your way, that's a sign you need Commonwealth James K. Merrihew. Jr. State Representative t 64 51. Fr8f1Cis 51., Mobile, AL 36002 (205) 433·2534

'1.

COMMONWl'AlTH lAND TITtE INSURANCE COMA".NY A

1ItbIctc:n:... ~~ 87

also think It desirable to afforrllitigants Jnd the cotm the opportU!llty IOtktt'r. mu\C 1M OKtUdI operiulon of Ihls 1es5 complex method In order that Its e(. ficilCY lor n,llIonnl use CJn be dl" ill rmi'H.'Ii. ':o\s ....'C hoM! noted, Ihe discount I;lte may be alfected by the fOM!tfindt'r'~ ~s sumptlon ~boot the type oIl.......:stment the plall'lliflwiU choose, 10, long-term Irweslmet'll5 us,,~lIy yield hiHher nomIn.al inlE!R!!iI rare lCIurns th.Jn sJ10fNcrm 1~lmenl s 01 the liIme quality. Thi' supreme court hil'llntl said In Pfeifer th,lIlt perceh~s "no Inlrlnslc ~ilj,()n to Uldcr onl! ~ssumpt lon CM!r Ihe Other; \o\oC m",-.d~le nt!llhcr. HOWllvcr, the f,1(I' finder should nOl (On sider the plalntift's possible need for en~fg(!Ilcy funds as d f,lCtOf in fiJVQr 01 shorr·tefm In~tments; the Injured wage-earner should h.aw no sreaK., "Shl 10 a rt:Wurce allilinst futuro emergcndC'!> 11'1011\ hc ....vuld h1M! h.ullf he had con. Iinued 10 \\O,k,

"Ill Judge-rrled cases, a lrial court adoptins a prc-r,lx dlscounr rJtti 00tween 1 and J percenr will nor lie f'C\ICrsed If II ~Illalns lhe I1!.Isons for Its choice. Thli guideline, howl.'yer, goes only 10 the leasonableness o(,he correlMlon betwt.'CIl rhe pre-tax malkel rarc oIlntert'St and the inflation rate. As discussed above, rhis 1)r(.."',lX dis<;ounl r;lte must then be adlu):lcd fOI tax dfoci ... If SUI1!)urtt'ti by approprl~te expe" opinion, IhelrlOlllud~ mlllht make no dlscounr Of NCn adopt a negJtive laIC IlOI to exceed .1.5 1"-'fCCOt before adJuq. 1118 fOf Id~ !!ferli-tn jury lIials, the IUry ~hot.ol(l 00 II1!oIru(lcd In the usual fil~h Ion (onccrnlng the weight 10 be gl~n t.'.lIpcrt opinloo CYidcncc. The Jury m"" then be pernllned to return a single0llurc lIWard for damages or 11 may be It.'qulred to ~I~wer Interrogatories St~t· Ing. moons orher Itcm~, the amoonl 0( 1055 ol futuree~rnlnss forC'dch ~ar IOf whkh il ma~l'5 an award, .nd Ihe dis(oonl r,lle j. chOOS(.'5 10 apply. The CO\I II WIll tllm be "hle to COl1lpotc the lotdl i1Warrl or 10 r('(luhe the Ihlrtll'5 to complele Ihl'l arilhmetlc.'Y' That is not, of courS(>, muth of a black· IImer rule for an AlabOlllli'l circuit COurl jury, or a federal JUry either, for that mat· ter. It sh()'¥\lS how complex lhe issue gelS wi th expert testimony.

Siale courl: horns of Ihe dilemma On federal law <Iuestions the At ab.lmil Ap!)ellat!.' Courts hi'lvc repea ted. Iy said thlll Alilbama courts are not bound by Fifth or Eleventh Circuit prl"Cedent, bUI only by the decisionS of the Uniled Statt.'S Supreme

Coun," dearly a C()(rect rute. Thus, an Alabama Circuit Court, {M!n in an F.E.L.A. or Jones Act case, Is not required to follO'vY Culver, and may hear testlmOllY on all three methods ,lllCM'Cd by the U.S. Supreme Court in / & L, which may produce differins !'(Sulls--some more favorable to plaimlff (usually the ~I()W.. market nlCthod). others 10 the defendan!. The choice Is open.

rOOlNOHS '2Je "'" 49, 1119 So. 20J nU91 Illes So.2d '" 1130 'Id III 1130 I(WI "",.ami

'1<1 '" 1m

'NOIe, (UIU"" Inn.,ion ., ",

EltlllCnl

pi o,,<mll'" In

",.IJ.o""" 5 CUM6l ~£v 11, '5-11> 1197>11 .[ •• C"IIl".1 "vJ~ ,,,,,,,, Inc.• )1IQIJ,1y, . 51 So.2<:1]19, Jel.e. lAt.. 1ta.41.

I" .... """",,,,.lty lith! &,..,...., Co.. Si~ In At. Sol. m. liS ""11; 1'\oMfy. I*"""" ". At... .... 19 So SN. 51S 10051 Of. , CMr¥i'bI'Jt J>I So.1d 1011. lOll 1"1.0 19111, Alo '"m llurwu 'n~ Y. Smt-IIo,I :r9S.u. )'6, J.9. J19 So.ld (19761, coll'IIJ " WI"I/h.I .... ln All ll$. UI, S<l.1d 690 tl9f.oll; IIlob ...... 1«<1 SooHlwm Rd Co. "GoomlHt<ll. 262 At. 297, 71 So2tl6l9 119551 oc: CAMKIE & 0< COWltY, AlJ\II.oIr./A !J\W O f ~1J, H

",,,t4I •

,.1 5.'

c..

1lo\.\IIICIS 1 36•••1 1U

N.,,,,,m,,

"1. .... 1t>u1l""Jc & ~R CIl. I(kll.l,rhon. 18S At. 281,2)1 So.2d ]16It'.1X1I,lo<ti•• ille& N."",4'" R.It. (0 .. ~. JS7 "1.0 .N, 4to, 59 Sold ~ n9~11 '''U SoI.ld .. 1IlQ. "1J.e Alo 49. S9. 189 So.2d 0'01 119191 '''''''''''Y tIobJo.o unde< t ,5-..., _ I.... pubiftNd In ......... ..os liIl'I. Se>.1 191<&, 'obi II. I'll. 1.12-15 Il~ 10 6",.ond "IWo\IIv ALA ,oCTS tt!1l I~ Sffi-119ll). \til

IIlunnumbeml J>OJt' .o/l~, IIWX8 '101 "Mood" & O.lt Co." IWlinl\ 219 "I. 1J$. 2. '. 1~1 So. 71111~1~1: Mig. Co. ~ I 'om/III. '~4 "I~.

"",,,,.cOil""

191. ~O so. lao, 299091 119061 '''0 So " 190. "2M "I. 111, Ill. 2)1 S"Jd Jl~ 11'»01 "~6lUS. SUo /CIl Ed ld I6ll1teJIf1" t1W1 C_ 10 J & l ... _ ...111 be 10 ~ rd.rlon I>o'I'!'> '" "'" t"", <II l"n,IO'<I _r.bollfy pi u.s. 1IIf __ "-'I '"III

oil 7'10.

,."""". & IMIrt1d", s-/ Cap. y ~ ~6) Us. 521, 76 1 td:td 16II1IN1!/l' U NQ/oI~" ~>It'<n I!y Co."

Conclusion The oldtimer says, ~ If it ain't brokedon'l fl~ It:' Routine lort litigation In the clr· cull couriSof Alaooma should not be un· wittingly turned Into an e~pcnsi ve, bor· Ing and lengthy "graduate seminar in economics" of the soft routinely aired in ft.'(icral law personal injury cases. The current mClhod In use in Ihc circuit courts works well in practice and Is nOI expensive. Pleasedo not Mk the sUI)fCr'ne court to require the use of economists. If you do, you will fcally be sorry in routine cases. •

,.."...,. ... U.s. ~90 (I98OJt'No<toI<'1. Cul~ " SI.o~ 1/0.01 C.... 7U f:td ". (Slh Ck I':HIJ~... b.>nc/l,Old smlt'Cul>e1 111; M~ ~ ""'~'" r.NI. S/lipo, Inc 712 rId .n r5lh Clf. I~.K_ l l hX"M"~ '*Cull'''' II ., Ill.

"Cui...., II

II II~ "~*I .'" I" '~I 1$1 SwIQl In M.tdote: lo>bD! Ot<pf ""'"' 11II1OIt",o!d In "'idtrI«', Id .1 . "

''M.ocIom.' ~7I, _ I & I ",,I

1 ...

711

oil

711

'>C"I_ 11., 111.

><"1",,, II .. Itl.

",& 1 .. 711 n

'"1&'''''' "I" I II 111, C'''''. NOIfo:II~" .......... 'n' M.odooe II ~19 n '. Nori<Jjk .. ~;;S

""\.Ido«I., '79"

I\.

Not~,

III .95 n. 1.

",&1.,1111

"I&l.I1&)

"I" t ... 1112. "".0Id. Cut.e< II", 121 See ."" j

~.,

IlnI""""I' .... ,Mt of ~ ,.,..... In """'PO'-

IAIIOII ....1"",.,. 1I(l<0l 1%',1979. «I\ItI 1nII1c..... """"" motfllv 1nILoI"", ._ 10 IeIIKI ....1 gowth .... I

"I " , ., 712 ActClfd, C""'- II ... In "I & t ., "l.

"J&l .. 7I]

''Cul"" II ... III

"1&'''790.

"I & 1 .1 1'JO.91 "I & ( ., /'il

"Id., ,n

''C''I'"'' II .. 1111. See .110 I & 1 '" 790. 'l(u1_ 11 .. 122 .... I"'" '" SIA .., 196 So_ld 2011. 110 1AI.! 191'1. ScoiIIoId y~. 1S) So.ld .lIllWo. 19711. SIoIil'. '11 So.2d 1<81. I<8J w..cIApp.~ fftt elm ..... m SoI.leI 'III WI 1M21. Hu,I •• S.-, Jt.1 So.ld $11. SlO w..C.""",

e.".

."'

DJlvid A. Bag'l!ell, a parlner In lhe Mobile firm o( Armbrcchl, /.lchon, DeMooy; Crowe, Holmes &- Reeves, sradu· aled (rom \(Jnderblll Univerfily and the Universily of AI/Jooma 5cll001 of Lal\( He 5('rves on the AI/lbama Supreme COurl Acivlsory Comm /Ilce on Ihe Civil Rulcs and is a member of Ille American I..lw InslilUle.

March 19B7

The Cry 01 the Wild It 's what you hear when your paralegals can', seem to get through all the dictation or organize your documents. And ir s what you do as an attorney when l ime spent preparing for a case ls never enough . II the cry of the wild Is familiar around your ollice, then you need Ca8eHawk ~" a soflware program designed to organize all documents and depositions Inlo concise summaries by key loplcs and In chrono· logical order, With CaseHawk ,' ''' all l rlal facts can be processed by your paralegal or secretary quickly. CaseHawk ' M'ealures a simple menu-driven program ra ther than a complicated command·drlven program. 1\ maximizes paralegal revenue and reduces your dictation workload . Don' , struggle tram sunrise 10 sunset In a Jungle 01 paperwork. Spend your time on case strategy by taming the cry of the wild. C8seHawk 1" ' - soltware designed specifically lor anorneys for only $.1195.' Call or write today to place your order. Visa and MasterCard accepted . TfHrly·dly money b3(;k \lUlrlnl, a, III! • $25 " Slocking lile

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-,,..---

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Til e Alabama Lawyer

...s~

.. -c.ooa JO .. _

cle opportunities 18

wednesday

LEGAl MALPRACTICE; THE ALABAMA STORY Blrmjn~ham.Jcf(erson Civi c Center,

Birmlnghilm

Alabama Stille Bilr Credits: 2.0 (205) 269·1515

LEGAL MALPRACTICE: THE ALAIJAMA STORY S heril ~ on Caps tone, Tu sciJloosa Alilbill1lil Stilte I)ar Crt.'<iits: 2.0 COS1: none (205) 269·1515

14-21 EM PLOYMENT LAW BIUEFINC The Lodge at Vall, Vall National Employment Law Institute

Credits: 36.3

Cost: none

thursday

Cost: $695

(415) 924-3844

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FINANCING

Law

monday

LEGAL MALPRACTICE: THE ALABAMA STORY Von OrilUfl CiYIc Cenler, r l\mlsville

Alabama State Bar Credits: 2.0

Cost: Ilone

(205) 269-1515

LEGAL MALPRACTICE: TH EALABAMA STORY Hol iday Inn, Sheffield Alab,u'!\a Slaw BM

Cr'Cdlts; 2.0 (205) 269·1515

COSI; MIle

17 tuesday LEGAL MALPRACTICE: THE ALABAMA STORY H oliday Inn Attalla ,11 1·59, G adsd en

Alabama State BM

Cred itS: 2.0

Cost: none

(205) 269·1515

C~ nler, Tuscaloo~il

Alabama Bar Institu te for CLE (satellite) Credits: 4.6 (205) 348-6230 LEGAL MALPRACTICE: THE ALAHAMA STORY Civic Center, Montgomery Alabama Sta te Bar Co st: none ( roo its: 2.0 (205) 269-1515 LEGAL MALPRACTICE;, THE ALA8AMA STORY Sheralon, Dothan Alabama State Bar Credit s: 2.0 CO~I : none (20S) 269-1515

friday

LEGAL MALPRACTICE: TH E ALABAMA STORY Riverview 1)lala, M obile Alabama State [Jar Credit s: 2.0 Cost: none (20 5) 269-1515

20-21 BRIDGE THE GAP Birmingham.Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham Alabama Bar Institute for CLE C,,_ "I;Iils: 12.3 (20S) 348-6230

22-25 REPRESENTING STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENTS The Anlle rs Hotel. Colo r~do Springs Nationa l College of District Att orneys COSt: $3]5

(713) 749-1571

19-20

TITLE INSURANCE AlT1bassO'ldor West 1-lotel, Ch icago Practi sing law Institute Cosl: $325 Credits: 14A (212) 765-5700

DUI I1irminghllm Cumberland Institute for CLE Credits: 6.0 Cosl : $85 (20S) 870-26 65

friday

LEGAL MALPRACTICE: THE ALABAMA STORY C,l rriagc House Inn, Anni ston AI(lb<lma St(lle liM Credits: 2.0 Cost: none (205) 269·1515

M aTch 198 7

thursday

CHOICE OF BUSINESS ENTITY AFTER TAX REfORM ACT

Law Center, TUSCillooSd Alabama Bar Institute for elE Credits: 4.6 (205) 346·6 230

friday

BANKING LAW 'Nyn(lt.>y l-fotel, 61rminRham Alab..lma Bar Institute rOf e lE

(,,-'tIits: 6.3 CosI: $65 (lOS) 348·6230

3-4 SCHOOL LAW Hyall on Union Square, San Francisco Nillional School Boards Association Credits: 14.5 Cost: $325 (708) 838·6712

PREPARING & TRYING THE MOTOR VOIICLE COLLISION CASE Westin Crown Center, KanS<lS City Assoclillion of Trial I.;twycrs of America

Credits: 12.6 (800) 424·2725

!JUSINES5 REORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE BANKRUPTCY CO DE Marrion, S;m Am onio American Law ln $t ituu.~mcriCiln Bar Assocla tiorl Credits: 18.3 Cost: $375 (215) 243·1600

9-12 CRITICAL LEGAL I SSUES IN HEALTH CARE DELIVERY Callow.ly Gilrdens, PillC Mounlilin Cumberland Institute for ClE CrL'di ts: 135 (205) 670-2865

10-11 ADVANCED FAM i l Y LAW

PROSECUTION OF VI OLENT CRIME The Amlers HOlel, Colorado Sp rings

National College of District Altorncys

Soil S (m) 749·1571 COSI:

6-7 REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT & CON· STRUCTION FINANCING The Mar k HOI>kins, San frilndsco Practising L.1w Institute (212) 765-5700

9-11

COSI: $240

5-9

Credits: 13.2

(sa tellite)

COSI: $425

Culf State P.uk, Gulf Shores A labama Bar InstilYtc for el.E (20S) 346·6230

17 friday SOUTH EASTERN TR IAL INSTITUTE Wynfn..'Y Hotel, Birmi ngham Alabama Sar Institute fo r elE Credits: 6.0 (205) 346 .. 6230

23-25 CORPORATE LAW INSTITUTE Grand !" otel, Point CICilr " Iabam.. Bill Institute fOf ClE Credits: 12.9 (20S) J48·6230 UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE t-I y.lll Regency, Chicago Uniform Commercial Code Institute Cn..>di ts: 16.3 Cost: $565 (717) 249-6831

friday

LITIGATION Birmingham Cumberland Institute for (lE Credits: 6.0 (205) 87().2865

24-25 BANKRUPTCY Birmingham

National Business Institute Credi ts; 12,0 (715) 835·8525

Cost: $196

t hursday

PENSI ONS AND TRA '86 law Center, Tuscaloos.l Alooamo Bar Institute for ( lE Crt..>dlts: 4.6 (sa tellite) (205) 348 .. 6230

thursday

EMPLOYMENT AT W i l l Law Cenler, Tuscaloosa "J .. bam... Sar Institute for ClE Crt.-dits: 4.6 (satellite) (20S) 348·6230

de opportunities 13-15 4-8

30-1 TITLE INSURA NCE ItolidilY 11m Union Square, S;m Frandsco Practising L....w In;titutc Credits: 14.4 (2 12) 765·5700

WORKER'S CO MPENSATION Mobile AI;lbanlil OcpMtmenl of Industrial Relat lolls Credits: 10.9 (205) 261·2868

LABO R LAW &- LASO R ARBITRATION H illon Inn, Dallas Sou , hwcS1(~rn legal fou ndation (214) 690-2377

YOUNG LAWYERS' ANNUAL SEM INAR O N TtI E GULF Sandestin, Destin Alab.lma Bar Institute for ClE (20S) 348·6230

Cost: $325

7-17 TR IAL ADVOCAC Y Univ. of North CMolina School of law, Chapel Hill

NatiOrl111 IrISlitutc for Trial t\dVO('acy

Credits: 75.0 (6121 644-0323

1 friday Blrm,,'gh.llll

AI<lb(lma 8l.1f Instltutc for Cl E

Crlodils: 7.3 (205) )48·6230

3-7

7-8

TR IAL ADVOCAC Y

The MonUllconc I told, New OrltW1S National Collcgc of District Attorneys

Cost: $415

WilLS ANO PROBATE ~S' In , OaililS Southv..'Cstern Legal FoundaTion (214) 690·2377

thursday

Cost: $1,350

ADVANCED REAL PROPERTY LAW Birmln~ham.Jc{({,l'iOn Civk Center,

15-16

friday

O il , GAS AND MINERAL LAW lJw Centef, Tuscaloosa Al ilOilm,l ailr Insti tute for elE Cwelhs: 6.2 (20S) )48· 6230

(713) 749-1571

8-9

LEGAL M ALPRACTICE

Law C('nler, Tuscaloos.l Alab.1ma Bar Institute for ClE Credits: 4.6 (satellite) (20S) 348-6230

21-23 NEGOTI ATIONS Northwestern Univ. School of law, Chicago National Institute for Trial Advocacy Cr(:d its: 17.0 COSI: S6S0 (612) 644·032:1

friday

TECH NOLOGY IN TH E LAW O FFICE: CO MPUTERS AN D BEYON D CIvic Cl'nll!r, BlrmirlKhilm Alab.lma Oar Institute for e l E (205) 348·6230

TRIAL ADVOCACY Ann Arbor hht ltut~ for Continuing leg.11 Eclue.ltion In Mlchi gim Cred its: 12.7 013l 764-0533

March 1987

Amendments To Code Of Professional Responsibility -Supreme Court Invites CommentsThe Alabama Supreme COurl ha ~ before it for consldcrOlIlon proposed nmcndmcnts to Canon 2 o f the Cod!! of

Profeulonal R5ponslbllilY of

11\l"

Ala·

Bar The proposed amend· mCIlIS ilre OIS follows:

bama 51.lle

1. The follOWing "Temporary DR 2·112" is added \0 Canon 2:

"Temporary OR 2·112 AdViJrlilill8 eerril/calion (Oi) A lawyer shall not advertise that

he has b«:n cCrtlfled

dr'ly

eli,-

tlfylng Q.g.lnIUllon, unless lhoe certifying Df'8'In!J:allon has been a~-d for advertising of ceni· Ilcmion!:ft'!he l>rOCedu~ ~I rooh

belC\IN.

(u) Approval of certl/ying Ofg.l nlz~· lion) sh1l11!Jc sr;lI1 li:d only upon /I flndlng Ih~t rhe adver1lslngby ... lawyer of a cer1lficatlon by the cer1ifying Ofg;lnl~ation will proylde m~anin8fullnfofmatiOn that Is 1'\01 falst. mlsle;KImg. Of decel). ti\(!. for u~ dtlle public In 5e1t!d. Ins or tetdining a lawyer. tc) Thl' procedutC for approYal of a cenlfyingorg~nl~ation shill I be liS follows: UJ AWl carlor1 for 3PPl'OYai of a Ctrlilying olganlz~tlon shall be Made to the General COlJnseI 01 the Alaooma Stale Bar pur.;uanr to such PI'OCedUI\.'Sas the Cener.ll Counsel may f.om time 10 time t'Stab!Ish in writing. Th" ~ lil)licii' tion shall be atCQrllll..1nlf'd Irf II ,edwnnblc IIp'I)licatlon fee to be ~t by the General COUI"6CI. Svch procl!dures and f.ees sh<IlI nor be eflec"ve UOlrl all\>fU'.'Cd by the Olsci. plrnary Comml\slon (ii) The GerIC.al C'I..rn!>Ci shall make such Inves rlgatlon. formill or InfOfmll1 11< he Sh.ll l deem ll{.'(es~ll) or demable. Upon conclusion 01 his In· Yr"'Srlsation. he shall Ilfepart!

The AI.lblimn Lll wyer

a wnl1en repon apprl),'lng Or dlsapprovin!:l the cenlfylng ()'l!unlzation. till) Upon IIP1)I'()Y/llby rhe Gener. al Coun§l'1 01 the cenlfY'rlg OfKilnizd~on . rhe General Courlsel ~hall lIiYU notic!! of the apprfN,ll. (iY) If the Ge~al Counsel dl"'lJ}pflM'!d d the certifying or· tpnl1.atlon, tht!l1 the <lppli· C~ 1l1 m",,' within sixty (601 days cJ Ih~ dme cJ the Gener· OIl Counsel's lI.'1lOf1 a~al the d j~'PIl.aval to the Disciplin· ary Board d the Alab.llllll State 8ar, whleh shill1 anign the ~PI>e.1 to 11 P.lll(!! 01 the Board (or ~ heM lng. The hearlflg shall be conducted Irl a procet.odlrl)1 de novo, wi th thl.' lIurdCn o/I).oof On thtl applicant. All cmt\ althe awc:oal procet.'(!ing shall be t.lx«l to the (\Ilplicanl, (yJ The .. pplic.llll or rhe Ge~al Counsel ~\;)y apl)!!.l the or· del 01 the l>'lnel 01 the DIK:iplinuy 8twd to the SUI)rtmc COll.t of Alabal'll;! purw~nt 10 thC1 AI~bama Rules 01 Appellate I'rOCl'(!ure and Rule 8(d) 01 the Rulcs 01 DISCiplinary Enfon:ement. Ml Tile apprwal eX it certifying organization shilll be effecti~ fOf fi~ ye.rs from lhe d;l1e 01 the IIt}J)rOva!; proYided, howeYer, Ihal . for rcaKlnablc (a usc. the Gcncr~ 1 Counsel 1'Il;'y withdraw In a wri llen repo" rhe 8pproval of a ( cr·

Ilfylng org3nl1atlon. which withdr.lWal m.w00 alll~alt'tl to the Dlscllllltl3fy Bo..1rd under the ~mc procedures as If an apillic/liloo \W!IC di ~ approy,-.d il'f the Genel~1 COlJnr.el. The burden d pmof Ylallll.'lThlifl on Ihe ceni(ying olgatlizar joo.~

2. Thc preSCr\! Temporary DR 2·101 b ;llllcnded (~ Ihe addhlon of "(D )") 10 read ;15 (ollows: "lCmporJry OR 2-101 Communrcillions COIIcC'rnin8 .1 (.IlIVye") SefYiccj A~' $hall flOt ""Ill' Of cause 10 be nlade a false or mlsleildlns com· municiltion aboot the IlW)\'r or the lawyer's sel'Ylces. A commvnicarlon Is falst! Of misleading If It: (AI COfl1illns a malerlal mls.t prescn· tJtlon of fact or l.lW, or omits Q 1<1(1 neces~ry to make rhe mrcmenr considered as a whole nor marerially misleading: (S! I~ likely to crt!ille jill unjustified ('~IX'Ct~tlon about rt:'Suhs the lawyer CJn achllM'. or ~tJ tes or Impll~ that the I,twycr Cilfl Jchleye results by fllCan S Ihm Ylola te thu rllies of pro/csslQn,,1 condUCl or 0lher lolW; to compare5 rhe qr.JaUty 01 the lo1Wyr.'f's scl'Yices with rhe q~Uty 01 other 1<JW~'s' ~rvices. CljCcpt ~ pKWldcd In Temporary OR 2·104; 0, (01 cornmunicares tho (ef1lnC,11101l 01 the lawyer by ~ cenlfYlII!:lorganllMion ('!((el)t a) p'\?Ifidtod In Temporary DR 2·112." IT IS FURTHER ORD(RW thlll thcr.tl ~ltnerldmerlls Ix: cffect l~ lUi'll! I. 1981.

TIll' Courl invitti) t ommcnb from i o'('r~led parties. Such comlllcnt~ Should to the Cle rk of the Suprernc Court, P.O. UO~ 151, Mont gomery, AI"b;lma 3610' . Sud! commenl ~ should be reccl~rnl by the ch:rk 110 I"ter th ,UI AIHII I, 1987. !)f! ;Jddr~~sed

Lawyers as Executors and Trustees: Snakes and Ladders by Edgar C. Gentle, III II has beer) Ilad II0rlai (Ot m.lny I~ and tr,ms to cng.lgc In estate planning as D "loss leader," hoping to rccOUI) their fee (or drafting ,1 client's will when the

cst,lle is filed. II(mever, as shopping for cl problUtllawyer becomc~ p(JI)ul.rf, this practice may no longer make economic sense. An ImOrn('Y therefore may be temptct! to malnlJin the profitability of

his o r her trust and estate prJetice by naming himself or another member of Ihe firm as ex(!(UIOr or tru5tl.'e. fallow-

ing Ihis course Imy I}(! unwist'. h~r, due to Ihe many 1>olentl.,1 ethical, malpractice and economic 1)llfalls 111.11 m.lY be encountered, Ethictllly, there .1pp.1rent'y is nothing improper pcr 51! in (l lawyers serving as Ihe fiduciary represcnt,ltivc for an CSIMC or trust. See, for ex.lmple. 7 A.B.A Real l}roptHty, Prowrc lind 1ruSI Joumfll (197'2), at 747-748. Possible disciplinary problems arise frOm the means by which an attorney obtains the appointment as est,)!e fiduciary, In planning an eStilte. a lawyt'r must be cMeful not to suggest or insinuate to the test(llor thiltthe lilWyer should be appointed in a fiduciary ca!l.1Clty, lest he be found 10 have vlolilted Alaoom" State 6~ 1 Code of Professlollal Rc~ponsibllllY Canon 5, requiring him to exercise IndelJCndcnt professional judgment on his client's behalf and Disclplin<lry ~ulc 2-103. plU\'lding th(ll he shaH nOl rccommend his eml)loyment to a nOIl-

lawyer who has not sought It. 57 A.L.R. 3d 703; SIiI芦.' v, Gu/bcnkian, t96 N.W.2d 733 (Wis. 19n1; and Olsciplin,lry Boord v. Amundson, 297 N.W. 2d 4JJ (N .D,

19801 Moreover, if an attorney routinely i~ nilmed a fidu ciary In wills thilt hl! drafr ~, the appearallce 01 501 citation will arise, which may be su bl ~t to diSCipline In and of Itsel f. Sliue v. Culbcnkl:m, fupr') Even being named a fiducillry in 01'1(' will Illay prcvcnllhe will's admission 10 pro. bate due to the prosumpfioo 01 undue influence if the will scrivener is n,lmed fi. duclary wilh bro.."ld powers a.<er L'Slilte a~ sets. leigll!( v. Coffin, 218 Ala. 586. 123

So. 22 (1929) Finally, C\o'en if the testator, un50licited afld wilhoul undue influence, asks lhe lawyer to serve In such il c,,!mci ty, accepling the engagcnnCllt without disclos-ing the resulting pitfalls for the e>.tatc may traduce Discil)linary Rule S-101(AJ, which forbids a Inwyer, wilhaul conserll and after full disclosure, from represen ting a cllen! in a matter in which their interests conflict. Financi'l/ ,100 Est.1le PI.1nnlng I(/eas lind rren(/~ In SlImfllnry, AW1l 10, 1986 Additional ethical consldcra t lon~, a~

well as malpfJCtic(' problems, arise when

Ihe lawyer aClUally sef~ as fiduciary of Ihc estale or trust. Even Ifh e lacks specified el(penise 3S an lr~st of, thl! lawyer may be held to a professional Slandnrd of '<Ire in mallilglng an e-state's assels

EdS,lf C. Genele, III, Is II fl~(ive of 8lrm路 Insham. He sradualed, summa (;um I,wde, from Auburn Universlly In 1975 Jnd received his nl<l5ler'(, summa cum laude, from Ih(' UnrvcrsilY of Miami in 1977. From Oxford University. where he w,lS a Rhodes Scholar, he received an rJonours B,A., Jurisprudence, In 1979, ,md (rom the University o f Alabama School of Lalli, his /.D. in 1981. He is a pm rner with Ihe Birmingham firm of Schoel, Ogle & Bemon.

com!);lrable 10 thaI applied 10 a bank or rruSI company. Trusts ilfld [stilles, Jilll. 1984, at 12 The Alabama "prudent man" rule wilh respect to estate asset managl,.'fTlCnt is diSCusSi'd In Birmingham Trust National Balik v. l"Ienlcy, 371 So.2d 883 (Ala . 1979); and Flm AI,1/)..1nla /J,lnk of f-Iunf$vl/If', N.J\. v. Spras,ns, 475 So.2d

512 (1985). As estolle fidUCiary. the Iilwyer may be tempted to appoint himself or another member of his firm as the attorney for the estal e. In SO "wearing two hals," the lawyer or his Orm is exposed 10 possible dU(l1 liability as fiduciary and cl tMe attorney, wjlh conflict ollnlerest complica tions. Although the performance of an exL'CUtor's or tru stcc's duties may nOt constitute the prac;:tice of 1/lW, serving as bolh fidue J.. ary ;lrld eSUlte i.......yer does, In whole or part, exposing the Inwyer.fiduclary Of his firm to polenlial mJlpractice liability for the consequences of all aC/lons t.,ken on behalf of the estate. An other legal malpraclke complicaTion may result when one lilW}(!r in a firm representSa Corporalion In ils sccurilles matters and ;I!lothtr 1<1W\,(!r In the firm Is managing Ihe same securities for an estale, Each consideralion should be weighed before acceptillll an appoin,ment as estale fiduciary and in chOOsing the cSIMe's anomey. Among 'he economic complications 10 be expected ((om serving as est,lle fiducillrY arc decreasi ng referral s from banks and tfUst companies. which traditionally are an eslate planning lawyer's l~s t source of business. A I....... ~r. there. fore, may conclude Ihlll it is as impl"Udcfl l for him 10 act as a prof~slon"l executor or trustee as Ills for a bank Of frU SI com. pany to drafl wills Of IruSls to provide complelc finan cial ,1 nd es"lIe I)iilllning services. tf he serYCS as both exec;l.Itor and attorney for an estate, rhe attorney may CJCI:leCI to h~ his tOlal eslate adm nislrarion fIX' disputed IYy rhe will beneficiaries. He would be hard put to JUStify f"C(;eiving both the maximum perCCllt,lgt! fee al. lowed executors llnder Code of A/abMlIiJ 1975, S 43-2-681, and paymCilt for aU of Ihe lime dC\()Icd 10 rhe estate under Ihe guise of an mlorneys' fee. allhough this March 1987

ilPlnHenlly the practice In New York. 7 A.B.A Real PfOPCfl Y, PrOW l!! llild Trust ,o umal (l9n), al 764 The proSpecl of having a will bunt,:.ficiilly disgluntled with Ihe lawyer-flducla ry'S 10t.ll fee may preclude a final SEttlemcnl of Ihe estale by con sent. Code of Alabama 1975, §§ 43-2-502 and -1 3·2·682 In petitioning fo r a fC(! as la..... yer-fiducl ary Jt the final settleillent hCilrlng or in negotiating the fee with the will bcnen c: laries In (Ill ,11· tempI 10 seltle Inc eSlate by consent, (onflict may be minimized by requesling oniY ;1 reasonable over.ll1 fee for I he tOlil l ~crvice$ rcndl.!red 10 the estate, Such a fcc should take imo Jcco(ml Ihe lime C)(· pendcd hI providing Ihe services And the filct that malpracl lce liabi lity increases wilh the size or lhe eSlillC. 10 A.B.A Real Proper!)" P'ob..1f(~ ,1n{/ Trust lourn,,1

(1975), ill 262 NOll!, hQ\VC\'er, that in Clark v. Kn ox, 70 Ala. 607, al 617 (188 1), the Suprcmc Courl of Alabama held that a lawyer.fidu ciary's legal fcc fOr professionill scrvi ces rcndered to an eSlale should not be b.lsed on " the u;ual professional chilrge5 for such service, but a cornpcnSiltio n fixed I1nd determined by the Inquiry, what Is fair and reJsonable in view of all thc ci rcumsta nces of the est,lte:' Of course, th is fe~ di SI)ute I)i tfall may be J\oQided If the attorney discloses 1o the tl.!$t,ltor i1Ppointing him executor wh;n his totill fee as execu tor and allOrrrf!y eould be and th..lt he (the testator) has a righ l to billsain wilh th e attorney conccrnlngthe 11.'\IC1 of the fee Jnd If the result of the bilrgllin is record1.' (1 in the will Itself. Based on the roregojn~ I;onsideralions. serving as estate ndudary to make an estille prJctice profllable may not be worth the ~amble. The simple ahcrr\D.1I~ Is 10 chargo ,1n I!(onomlc ra le for eSlale pl;1I1111ng scrvices. H ~r, if Ihe client, unsoli cited, (!ng~g(!s the csta te plJnning Jllorncy to be Iht"! t"!s l.11e fiduclilry, and th e ""Ollley agICCs to Ihe apt)Qintment despite th(,) ri s k~, the follOWing l)roc1.'(Iures ;lIe rt.'Commended to minimize the a dvcr~o cOllsequences of receiving and carrying out Ihe ilppolntmenl, (1 ) Prcpare il stJnd .ud fl d uci.uy engagement INter, to be s j~ned by th e t('sta to r at the will cl o sing, rt.'Citing that (a) the te st.ltor requested thai Ihc lawyer SCM as fiduci Jry wilhout thc sugges tion, Influcnce or inducement of the lawyer; (b) the lawyer l!XplJined th e potent ial

The Aill bllmll Lawyer

problem s for th e eSlate resulting from such an appolr\lmcr\l (wh ich the leiter should describe In detail) and the t~tator req(lested thilt the lawyer ser\/(! as fiduciary nonetheless; (c) the lawyer described thc lo tal Ices whi ch he mOly receive as e)(ecutor or tru stCl! (and also as estate ilttorney If the attorney will serve in sw: h a dual CJpa c ity) arId C)(I)lalned 10 Ihe teSIJtol thM he IllJy bargain with the lawyer COnCCrnin g Ihe tOl,ll {Imount of the fee; and (d) the lawyer ilnd Ihe testa tor agreed to a fcc set forth in the letter or the will. (2) In memorializing th e fcc agreenrelll in the fiducl(lry engagcml)nllellcr (in which case the ilmerW()uld be incorporatl.>d in the will by referen ce) or thc will, till! term s of compensallorl shoul d no t be In fixed monelary amount s, but self·adju sting for inn'lIiOn, in order to Jvoid negotiating II second fee Jgrcement with the will benefi ci Jries, For e)(ampl e, 01 reJl>Qnable fee ~greement may be based on Ihc lawyer'!. rceci l)t of Ihe lesser of a fee cqualto a certain percentagc of the fair market value of the probate estate ilt death or a fcc b~ sed on the lawyer's

standard hourly ra te charged for provld· ing legal servi ct.'S during the time cO'>'Cred by the .1dminiS\l(ltiQn thl) estate. (3) The will should nJme a con tingent fid udllr y to ~rw if Ihe dltOIl1{'Y Is UI1w illing or unable 10 do so. Upon the le~ tator's dCJth, and prior to probating the will, the JlIOrncy should shall! the eSta te cngJgemenl leiter wilh all will bend;t:i ari ~, and hiMJ lhcm confi rm In writing that th1.'Y consent to his serving as fidu ci· ary undcr the tClIl"'lS In thc IClter (and as ,l!10rney for the estJte, if he intends to do so), If, hOWC\lCr, this con:tCnt is not obtained, Ihe attorney then will be <lppri5e(l of potenti<ll exposure Jnd may wi sh to Subrlll\ a Icltcr of fidu ci ary reslgrltllion to the contingent fiduciary, who therl would probate the will "nd serve as its cxecutor or manage the testamentJry tru st, JS the C<l se may be, (4) Servi ng as both fiducia r y and lawyer f(lr th e es tate ~h (lu l d 11<lt be praC' ticed absent consen t following complete disclosure 10 Ihe leslalor, the will benefi ciaries ,ll1d all members of the attomey's (irm, and II c3reful considerJtion of th e resulting ri sks ilnd benefils, •

Consultant's Corner The (ollo\vlng I. 11 revlc'w of and com· menfary on an

omce au/amalian

issue

with curfCn! imporlance 10 InC le8i11 community, prcf»red by

the office auto-

mation consultilnl to Ihe stale bar. PilUl

Bomstein, who~ v/(ow$ are nol necessar·

lIy those of the stale oor. This is the second article in our Cansu/f.lnf's Corner series. \!I.e would like /0 hear from you, both in critique of /he !ide wriucn (lncl W88t'5ting topics for fu-

"r-

lure!

Mlle/cs.

Copier charges All firms, large and small, metropoll. tan, suburban and rural, are (3Cing Increased pressure on profit margins. Couple this wit" Ihe hardening of client ,,-'SiSlante to rate ncreases, and onc has all the elements of a dilemma-a lmost, There arc opponunltl~ for Increased profitabili1y without fOlie squabbles with clients. These opportunities are found below the doned line (on the billl and generally are gro~ped in two cil tegorles: rcimbuI"S.1ble expense ~uch as postagc, telephony, tr<lVCl, copying. etc, and v.alucadded services such as le~1 r~arch , t~hnlcal support, etc, Capturing copi~r charges is a pl~e of cake, rightl You simply put a sign-up $heet somewhere in the viCin ity of the copier, then sit back and watch those charge tickets multiply, Wrong. Our ex· perience Is that mllny firms are missing up to 90 l)Crcent of chllrgeable copies and do not know it, Worse, they (Ilil to appreciate lust how much moncy 15 In· vol~. Twcnty-cent charges do not add up [0 a tlM' of beans, rightl wrong again, Th\!V can add up to more than $100 per lawyer, per mo",h, all of which falls to the bottom line, Further, clients are more understanding of :at least less unsympa· thetic toward) reimbursable eltpcnses, After all, Ihuy Iri!1,(J1 and mail and COI7J',

Conduct a Sf.llf·audit of your performClnce in this area, Determine the montn· Iy volume on your mai n copier (which should be dedicated 10 clien t copying), This eM be done uitner by noting the monthly mc[cr reading or asking your copier IJCndor to furnish your recen t volume history, Take 85 percent of that volume figure, allowing 15 percen t for throw-awilyS and internal COI)les. (lttend tha! (igure by 20 cen ts, and call It poten· tilli/ncomu. Take 67 percent of that figure and call I! re,llizilble income, stipulating lhal 33 percent of the potentia/ charges may be wfittel'l off for ViJrioos reason s. Compare realizable income to chargcs for the matching period, wncther billed Or not If the dat.l Is a bit difficult to extract from '!Our billing system, have your book· kCC!per maintain ,1 separate manual wily fOr a lX!rlod Or review a month's Inl101ces. If your actual charges ilpproach 50 percen t of realizable Income for a matching period, congratulations. You may want 10 lighten up a bit, but nothing drastic Is in oroUt. On the other hand, If you rind yourself at )) percent, or 10 percent, for ClCiImplc, you ought to consider declslYC aCllol'I. Until recenlly the only remedy has been "raising the level of awareness,~ a n ot ·~subtle w<ry of WIVing "screaming and shoutll'lg." This has only a tr.ln~i(!nt dfllCI and still relies on remembering 10 record client data. Now, however, there Is an aUlommlon solution to this problem, at least in some circumstance$. Se\leralspecillity YCndors ((qUitl;)C, Computrac, Infortultt) have developed devices that auach to most copiers. They require thl! input of a client and mailer number as a condition fOf starting the copier and then print the clienl/maller numbers, and assoclated COI)les, as Inpul 10 the billing system .

Hornstein

Such devices Vi)ry In sllllpUchy (and price) from nwrely capturing the dilla to valida ting it a~ well. The costs run from $3,000-10,000 and can pay (or them· selves In less than a yt!ar. One gets con. trol of the p¥ocess withoul rt!liancc on "remembering." The COl)i!!! Simply will nOl sl<lt1 without a client and mal1~ numI.>er. Intc rn,d copies arc enabled ~ set· tlng up OJ dummy clien t nunlber (or the nrm, An added bcndit Is a rronthly "biW for Internal COI1t'lng; that might 1)1' interesting In Itself. The major leg.ll.specific \'fndol'S are offering an added twist. For firm s whose billing 5Qftware program is mlnl-compu. tef based, they offer conversion so(twi)re to Interl:!c!! the control devices to the minl-computcrs directly, automatically calculating and posting 10 the proper client 3Ccoun1. Such interface software is priced (rom $2.000-6,000, depending On vendor. Note that interface software of this type currently Is nOI o((ercd for mlcro-comjJutcr-b'!$(.'d billing products. In summary: If you h'Ml not conducted a recent audll of COI)Y COSt tecoYery charges, it Is very likely you arc losing money th31 can make a noticeable im· POl(l on your bottom line. Au:oma ted solulions arc available 10 plug this leak. They can v,uy from a relatively simple (and Inexpensive) stand·;llone control device \0 Integrated (more eKpensivcl sy~l ems. •

March 1987

THOSE WHO AREN'T COMPETITIVE END UP HERE. II'S n filet of lifc, off the fie ld

{IS

well us o n. The plnycrs who ;He strong find sk illful; those w ho nsscmblc the best tC<lm rcach their gmrl. The others wn lch

from

sideli ne. Qu r gOtlJ is to provide YOlI wit h the

thl;'

very best professiunnJ liability insurilnce covcrilse. Ar,d WI;' have the tCnm to be<ll. Thc Alnbilma Stille Bar. Your associn路 lion, solely ded icated to serv ing Alflbmna attorneys. In touch w ith your n(>('d s.

Kirkc-Vall O rsdcllnsur<l llcc ~ r颅 vices. The nil l ion's Inrgest odmin istmtor of

b.lr-sponsorcd liobility insurance programs. Experienced. Responsive. A company built Oil l'xccptiollJI customer service. The Home InslIr<lnce COIflp..1ny. Underwriter of more professional liability insurilnct.' plnns than <lny o ther.

Renuwned ,15 the notio n's premier Iiobility insurilncc C<l r ri ~r. Together, we' ve des ig ned the LPL plan you ' ve been wa iting for. O ne of th e bro.. dest poli cies in the Un ited States. Competiti vely pri ced. With th e m ost responsive customer services anyw here. You be the judge. Ju st cilll Kirke-Vil ll rsdellnstlr,lnc(' Services toll-freL'. 1-80044 1- 1344 10 fi nd Otl t Illore ilbou t the Alab.11llil Slate B.1r's new 1...1wyers Proft:'s3iunil J Liability Plilil. You'll discoV(:.'r thnt we didn't just CO IllC to ploy. We c.l nH! to win .

Kirk e-V.1Il Orsdd Ins urilnce Services, Inc. m lhir~t Strl'l路t 0..'" M"hl\路,. 1"1\',1 ;\U:WIIJ Th~

A/abam."l

L.lwy~,

Book

&~Ji\ Review

Consumer Law: Sales Practices and Credit Regulation by HOWiIrd I, AI,>crir'l and Roland F. Chase, \AlesI Publishing Co., 51. Paul, MN, 521 Pages

Rt.'\'it."·ied by CrCS Ward For the 8'.('ragc practitioner, it is it day loos-drcadcd whim it diM! comes in,

sits in the side chair and begins to discuss II problem which the allomcy quickly

analYle5 as one involving one 0( the mllr'ly ilreas generally group(.'<1 as con· sumer law. Consumer law is far. ronging. arId Includes general contract law, laws peculiar to each SlalC and a mullitude of rcl<ltivcly new federal 11lws. 1\ cn comP.1SSl:Sillll{IW rcgultl1irlg consumer ' f.l ll S-

actions, including loans, adYCrUslng. credit sales and some leases, and Is II unique mold of our oldest and newest concepts. Thus, COnSumer law gl\IC5 ri se 10 a great deal of confusion. One of the more cxllCrlcnced mem-

bers of my bar recenlly was discussing consumer l;rw and slaled Ihal an <lttornc.-y jusl Oul of law school has an advamage CNCr an elder coumerp.1rl OOci\uSC Ihe younger auorn('y Is freshly versed in the field . A younger member of Ihe bar recently confided In me Ihat bc<:auw of Iheir experience, he felt thm older attorneys have a big oovantage In consumer l;rw Pfoblems. Since neilher our more experienced brelhren nor new i\dmiuces consider themselves 10 have any 51>ecial adv,ln· ta ge, hO\o'l can one be gained! Books such as HO\o'Iard F. Alperin and Roland F. Chasc's tWQ-\oOlume SCt, Can-

stlme' L.lIv: S'l/cs Prac/lces lind Crcelit Reg"lm;on, certainly help. The authors' goal Is to draw reasonable boundtlrics aroufld the subject of consumer law and then analyze and cJ(plain It. The iluthors begin with a 50-pagc discussion of b.151c conlraCt law, much the same as found In 01 hornbook. They Ihen r'rlCNC Into issues involving media adver. tl slng, discussing IS5ul.'s surrounding deceptlve adllCttlsln& puffing, the old 1>.1iland·switch and the usc of endorsements and testimonial\, Uhe Good Housck~p Ing Seal of APPItIY,ll, elc.).

What happens when a seller ad\'CrllSCS "easy credit terms~ and tke credi t or Ifop.'I)'mfont tforms arc anything but easy? The authors give a shorl (one-page) discussion on this. Then comes a useful sec· tion concerning remedies for unlawful advertising, ~ch as aclioo by the Ft-deral Trade Commission Ijn~t jg" tjons, InJuncti ons). Ever wonder how to find out If a statement made In an advertisement WJS truel Under an FTC resolution the advertiser is reqllire(l to file a rcpM sul>51i1n tiating "II claims made in Ihe ad, and the report mu~t be open 10 th~ publ iC. Perhaps the scariest and least understood area of consumer law Involves the {(o(/(.'(,11 Truth.ln.Lendlng Act. The authors consider it so importanlthat they devole the major portion of the book-chapters seven through 12-10 il. As appendices, Regulation Z is Included, the moM well-knO\o'ln scction of the Code of federal Regulations de· signed to implement the Act, and Regu. lation M, the new section of the Code of federa l Regulations deating with consumer leases. This makes {or easier refer· ence, cspecially in lOCales where there Is no Code of Federal Regull11ions near· by (the better part of "tabama). There are chapters dealing with the effect the Act and regul;l1tons have on ad· verti sing, credit Cillds, billing erro rs and consumer lea~. How to enforce truth· in-lending I)rovisions hilS it ch(lpter, incl uding how 10 ask {or :lIld lE!cei\o1l (I ttorney's {ct.'S. The book closes with chal'tcrs on cfedl t I'CllOttS, credi t In$Ur.111(.'<.', third !hl,· ty Insurance and debt collecllon . The chapter on debt collection Is especially useful for the attorney who coUcets debts for clien ts, has to take (lction to collect his O\o'In accounts or rcprCscnt$ banks or collection agencies. Tl1cre Is a good discussion of the Federal Fair Orot Collec· tion Practices Act sho..ving who Is co,..

f!red by the Act, damages under the Act and defenses to the Act. Consumer Law is a handy $l!t to h.1'W around th e office. It Is concise enough so that It d~ not take up a lot of shelf space, yet complete el'lough to help you giV(' solid oovlce. It Is a useful tool for a quick reference at client inquiries, and Is indispensable for attorneys needing to give advice on short notice. Alperin and Chase make all cxcellerlt ~t ..b at clrilwing acceptable! boundaries around tim field on COllSUrller law, and then eJ(plalnlng the field- no smalilask on ei ther score. They also do II good job of helping the attorney, who previously hilS oc'Cn w..I'Y of consumer law issues, turn iT into it bread and butter pan of his or her practice. Nol all qUl.'Slions will bI! answcrcdno book C.11'I do that. But It will take care of more than enough to make it worTh the cost. And it certainly will help TO " bring up to snuff" an attorney who knO'NS lillie aboot the field. •

Greg WJrd recelvcd his bachelor's dcgree (rom Auburn University and his law degree from lhe UniverSJIY

of A/'lb.lIll<l School of LiiW. He is in prlvale plaCliCe in I.Mlt'fI. Alabama, and 5crvcs on Ihe edllolial board of The Alabama lJIwyer.

March 1987

Recent Decisions uy John M. Milling, Jr., and David B. Byrn t, Jr.

Recent Decisions of the Supreme Court of Alabama-

Civil Civil procedure ... Rule 4t(b) dismissal wi thou t

gerlcral ru le th:lt a dismissal Is "with prejudice" Is (')(pllcl tly made Inapp llcablc to a disnllssal (or lack of jurisdiction because Ru~ 41(b), A.R.Clv.P., provides that such a dismi ssal Is not CQn ~;derecl i,lll ildj~,di ciJtioll on the merils.

prejudice

E)( parte: Hamilton & RigBS Agency. in c., ctc. (In Rc: BOYCllc V. Travel· ers Indemnity Co. of IImerica), 21 ABR 602 (September 26, 1986)- Boy. elte filed it declaratory judgmenl action against Trilvclers in $tate court, and TmvclCfl rem(M.>d the case to fed· crill Cl)u(1. Two di.lyS li,lter Boyette ,11temp ted to amend the state court complalilt by adding Hamilton & Riggs Agency, an Alabama corporation, Hamil10n & Riggs Agency filed il motion to dismiss the ;)r)lerlded complaint on thc basis th31 it was a nu ll ity QeCiJl.lSC the stMc court lost Jurisdiction when the case wa s remtM>d to federal coun. The st,l le court judge dcnir;d the mOtion. ilnd H(1.mIhon & Riggs Agency filed this peti· l ion for mandamus asking Ihe suo preme court to direct the trial court to gr,lllt its motion to dismiss. 80yette fill.-'d hi$ ans\~r to the petition and Ie<juested that the supreme court make the dismissal be "w!!lmut p rejudice." In a case d.lnltlal impression in Alabama, the supreme COurt stated the

Civil Procedure ...

the general rule in Parker v. Fies & Sons left undisturbed by Price

v. Southern RailwilY Company EI.1II1 v. IIlIlIois CemriJl Gulf R.R., 21 ABR 724 (October 3, 1986)Duncan was Injured In May 1983 and onc week l<rtcr filed suit ag(linst the defendilnt for peN;onilllnjllries. Dun· Ciln diLod in July 1963, ilnd his per. sonal r<:pres<:n tativt: wa~ substituted

101m M, Milling, Jr., i~ a member of tnt! firm of Hill, Hift, Cart!?r, Franco, Cole & Black in

~~:~t~gsi~':j'~"

and an i1mendment filed adding a claim for wrongful death. Elilm, the 1>elSonal represen tative, subs(.'(jucnt. Iy flloo arlother wrongful dc~lh claim, and the defendant moved to dismiss tn,lIaction based on Section 6·5·440, Ala. Code 1975, prohibi ting the maintenance o( two acliorls at the same time. The court dismis5ed tne second action, ;rnd Elilm appeals. The issue is whether the death of II solc plain tiff in a IQrt al;liOrl fQr personal Injury c)(tingui shcs tha t ilction so thaI It CllllnOI 00 amended. <1Ild therefore any (urthN prosecution mUSt be by a nC\'I and seporra te action for wrongful death, The supreme Court answered the issue In the illflrmatlvc. The original suit filed by Duncan

David B. Byrne, /r. , is a graduate of the Un/versify of lilaoomil, where he received both his

of Law. Milling c:Crs of the decisions.

was only for 1>C!1orll'll Injuries. BHcl'lusc ~ here were flO other parties lind no o~hcr claims, that aCiion w.lS cKllngulshed when Duncan died . Rule 15, A,R.Civ.P., docs not ch.1nge this result. This, hot.wr, d~ nOI mt!an that 11 p(!oonal In· jury action Is nlM!1 amendable after the injured plaintiff d.es. Clearly, If ally clai"1 of Ihe original aaion survives the dea1h of the Injured IXllty, or If, by alternative ;rltl'8iltrons, the original complaint assert· ed Inconsistent or mutu.ll1y f'Xclusi~ d.llms, the origill.ll complaint is "amendable:'

Civil procedure , , , Cobb Yo M.l/on e sl;md;rrd of review after grant of new trial over· ruled Jmvad v. GmnM/e, 21 AliI{ 626 (Scptcmlx!r 26. t986)- Slncc Cobb ~ Mnlollc w,u decided In 1891, the stilrld· ard for reviewing a trial court's order granting a new Irial, on Ihe ground that thc jury's IICrdict is agilinst the great weight and preponderance of the widenCH, has been that "Ihe ruling will nor be disturbed unless the I!vldence plainly and palpably supports the vcrdict:' Ahhaugh thar sundard of rcvit.'W has been cri ticized o.-er the years, It never· theless rema ined the law until this case. II had been argued thaI to allow the judg· ment to stand, sclling aside a verdict by Ihe jury, when te~,ed "" this stand.lid of rcvit.'W would giY!! one person the lXM'l!r

to subSlitu te his judgment for 12 people. In other words, the constitutional right of a lrial by jury was judicially curtailed or dim inis hed. To correct this problem the supreme court adopted Justice J on~' dbsenl in Hubbard Bralhers Const Co., Inc. v. c. r. Halstead. 5pe<:i(lcaUy, the st.lnd.lrd fOl appella te review of OIdc~ gr.lnting new trials on the ground thaI the verdict is .lgainst the greal weight or preponder. IInce 01 the evidence is Ihat the trial coun will be reversed for abuse 01 diSCretion only if It is easily perceivable from Ihe record thaI the jury verdict Is supported by the evidence. D e famation ... co urt appears to adopt re stalem e nt (2 nd) of TOrlS Section S87 (1977) Walker v. Majors 21 ABR 702 (October 3, 1986)- ln a case of Inili111 impression In Alabama. the court was ilskccl to decide whether a defama tory publication made before the commenCement of an aCiion in coun is absolute ly privileged when made with ~me relation to a con· lemlll"Ied court proceeding. The suo pref'n(! court said yes. Wdlker and Majors had a di51lute over a real estate commiss on which Walker did not pay because he decided not to sen the property. Majors hold already Ill'()o cured two pur<:hase~ and when Willker refused to sell, Majors wrOte the purChOl!>efS and enclosed their earnest mono

CORRECTION Th e notice in th e January 1987 edition o f Tile Alabama Lawyer th at Tho mas E. Baddl ey, Jr" of Birmin gham, had been suspended for a peri od o f six months, effecti ve N ovember 19, 1986, based upon a felony mari juana COIlvicti on in Jefferson County Circuit Court, was in error. The Di sciplinary Commiss ion ord ered 8addl ey suspended for six month s, but he appealed th at order, and his suspen sion is autom ati ca ll y stayed pending determination of his appeal by th e Alabama Supreme Court. [AS B 83-25 4J

100

cy check, MilJO~ also accused Walker of fraud IlIld sent copies of the lette~ to W.llker and Mr. Langford, who sub~ qucntly becilme Maion;' llttorney handling this sui I. Shortly thereafter Majors filed suit for frdud and Walker nlOO this defama tion 3C1ion. Majors claimed that the defdma· tory pubHcation was absolutely privi. Icgoo even though made prior to an ac· tua l judicial proceeding. Although not expressly <adopling ReM.lIement of TOrts Section 587, the court <Iuotoo the seclion at len8lh and nOted thai the trend of authority Is toward Ildopllnll the rule set therein . This rule and the comment afford an absolutc privilese for a dcfamatory publication prior to a iudidal prOCl;!(.'(ling when lhe publication has some relation 10 a proceeding that Is contemp la tl'tl in good fai th and und!!r serious consldtlfa tion . The suprcmc court St.1too the issue of the rclcv.mcy of Ihe communication Is a mal· ter for the trial courrs delerminlllion and that llil doubts should be resolved In favor of a finding of relcvMlcy. Torls ... sce lion 6-2·39 canno t rel/ive limeb ar red cause s of aClio n 8a;ahla v. lim MagUi Chevrolet, Inc" 21 ABR 1119 (October 31, 1986)-ln St!ptcmbcr 1983, Bajahla delivcred an automobile to Maglil Chevrolet for rep.llrs. During October 1983, the au tomobile was stolen from the lot "" lhird Ihuties. Bajahla claims thaI during October 1983 he c.llle(! the dcfendanl to in(Iuire abou t the car and ~ tOld the car was nOI (luile ready, when in fact thc car had already bt.'Cn stolcn. Bajahla claims the defendan t was therefore guilty of fraud . Bajahla admi ts thm he knew lhe car hild in faCi been stolen by Octolx!r 31, 1983, but did not file suil unlil September 19, 1985. The defendanr moved for a summary judgmen t basC<i on Seclion 6·2-39, Alit. Code 1975, as It ~Ist cd In October 1983. The court gran ted the defendant's mOllon, a"ld Salah III appealed. Therefore, 1he issue on appeal was whether the presen1 lwo-.year statute of limitations, Section &-2-)9, efflXlive January 9, t985, is appllcablc to iI cause of aCllon which had become lim~ball1!d prior to January 9, 1965. "'he su preme coun said no. March 1987

Relying 011 7'(son v. fohns-Manville Sales Corporation, the cowt stoltcd that white the pov.ter of the leglslJlure C!XiSIS to all(:r or ilmelXl, nevertheless, It ColnnOl be used 10 revive a cause of action alrelldy barred. a<ljahia's cause of acllon was completC!ly barred as to the fraul;! claim on October 31, 1984, before the new two-year stiltute became effective, R~cnt DeCisions of the Supreme Court of Alabama-Criminal

Di strict attorney's no n-s tatuto r y grant of immunity-a basis for com-

pelled grand jury testimonyl Stilte v. ROOcrlS, 21 ABR 886 (October 3, 1986)- ln Roberts, th e supreme court gr.)nt,-'(i cerlto determine the validity of

a purponec/ grant of immunity from prosecution signl'tl bt the dist rict anomcy, an assistall! allomC'j' general and the foreman of the grand jury as it bears on the q(Jestion of whether Roberts could be compelled to testify before the grand jury. The supreme court said no, but that non-SI<atutory grants of immunity could be valid in Alab,l ma provided they follawed the guidelin('S set forth in Roberts.

the subject of immediate petitiOn for writ of mandamus. Stille v. Robem, 21 ABR 886 In August 1985, the courl of criminal aJ)l>cals vac.1led the circui t court's order. The appellate court also prohibited any interested IXlrty from compelling Roberts to give l)Otential incriminating testimony, against his will, befall!: any grnnd jury. As a result of the court of criminal apJX!als' holding, the state nlee! a petition for wrle 01 ccrt/or;u;, Justice Adam s, in an excellent opinion, surveyed the Ah.lbama law regarding nonSTi.llUtory grai1lS of immunity. [n Gip50n v. Slate, 375 So.2e1 514 (Ala. 19791, the leading COl.;(> In Alab."lma 011 t hi~ ISsue, the court held In a plurJllty opinion that under appropriate clrcu mstilnces, non-statutory grJi1ls of immunity were all()'W'lble in AlolbamJ. The supreme «:0(111 in Roberu reaffirmed the fillion,lle in Gipson ilnd dearly held "thilt non-stiltutory KriiotS of immunity (."In be villid in Alabama, so long as th ey follow th e guldellnC!s hereinafter allilouncOO." In order for an InlnlUlllty ag((!C!'I"ICllIlo be vali d, it must be signed by the district ;.It\orney <Jno <lpproved by the trial judge,

Roberts WOlS an employee of the Alabama Stolte Docks 'lIld was subpot;!nacd to testify as (1 wi tness beforC! the Baldwin CO\Jnty Grand Jury regarding his knowledge of alleged criminal activities at the stat~ docks. Roberts appeared with coun· sel and filed a motion for !>'otectlve order. During the heMing on the moti on, the court asked the prosecuting anorney if he Intended to grallt ROOOrtSimmunity from prosecution in rC!turn for his truthful teStimony before the grand Jury, and the prosecuting attom(.>y said thaI wa s his Intent. Roberts till'll WilS called to answer quest lon~ oofo~ the gmnd jury and of. fered immunity. Upon advice of counsel, Roberts refused to waive his rlghl 110tto testify when his answers might tend to Incriminilte. The prosecutor urged that since Roberts had ~n given Immunity from prosl.'Cution ilnd still refu sed to testify, he should be ordered by the circuit court to allswcr all 'Iuestions posed to him, In compliallCc with the state's request, the CO(lrt then ordered Robert ~ to a!lSwcr "II questions or be held In contempt and in pilson. The trial court's order compelling Koberts' testimony WolS

The Alabama LawYl'r

The Ilwolvemellt of Ihe Irlal judge In ihc agreement to grolntlmmunlty pledges the public faith to the potential witness, ;Jnd further in ~u res that the st.lte will not renege on itS promise not to prosecute and will pnxeed in gOQd f:lith. In return for thi s added assurance by the trial judge, the wJt!less not oilly mUSt testify, but testify truthfully In response to the pr<rn!(u(ors question, If the witO(''S5 gives fal~ teslimony, he or she will have failed to perform his or her end of the agreement, .. nd the prosecutor will nOt 00 bound by the agreemC!llt 110t to prosecu te, It Is Important to point out " thm this req(lirement upon the witness is «Iso 11 limitation on the prosec\lt!on, OOciluse it forbi ds uncondition:ll grants of Immunity:' Justice Adams, having Iound that the gr.1I11 of Immunity In RObefl$ was valid, turned to the Issue of whether Roberts could be forced to waive his privilegE: agilinst self.lncriminiltion under Art. I, § (j of the Alab..lma Constitution, and thereby, be forced to testify agai nst hi s will. The supreme Court an$'M!I\."(! that Roberts could not be forced to tes:lfy against hi s

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101

will beforl! thc grand Jury. RoberlS nlNl!r accepK'(l thc ICndc:rc.-d gr;lIll of Immun Ity; rather, he chose not to waive his right ag.1inst self-Incrimination. The supreme court concluded: ~ areof Ihe opinion 11\:11 this i~ a choice Ih., Robens mUSI be 0111lPM!d 10 make. Othe'wi~ we would be $;ryil1g that a (und.lo'lelllJll~l'CTion gu;uante«t to him by the Alabama Conslltution could IX' Idkeo aw.lY (rom Kobt!rlS as'liflSi his wUi, ~ do flOI beHe.1l that the prosecutlon's Intcrest In obtalnlflll a COflYlctlon In this case i$ 50 great ao; to warrant weh an inuu)ion upon RobtYb' con~tltut IOf1,l l1y 1)10te€;led rlllhl.~ H

•••

Sp(.'edy Trial SIL-Ycns v. Stale of Alabama, 21 ABR 513 (September 19, 1966)-Thc ~u prcml,l court granted ccrt to determine whl!thl!r the court of crlm mtl iIl>iJCi1ls erred In denying Stl.'VCn·s petition for writ of error cor,1m nobis hilsccl on a slx!edy trial. OIl direct allpcal, In S I~n$ v. 51.11(>, 418 So.2d 212 IAla.Cr.App. 1982), the court of criminal apl)eills recognized the lour.point test sel OUt in Barker v. Wlnso, 407 U.s. 51 4 (1972), for a determination of whether a defendant has been denied his right to a SJ)(.'edy trial. The factors to be ~ighed in a 8arker v. Wingo an"l~is Include: the length of delay; delendant's assertion of his ,ighl; reasons (or delay; and prejudice to the defendant, The court 01 criminal appeals focused on the second factor, the defendant's rCspon~lbllity to assert his rights, and found nOlhing in Ihe r(!Cord 10 ('Stablish that the defendant hoo requested his speedy Irlal prior to his pro stJ motion (lied on AugUSt 6, 1980, and granled on Aogu~r 21, 1980. HOWt.'VCr, the origifl1ll record omitted IWO letters written by defendant 10 the clerk 01 thl' cirtuit tOLIrt dc:marrdlng or rccjucs ting a 51)(!(,'(ly lri,ll of his cases. The supreme court huld Ihal the two letters requC5ting his speedy Irl;ll which ~1lJ indud('(l in the rt..'Cord for consideration on his coram nobis appeal, but rllissing from the record on direct appeal, constituted a laclOr rccjulring a materially dmerent C\',llualion o( Barker's (our· point test. In that regard, the supreme court noted th.llthe only pro se activity erlgagcd in by the defendant during the first three ~ars and four months, prior to his arraignment, were his efforts to ol> tain a speedy trial. Thus, It was the Inor· 102

dlnale length o( delay of more than three years before any subS!;!ntial nKl\o\!fl1cnt in the prosecution occurred, as opposed to the one-year prcp.1ralion lor trial after 31raignmerlt and appoinl!l'Ient of counsel, thai was crucial 10 the coun's consideration of the speedy trial iSSue. Ultimately, the court held that Ihe three-year period prior to his arraignmcot constitutc!d prejudice 10 lhe dciendant as a mallet oi law. The prosecutor's comment about defendanl 's failure to take the stand \Nard v. Slate 01 AlaOOma 21 A8R 545 (September 26, 1966)--W.ud was indicted (or murder in the first degree. At lrial, the stale called tWO (')'CWitnesses to the alleged murder, bolh of whom testified thm a dispute had occurred between Ward and the deceased immedi,uely prior to the shooling. One witness 5tl1ll.'(l that the f(ltul shot WilS firl,.'C,l during i1 Struggle OOI'M!Cn w.ud and thl) d{!Cl)a:;ccl. The defendant did nat preSent any ('VIdence at trial; r.llher, following the close of the stale's evidence, he resled his case, rely. ing on the testimony 01 the stale's wit_ nesses to PfO\Ie his claim of sellodefenre. During the stale's dosing argument, the JlfOSOCutor ~id, "Did you hear one voite, one voice from lnal witness stand, s.ly, 'I thought Donald UndCtwood was going to hurt hlnil" The defense made timely objection, and the court merely instructed the Jury, "Don't consider ,hal Sl<l1ement milde in YOJr consider(ltion of the case:' The dcfendenl was convlcled of second degree murder. On <lppcal, Ward COIlII.'I1Q(>d !hilt thh statl!mcnt by the prosecutor was a comment on his failure to Icstlfy and thaI the tdal court failed 10 properly cure the resulting prejudice. In Beecher v. Stale, 294 AI,l. 674, 682, )20 So. 2d 727, 734 (Ala 1975J, the supreme court held t h ~ t SI,.'Crion 6 01 the Constitution of Alabama is violated "where there is the possibility thllt a proSecuIOr'Scomment could be understood by the jury as a reference to the lallure 01 the defendant to testily." In E'IC P,me Whl/t, 370 So.2d 73S (Ala 19791, the Alabilma Supreme COurt established the standard to be applied In testing cUrdtiv(! instruCtions in "direct commenl" cases as follows: ~ suggQSt thai 011 3 minimum, the trial Judge muil s.uil~l n lhe obJe<:tlon, and should then promptly and visor. ously lIi~ appropriall~ In$lrOCllons 10

the lury. Such in)lruCtl ons should Indude thm such rtm:arks Ml;l Inll)roper alld 10 disreg.lrd rhem; Ihill statements ol counsel aro not evidence; thaI under the II\W rhe defend.lnt hM the privtlege to tesllfy on his ()Nn behlllf or 001: t~t he c.. nnO! be compelled to teslily <l8'linsr himself; and, thai no pn.'Wmp. lion oI11u11t or InreTeIl« 01 iIfIV kind ~ould I>t! drawn (rom his fJllu"i! IQ thrlfy ., .. ~ Applying the Wh;/1 st<tndard to the fadS In the \>\{Ird case, the supreme court hl!ld that Ihe Irial judge's instructions to the jury did not cure the prejudice created by the prOS4M;utOt's improper remark. Rohbcry-violence element must occu r at time of commission and/or in immediate fli ght 5,1PP v. 5l.1te, 21 ABR 598 (September 26, 1986)-Sal>P left W<lI-M1'Ir1 wi th a block jilckel. Approximately five or ten minules liller, 5app returned to the store \'o1!aring the jacl«.~ which prO.ed to be the prollCrty of W,ll-Marl. It was after this return to the store Ihat the violence ocCU fft.-d and the defendant escaped. In iIfl option authored by Justice BeatIy, Ihe supreme ClXlrt found th(!tlhe court of criminal appeals Incorrettly concluded that those f.x:ts constituted robbery. The COurt held thai Ilrrned force was not H u~ "in the course of CO'flmllling the theft 01 "in immediate flight afler Ihe commission," but rathe, occurred after the thefl llself clearly had ceased, Thuo;, to be found guiltY under Ihe Alabama Robbery Statute, § 1)..\.8-41, Code of A/,lb"ma (1975), the fOrce Or threat must hav(! been used Hi n the course of commi ttin8 thl! Ih(>{t," which by Statutory definition, § 1JA-8-40, Code of Alabama (19751, embraces acts wh ich occurred ... in Immt'(!ialc flight after the ,lltempt or commission. Crimin al forfeiture and condemnation MClrupolluHl Tayofil II. Slllte of AI.1t>Jmll cx rei. Chris N. Cnlanol, 21 ABR 794 \October 3, 1966)- The state brought an {letion for condemnillioo and (orfeiture of an automohile under the authOtity of S 2Q.9-93, Code of Alabama (1975). Pugh, a prospecli~ purchaser of the car, used II to tr"nspOrt marijuana fOr sale while he had the car on loan from Metropolilan Toyola of Mobile. Metropolitan in te~ 10 challenge the condemnation and argued Ihat it had no March 1987

knowledge or nmlce of Pugh's inlCnded use of Ihe eM for sate of controlled substances and Ihat notice could not be Imputed to the dealership because II could not have discovered, by the exer· cise of reasonable diligence, that Pugh would UM! the c~ r for Ihal purpose. Juslice Almon conducts an e~hausti\IC analysis in Ihis case belWe(.'flthe stat utes pcrminlng forfeiture of vehicles used in iI1egJluanspotlation of liquor and Ihose permitting forfeiture of ....ehlcles used for the purpose of transporting or selling controlled substances. Justice Almon leasoned: "That a close inspection of Ihe statutes and cases. howC\lCr, rl'\leal that the slatutes !lre nOl In pertinent re51>ccts similar, :md Ihm the 'notice impuled as It nl{lltt!r of law' and 'reasonable diligence' rules :IriS(! from provisions in the 1919 liquor law which nre no t found in the con tro lled substances 1000w." The facts of thi~ CdSt! do nOI show cir· cumst.lllces likely to arouse the sumicion of Metlopoll tan'~ agent Ihm Pugh was likely to usc the CM to violate the con· trolled substances law. The COurt nowd spe<;lfiC<llly that the salesman'S poor iudg.

ment in allowing Pugh to use the C.lI (or 11 days in the face of II b<ld credit report does not amount to nOlice of the fact that Pugh pl.mncd to use the Cilr fOr drug dealing. In reaching the ultimate dl"!' sion in the case, the court nOted: ·8e(OIUS(! S 20-2·9.) unHI.(' S5 28-4·285 and 28-4-290 does not reqvlf\! re~S()Il· able dlhfICn(c in inquiling as to Ihe ~ use of the c~r Of contain a prtl'IIlsioo that woulc Impute notIce 01 I(!pulillion as iI matttr of law, we hold thoU Ihe Iflal ':001\ errOO In dct€'lmln· Ins Ihal MelrOjX.lhtan Toyotil had not met its b4.lld('n of pI'Il(lf "Xj\lltW to de· ((';11 condemnation."

Recent Decisions of Ihe

United Siaies Supreme Court Involuntary confcssion- Ihl! need to find official coerc ion CoiorJ{/O v. Conneliy, 55 U.s. LW 4043 (Ot.'Cember 10, 1986)- Oe(endilnt .11>f}loa ch('d an o(f-duty Denver police of· ficer find stilted thilt he had murdered someone and Wilnted to "talk about it." The officer advisOO defend,mt of his Miranda rights, and the defendant st;lIed he undclstood those righls but still wanted to talk about the murder. Shall·

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The Alabama Lawyer

Iy Ilwleaftcr, a detf..'(tivc i1rri~ and <Jg<lin i1dviM!d the defendant of his rights- After acknowledging the second advisement of rights, defendJnt told the police he hlld come all the wory from Boston to confess to the murder. He latcr pointed OUI lhe eKaCI location o( the crime. The next day, defendant became vi$i· bly disoriented dUling an interview with Ihe public defender'S office and was sent to il st.lIe hospital (or evaluation. following the evaluation. the psychiatrist revealed that defend,lnt was following the Hvolce of God" in confessing to the nlUrder. On the basis of one psy(hiatrist's testi· many that the defendant ~uffcred from a psychosis Interferlng with his ability to make free and rational choices, the Irial court ~Um)rcssed the defendant's Initial s t~tcm(lrlt ~, ~s well as his custodial confessional, because they wele "involuntary." Thc Colorado 5upren,e CO(Jrt ill so found the defendant's merltal stilte viti· ated his al1e rnptL'Cl w;livcr of his right to counsel and his Fifth AmCrldmenl privi. lege. A di ... ided Supreme COurt r~~ed; Chief Juslice RehnQuist, speaking for the

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180.00 l . t27.IO 1.5 10.CC

1.520.00 2.287. 50 3.71H1.CC t .355.00 2.138.00 1.S15,00 2,312.50 4.385.00 (am o kl '" r". , IlIghlty h tgh., )

R_wI"1e to 101 100 Femtle Iftl .. "me a. malel tOUI ye... ~ounger All cO."'oe prO\l/(l1O !:IV comPJnltJ "ted . ... EoCIII,nl- tly A M Sell Co FOI • wllnen QUOlatlon ,tid poliCy CWllCflPIiOn &eno yov' <"It 01 tllnl! ,n(! .mount of COYefIll' dl.I.1d 10

COOK & ASSOCIATES 2970 COTTAGE HtLL ROAD . SUtTE lOt MOBtLE. ALABAMA 36608 (205) 47&-1137

103

rllaj o flly, stated that the Colorado COurt stretched Ihe Idea o( Involuntariness too far, Rehnquist held that coercive police activity i$ a netessary pr(,.'<IiCille to finding th at a confl..'Ssion is not " lIQluntary" with I" the meaning of the due process cl ause. "Wh ile a defendant's mental condition may be a slgnl(icant factor In the IIQlunlariness c~lculu s, this does not justify i.I conclusion thilt his menli.ll condition, by itself and ilp<lrt from its relation to official coercion, should ever dispose of the inquiry IrHO constllutional voluntarlness:' The Suprer'l'le Court further observed thm the cases ( onsidered by the courl OVCf the 50 years since Brown v, Mississippi, 297 U.S. 278 (1936), have focused upon the crucial cl(!m cnt of police ovcrrea ching. Whlll' each confession ca se has lurned orl Its own SCt o( fa cts j ustify. ing the concl usion that I>olice conduct Wil S oppressive, all have conlained a Subst,lntial and common clemcnt of coercive polic(t condw;t. Simply 5t(llI,-'(I, absent police condu ct cau sally relalL'd to the confession, there Simply Is no bllSls for concluding lhal any stale actor has deprived a criminal defendant of due

104

process of law. The SUI>rcrlle Court also held that whenever the state bears the burden of proof In a mollon to suppress a stat ement allegedly obtained in viola tion of th e Miranda doctrine, the stille ni1ed prO\!(! waiver only by a prepollderance of the evidence. Crimin .. 1 ~ti tuti on is nOI dischargeable in bankruptcy Kelly v. Robin son, 55 U.S. LW J077 (NOV(!mbcr 12, 1986)-A woman listed as a debt in her bMkr'u p!( y petitior\ a restitution obllgmlol1 that had been Imposed as {\ condition of probation in {l criminal sentence. The state was notified but did not file objections to the discharge In bankruptcy. Tm: bankruptcy COurt granted th~ discharKc, and th e woman cea sed making the restitution payments. When the stale notified her Ihilt it considered the restitution obligation nondischargcablc, she flied an action to prr..'VCnt Ihe sl.lte from forcing her to pay. Justice Powell, wfiting fOf a divided Courl, held th at criminal s should not be able to use bankruptcy I<tINS 10 ilVOid restitution Obligations hTll>osed on them

In slate criminal proceedings. Th e court rea soned Ihat such oblig~ tion 5 are non_ dischargeable under § 523(I){7} of the Bankruptcy Code, which prQ'Vides Ihat a disci'laf8e in b,lI1kruptcy docs nOI alter any debt thaI "i ~ for a (tne, penallY or forfeiture payable to and for the benefit of a govcrnmental unit, and is not compensati on (or aClual pecuniary loss."

Federal defenda nt bears burden of proving insanit y U.S. v. Amos, S5 U.S. LW 2239 (8th Cir. October 16, 1986}-A kidnapping and weal)QIl Soffense defendar1! relied on an Ins..lnlty defense. The Jury was Instructed in accordan ce with Ihe 1984 inSilnity Defense Reform N:t, 18 USC 20, i.e., thaI Ihe burden of proving mental irresponSibility by dCilr and convind ng evidence wa s onlhe ck..fendanl. The defendant was convicted; 011 appeal, he argued that the jury Instru ction s arId underlying statute unconstitutionally shifted to him the burdell of proving an essenlial filct necessary for conviClion . Congress' detision to put the burden of proving insanity on IhQ$~ who would plead it as a defense does not offend Ihe Fiflh Amcndment'S duc proc~ss cltluSf.!, t1 ccordlng to th e Elghlh Circuit. In what appears to be the first fe<Jeral ill>peH<lte decision on th e issue, the Eighth Circuit upholds the 1984 Insanity Defense Refo rm Act in~far as il rr..'<ll)ireS a d~f~nd ant 10 prove ins.1nity by clear and convin cing cvidCrl CC. Approximately 90 years ago, the Unlled Slates Supreme Court ruled that Ihe gCM!rrtr\\crlt should bear the burden of proving insanity beyond a reasoni1ble doubt once th e defendant filises Ihe issue. DiWis v. U.s., 160 U.S. 469 (I895) I-Ioo.vever, Davis simply annoullcW a rule of proc(odurt" for f(>d~ral ~ourtS find has not been read as having con stitutional underpinnings. The appellate court's reasoning stili makes clear that Ihe defendant may not be made to bear the burden of di sprovIng an element of the crime charged. ''While inS(1nity Is an ingrt.'dient of the requisite mens rca, it is not an clement of lhe crime. and, as noted In Mullanw v, Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684 (1975), the 'exl stence or nonexi sten ce of legal insanity be,l rs no necessary reli1\ionship to the existence or nonexi stence of the required • mental elemenlS of the crim(C MMCh 198 7

Young lawyers' Section Young Lawyers' Section Awarded Grant by Amer ican Bar Association's Young l awyers' Division

he Young lawyers' Section hIlS beerl IIwarclcd an ABA Young

Lawyers' Division grant for the year 1986-8'1 (or its Affiliate Outreach

Project Public Service SUbgfilnl Program, as <lnnounced by ABA YLO

Chairperson Alan S. Kopil. The subgrant proposal, prepared by Keith B. Norm,,", Montgomery, and Percy

IJadham, Birmingham, was submined on behalf of the cosponsorship by thc YlS Md the YMCA of the Alabama Youth Judicial Program, which pro-

vides high school students with an opportunity to become panicipanls In the judicial process through il series of local mock Irials culminating III statewide competition in Montgom.

cry. In the Yout" Judicial PrOllfJrn, students particip.ltC as attorneys, Judgcs, whncsscs and jurors, Involv· Ing them In the spec trum of court· room eXI>cricnces, Young lawyers serve as team advisers to the Indlvld· uilitellfn s compctingln the program, It is notable th,1t the YLS rC(;eivcd thl.' total amount re<lu{,'5IE..'(l In Ihe grant propos,l l for Ihe 1986·87 year. Plans Include prooucinH vldt.'f)lapcs publicil.inH the Youth Judicial Program 10 schools across the state, as well as Including training material for the program particip.1nts, Also, there will be an indoctrination to trial procedu res and a full.length mock trial. The mock trial for thi s year's program is the Colse of The S!.1 IC of Mt'"

The Alabam.l L,mlyef

low v, Elslon Neckiy, Involvln8 II murder, Manuals and casebooks arc being prep..lred for all student I)(lr· tici pants to aCQu,linllhem with legal premises, 5uch as the p rinCiples of "beyond 11 reCl50flab e doubt," "culp. able menl;JJ Slale," "murder," " the conditioo of mind of the accused" .md ''nrSH'.Iegl''Ce feiclny puni shment," local trials will lake place March 1· 20, and the culmInating com l>eti. tion on the slate level will be in Mont· gomery April 2·5 . Also there will be a Judicial training conference in Montgomery for the youth Judges Mar<:h 21 . ChairperS(lns fOr Ihe local mock tria ls include lynne Riddll!-Thrower, Wetumpka; lexa Dowlln8, Dothan; Robert Chlfd(!ts, Montgomery; WII· lIam O. walton, III, Auburn; John C. Hay, III, Huntsville; Frank B. Pon s, Floren<:e; Celia Collins, Mobile; and I'ercy B{ldh{lm, Birmingham. AI· though the mo<:k trial problem in· cludes some st.'fious legal issues, there is iln (!Ilterlil ining itSpect with testi· mony to be given by Quinn C. Hack· ensaw, M .D ., M .E., II forensic pathol. oglst; O. Bosse DePlane, a resldell! of the Ci ty of Honub, who discovered the strangled body of the decedent, Ponencia "Porky" l\IIac:evllle; and I.U . Snow, a friend of the ac<:used who was with him the night of lhe murder. lawyers, both those in the YlS and in the state bar, may contact any of the

C laire

YlS

A. Blac k President

local chairpersons, th e Youth Judicial Progmm Chairman, Keith B. Norman, 834·6500, or the U.S. Constitution Bi· centennial Chairman, Lynn McCain,

546-9205. In addition to advisers for the mock trials, lawyers are needed 10 serve as actors for the production of the play wril1en by Ihe ABA Young Lawyers' DIvIsIon In celebration of the Con· Stltution Bicentennial. The pilly Is etI· titled, " There's Trouble Right here In River Ci ty," and wllllndude an all· lawyer ellst for the local I>roductions to be held In conjunction ""'ith each city in which the mock 'rlilts are held. ThI s is an excellen t opportunily (or you, your local bars ilnd th e ~ti1le YlS and senior bitr to re<:ei vc poSl tlw I)ul)IIdty, and opportunities abound for your IWtldp.lllon . The play is cen· terl!d on a Fi rst AmendmC!rlt fmed om of speech Issue taking place at a (lell· tious school parents' meeting. Direct· otSlchalrpcrsons for the eight cities in which " There's Trouble Right Here in River City" aPl)(ws are as follows~ Ed Cassady, Birmingham; Jeff Deen, M0bile; leah Ilarper. Montgomf!ry; David Ellis, Tuscal oosa; Taylor Flowers. Dothan; [vic VanSant Maulden, Muscle Shoals; Taylor T. Perry, Jr.,

105

Gadsden; Margaret MacElvaln, Opelika. If you (;,I n help in Jny capaci ty 3S cast or crew for the productIon, please get In touch with the dircctorlchilirperson in your ar!!a. Th!! Alabama YLS is coord inating, efforts with the sl<lIe OOf to l)1)rtICil)ate In the National Bicen tennial Mock Trial Program lind Student Seminar to be held May 16-23 in Washington, D.C. The ~nt Iilc1udcs a week-long educational pro· gram (or hi gh $chool students, opening with students' mock trials in district court rooms and unfolding wi th a movei1ble fe(lst of seminars held on Capitol Hill and other Washington sites.

Recent VlS activities rhe YLS Executive Committee met the weekend of NO\Cmbcr 21, 1986, at DeSOlO State Park. After the morning sc~slon and an afternoon of vil!Wing Desoto St.lte Filll s lind lillie River Canyon, the Ext!cutive Committee members WefC erllerlilined at 11 cocktail reception at the home uf ASB President (lnd Mrs. Bill Scruggs.

Upcoming YlS eventS On March 20 ,md 21, the YlS, in conJunctiorl wi th thC! Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing leg.11 Educ.1lion, will sponsor the .l nnual "Bridge the Gap" seminar in Birmingham. The format of the progr(lm hilSbeen ch(lnged to a comprehensive, tW!XlilY civil, criminal and COmn\erdal Im:lI:!ram and includes il

work~hop wi th !Ylli c,l i f<l c! siluatIons encountered In domcslic relation s practiCe!. 80th YLS members and speaker Dfew Redden of Birmingham wilt !lartlclpate 11'\ the 'l\lt)rk~hop. This new ilPprOilCh to Hcner.1I con tinuing legal educil!ion should provide informatiOn for both new practitioners and those more advanced in their practicc. Assistant ABiClE Director }enclle Mims Marsh Ciln be contacted "t 346·6230 for mo'c inform.lIion . Thl'! C(lnferl;'nce of the Professions will be held either In Gulf Shores or OI;lStin 011 April 10 ,mel 11. For the Ihlst five years, the YLS has sponsor'l..'il this corlfC!J'l.'!rlCe to bring together members of the rcgulatol)l boards in the statc to discuss admlnlwative and rcguliltory law. Past YlS I' rcsl· dent R'lIldolph P. Reil'o'C!i of Montgomery Is serving as adviser for thiSventure and can be contacted at 832·4202 for more Information. Recently, the ABA announced the 1987 Lilw DilY U.S.A. theme to bc "We the People;' in keeping with the celebratiOrl of the Constitution Bi centennial. As establi shed by prcsidentiill prod(lm<ltion in 1948 and fCaffirmed by a joint rt:SOlution of CorlgfCSS In 1961. the plHpose of l aw Day U.S.A. Is to reserve a "special d:.y of celebration by thl! Ameri can I>copic rn allpredation of their liberties and to provide <,In occa ~ion for rededica tion to the Ideals of equality and JUStice under IUINS:' Thi s purpose Is especially poignant in thi s year of the btcerl1crlllll1J of our Constitution.

fseated, front lefl, counterclockwise) Comella Heflin. Tom 1·leflin. 8i11 ScruSgs, Kay Allsy Wrigh{, Claire Black. Amy Slayden- OIl Cril8smcrc Manor in DesOlo SIIl:e P.uk

ScrVSH~, Pituy 8i1clhilm, It'rcy 8IJclh(lm (swndlns. left to fi8hl) Gumer Cuy,

106

The 1987 ~ heme, "We the People." encourages L.lW Day progr~ ms and events to focus On the privileges Ameri cans enjoy because of the historical foundation of our system of law. The C\lCllts arc nu· merous <lnd varied, rallghlg (rom mock trials. court ceremonies, poster and essay contests, to te!~'Vi $ lr)n nnd mdio call-in programs. Rl'Cen t innovative programs have included write-ins with child fingerprinting to aid In the location of rlli s~ lng chi ldren, coordination With sponsors of local l;ampaiglls ilgainst drunk driving, outfCilch IJrograms to scnior citizens and community pilrtir;ipation in dispvte re :>o olutlons. For id(!a~ lind assiSt:mce with local bar law Day activities, contilct Steve Shaw, Blrmlngharl'!. 322-0457, Of write law Day U.S.A., 8th Floor, 750 North Lake Shore Drive, Chlc.180, Il 60611, or telephone (3 121 988·6134. Inform.. tion on the YLS-AOICLE cosponsor(!d Annual St:!minar on the Gu lf will be flllllounced soon. but ple:.se mark your calendars for May 15 arld 16. The place of the t'Iv'CKI<ty seminar, whkh, irlcidenta tly, Includes ~ral social OJ)IX)J'tvni ties, is the Silndestin Beach RCS(lrt. Chil irmiln Sid }ilr;kson, Mobile, is responsible for the spe"ker and progrilm C\lCrl 'S, lind Chairmiln Preston Boh, Mobile, is taking care orMran gCr'lll'lntSfor the seminar. Each year, registra tion for thi s event Increases, and lawyers who will be iluending would do we!! to conlil!;t the resort as soon as the seminar pamphlet arrives. ResponSC to inql,Jlries concerning committee opportunities within the YLS has been very encouragi ng, espt!cially In light of thc most rcccrll tabul(ltlorlSof Ihe YlS as constituting close to SS percent of the 6,123 ASB m~n'bers. The range of YLS acti vi ties Is particularly broad and offers 'tOunglawycrs and new admiUccs the ch,lflce to become involved in our St3tC bar righ t "Ollt of the chute:' please call me o1t 349-1727 to recd~ infOrmation about the 'M>rkillgs of the YLS. As always, t COrltJnuc to fcquest that jl ll new admit· tees and lawyers under the age of 36 help boost Alabama's representation in the YLD of the Am!!rican Bilr Association by Iwcotning a frl'e membN of it. Contact the AnlcriCIlll Bar ASSOClatiOr\. YOurlg lawyers' Division, 7S0 North l .1ke Shore Drive, Chic.1BO, Il 60611, to receive a membership ~pplication. • Milrch 198 7

legislative Wrap-up by Robert L McCurley, Jr,

lawyers elected pro tern Senator R)'an dcCraffcorioo, TUSCi!IOOS<l, and RCI)resen100live Jim Campbell, Mnlston, were elected by their fellow Icgislillors as president pro !em of the SCMle Md speaker pro tern of the House, respectively. For the first lime in reCent history, neither the governor, lieutenant governor nor sPci.lkcr of the house nrc law. yers. FurthemlOrc, neither the chl.ll trnan of the Senate nor the house Judiciaries are lawyers.

The judiciary members who arc lawyers arc designated by an ilsterisk. House judiciary Chlllrpt!f$OO- O\!tch HiSilinbotham, Opelika

Vice chalrperson- ·Mlke iklK, Mobile John Bc.uley. Colurnbia Harrell Biakeooy, Thoma~vl!le

·Jln, C,.mpbcll, Anniston ·Tom OrJke, Cullman Sieve Heninger, I-I\""$vllll'

R. G. 1011l15On, Syiacilugil KM KV3lhclm, Mobile Rlc;hilrd llllrd, Roanoke

'Beth Marlena, Mobile "crman Marks, Decatur Tony Pelelos, Birmlnllham 'BiII Slaughter, 81rminKham James Thomas, Selma

ceedings AC!, and Professor Thoma!.l. Jonl'S of the University of AI(liJ..lma School of law was the refloner. The members are as follows: Professor Anncnc DotJd L. B. Feld Judge O. I-f. Florence Randy Fowler John W. Gillon FOIest Herrington Lymdn r, I ioliand LouiS 1:1 , Lusk Judge Gary L, McAliley

loe McEarch@rn Irvine C. florter Mary lee Stapp Judy Todd Bob Morro.... John N. Wrinkle

The AlilbJma Uniform GUilrdlanship ,lI1d Protcctive Prob(lsed to a large extent on Article V or the Unl(orm Probate Code, l>artS 1, 2, 3 and 4, "nd covers guardi(lnsnil)S(or minors and (easons other tnan minority, ;md protective proceedings seeking court, appointed conservators or otner prolcctive orders for the estate concerns of minors, adult irn;ompctl'flts, absentees and others. The act has !>everal features rep'e5efIting significilnt improvements over prior Alabama law. ceedlnB5 Act (AUG!'!'A) is

Senate Judiciary Chalr,)Cr)()l\-J"Jllt~ f'reuilt, TaliadeBJ Vice chllirpeoon- Lowell Ihworl, Fyffc • Don Hale, Cullman Ann 8L>dsole, Mobile

Purry Ilal1d, Gull Shore5

' Jinl Smi th, Ituntwlllil Chip Bailey, Dolhan 8ill Menton, Irvlnston Charles Cab;miss, BirminWtam Gerald Dial, lInCVllle larry Dixon, Montgomery The regular session of the legislature will begin Tuesday, April 21, 1967,

RO~II L MCCUlley. J:, IS lhe UlffICWf oIl/'1e Aktban:, I..sw

Institute 8/lhe UnNerSlly 01 Alllbllma He 1fK)fJ/WKJ hts undergraduate and law cfegtees Irom .he UM1tfSlly

Alabama Uniform Guardian and Protective Proceedings Act E, T. Brown of Birmlngh(lm served as chalrm'ln of the InMltutc's Alabama Uniform Guardi;lIl nnc! PrOlcclivc Pro-

The Alab.1ma Lawyer

107

First, th is aCI distinguishes between "guardians" of tfolc person and "COllse,vators" of the estates of ward s. Prior 10 th is <lcl, Alabama u~ one term, "guilrdiiln," to characterize the d(lties imd resrx>Ilsibi litil.>5 of both of these OffiCl'S. Th(' slngle-Icrn! deSignation is ambiguous and not ol\ly confu sing 10 persons dealIng w ith the "gwrdlan," but also to the fidu ci ary aClln81n that capacity. Use of the two designations, even though one person may be a ~ting in ooth capacities, provides a much-needed clarification. S(!cl)nd, Ihis a( 1 giVl;.'s definition II) the procedures for appoin ting guardians and conservators a!ld to their respecti ve powers lind dul les thaI had been Incklng in Alabama, While Alabama has had guardianships 'or ma!)y yt!ilrS il!)d, therefore it cannot be silid that proc:edllres for appointing guitrdillllS ....uri! !)on-exi$tenl, the I)roccdures needed refi!)ement and

The Attorney Who Cares PREPARES What ever t he case. Whatever

the Courl. Our National!lnternational Senten cing and Parole M e m ora.ndums save prec ious time, For You. For Your Clients. Wh en a life Is on the I/ne, a second op inion can' t hl,ln. Call Now : 1-800-241 -0095

NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES SentencIng Alternative Planning

la~e View A~entJe, Aminta, Ga. 30308 SentencIng Ind Plrole ConltJl'ln'l

11 0

definition to make th em dearer, More dearly swed procedures also wi II make these procedures more con sistent throl,lghou t the State. A SlNCrtl gap In Alabitma law existed with respect to th e powers alld dutiC!S of guardians; lhls act makes an enormous con tribution wi th rcsl>cct to the pov.<ers and duties of guar. dians and conserva tors. Third, prior to thi s acl for most of Alabilmil's history, 81,1ardiilnS CQuid be appoinll>(/ only for minors and "Incompetents." Even though there might be agra... ment Ihal an Indiyidual needed help in his business or personal affJirs, there WJS and is J sti gma thilt ilccoml)ilnies having th;11 indiYidual judicially declared an "incompeten t:' This act uses the term "incap.1ci tau..'Cl" and 8reil11y expands the various grounds for appoi ntment of a guardlart or conserv.)lor based on th t:' defhlllion of "incapacity." While Alabama has adopted thi s broildel cOIlCept, In some instances (e.g., wilh regard 10 "curillors" ilnd in the Adult Protective Services Act), Ihis .;lct consolidates the concept in one comprehensive act ilnd gives more definition to Ihe concepl. Fourth, this act adopts the concept of "Umited gU.;lrdianshrps" nlld " Umlted cOllservalorshlps." Thi s admo!)ishes a court to seek the "leJst restrict ive" protecthoe arrangement commensurilte with the indi Yidual's mentill ilnd adaPlive limitillions. The purpoSe Is to cncoumge the dcvclopm~nt of ma~lmum !.Clf-relIance and independence of th e protected person, The cOllcept has developed largely in response to recommendiltions from sCV(!r,,1 publiC-interest gmups and the Ameritan Bar Association project, the AIJA Commission on the Mtm tall y Disabl(..-o .

106

(20') 262-03'0 POst Office Box 11565 M o nl&OI\t~ry, AI. 36 11I

VIDEO OF:

Telephone: (205) 265·2999

kill" implicilin the standard guardianship proceedings, Tr.Jditionally, the only grounds for appoinlment il guardliln was a finding of non compos men!is or Incollll}Ctcncc, and the appoln!melll of a guard ian resulted In all personal and legill " ri ghts" being stripped from the protected person and vested in th e appoin ting court Md guardiiln, In shari, rilther Ihan permitting only iln "all-Or-none" Slatus with regard to the rights of a proI~ctcd person, the Concept of a " limited guardian" or "limited conseMto t" reeoglIizes an Intermediate status, probably more sensi ti ve to the needs of the protecta l person, through which courts will restrict the personill liberties arW prerog<llives of th e protected person only to th e C!xtQ!lt nl!(esS<lry under the drCl,lmslances. Alabama nl so recently adopted the concept of "limIted guard ians" al\d "least-restrictive" arrangements, but It wa s adopted in skelel(ll form, il!)d perh(ll>s the use of the " Ieilst-restrictive" ar· rtll1gemen ts i$ so uncertain as to do very lillie to encourage their US{\. This aCt consolida tes protecti\!!! proce<!dlngs, includIng Ihe concept of "limited guardlanships" and " Ilmiled conscfV.l torshlps," In a way to make their use aYJilable in II wider variety of situations and describe 1hem in sufficient detail to be more usa bl~. Thi s provides greater flexib ility r...... garding the dimensions of a proteclive order and Ihe legal authori ty grlln!ed 10 th e guardial\ or conservator. Anyone desiring ~ copy of this proIlOse<! rt..>vision m;!)' wrile the Alilbamil L'lW Institute, P.Q Box 14 25, University, Alabama 35486. •

P UR ti C It ECOItD SERV ICES

YIDEO TREASURES DEPOSITIONS, ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION, COPIES MADE, ALL FORMATS

These groups 5U&l!CSted Ihat statc laws

be ChO llged to ovoid an asserted "oYer-

UnIform CO!!lll1l:rcinl COd~ SCMclte~ Also • Court It OUiI! S.archtJ • t'(lbll ~ Sc,,·kt - Com. tnr{lrll1311on C{lmmlult)" Meoords - sull. • Tg~ A~'"IIn~nl - Judamcnl~

• I_.;n, • l1«ds

•

~l t)tlaaaef

• Dlvoree

- M ~I~ar~h or any d~l~ I1tro 81 alta tOUIi hou)('. Mild olh~r r«ord r~txnllorlu

March 1987

Alabama Civil Practice Forms.. by Allen Windsor Howell

The Complete Research Tool for Alabama Civil Practice Alubll mn Civil Ilrnc lice Fortll5 Is II complete ScI of sllmplc forms fo r Alabo mu 1)l'llct!CC. Kcycd to the Code of AllIbnlllu, it cuntui ns case citations and is (l hOlldy. 1>ra<:t h::!'I l rescin"t:h tool. Alnlmmu Qvil f'rllctke Forms Includes Ollef 400 Slilllp le f()r ms wi th vurill flons and OPli(IIIUlllh c rnHtc Iu". g1Higc for !uiloring forms to cUent Ilcl'tls. In-

cluded fore: • Ovu r 120 (I;ulll~c

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THE

MICHIE COM FOR CUSTOMEU SE1!VICE CONTA C J:·

JAl\mS It. 511 nOYEn POST OFFIC E BOX 346 . W I LS O N VII~ L I~, AL 35186·0346 (205) 32(;·0800 O il CALL TH E MICH IE COMPA NY TOLl".FII EE 1·800·446·34 10

The Alabama Lawyer

109

Memorials

, ,

concerr'lirlg real pro~rt y. His r1!tlr1!mr:!nt wa s gradual, and he corl1lnued to maintain a law office until hi s death . Pearson WJSek'{;ted to the TuscalOO5il City Commission in 1930 at thl! age ()f 30, and in 1932, by the commission bo.,rd to serve as chairm3n ar'ld m~r of Tuscaloosll, thl'! your'lge5tmayor to serve In this cen tury. He continued on the commi ssion until 1937. Corl ey, Donald Earl- Birmingham

Admittt.-d: 1969 Died: Dl.'Cember 18, 1986

C raves, Eugene Hamiter, Ir.-Euf.lula Admlll(!(j; 1950

Died : August 30, 1986 I(H IN (fIAKl ! " I' I AR"O~

Hamilton, William-Greenville Admitted : 1929 0100 : O Ctober 22, 1986 Howard, Hal Wimam- Blrrtllnghanl Admitted : 1929

Died: Noycmber 8, 1986 lanphier, PI"II Alvin-Ashville Admitted : 197-1

Died: No...ember 22, 1986

ltIve l3ce, Barn<.' i Flournoy-Brewton Admitted: 1932 Died: December 13, 1986 Millone, Willi,.m Warre n, Jr.-Athe ns Admitted: 1939 Died : Oclobm 26, 1986

Rogers, Zack, Jr.-Butler Adr'l'lillcd: 1943 Died: November 9, 1986

Samford, Frank Park, Jr.- Birmingham Admined: 1947 Died : December 6, 1986 W.l1kins, "erc)' B.- Birmingham Adnllued: 1948

Died : Jarluary 3, 1987

11 0

John C. Pearson, the oldest practicing attorney of the Tuscaloosa Bar and a former mayor of Tu~c"IOOS il, died December 16, 1986, at the aKc of 86. He was born in 1899 In ThOlllasvllle and m()\l\..>(.1 10 Tuscaloosa in 1901, attended local schools ilnd the University of Alabam a. r1!ceived his L. L.B. degree and was ad· I1'Iltted 10 the AlilO<lma State Bar in 1923. In law school he wa ) vice presidenl of his senior class and one of the local (ounders of the Phi Alphfl Deltll law Fraternity. He wa s associated with the Orm of Foster, Rice & Foster, 1923·25; with Judge John R. Bealle in the (jrm of Bealle & Pearson, 1925-27; tlnd wilh his brOlher, Spencer J. Pearson, In the firm of Pear· son & Pearson, 1927·40, with offices located With their principal clients, Duck· worth-Morris Real Estate and Insurance Cos. and the Fi rs t FWeral Savings and Loan AS50c:lation. Follov.ting the death of his brother in 1941, he bei:amc principal attorney and resident counsel (or the se busi nesses wher1! hI! remainL'il until his retirement around 1976. Al ong with his law practice, he be. came one of the owners ;lr'Id chief executillC officer of the Tuscaloosa Title Company, Inc., during which time he became the major authority In Tuscaloosa County on Iflnd titl~ and 1cg., 1problems

He served as president of the TusciI1005a and State Junior Chamber of Com· mcree, the Tuscoloosa Rotary Club and the Tuscaloosa County Historical Society. He was a life elder (lnd SundllY school teacher of the First Presbyterian Church, and was married in 1929 to Marguerite M<lrtin, (If ClllylOn, Alabama, all English teacher In the local schools. who sur· vives him . The Tuscaloosa Bar rec<Jgni7.es him 3S integrity ilnd competence, particularly In the field of real property and probate practice, a support of the bar and his community, and stated tha t hi s "productive career has been marked by a strong sense 0( purpose, per. sonal responsibility and integrity which instilll,.'(1 confidence ilnd reSllI'Jct ir'l "II o( his undenllkings. He hilSbeen a SUj)j)Qrtlve member of the bar and illl outstanding example of the true qualities of the Ideallawycr- intelllgcnt, studiou s, skill· ful and totally 10')'<11 to the best interest of his dient. These basic qualities, and hIs addt.>d warmth find friCfldline~s, plus his genuine interest in all with whom he had COl1tact, made him II spedal person." ill~r of the utmost

EDGAR HIBBERD SMITH Edgar Hibberd Smith died September 29, 1986, at the early age of 34. Edgar received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse Colleg!! in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1973 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of IOWil, gfJduating wi th d istinction. He was admitted to pmctice before the billS of Alilbama and South Carolina. March / 987

THE ALABAMA BAR INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION AND THE ALABAMA CORPORATE COUNCIL ASSOCIATION joinlly presenl THE 24TH ANNUAL SOUTHEASTERN CORPORATE LAW INSTITUTE Apnl 23, 24, 25, 1987 MarrMtl" Grand HOIeI, POint CIMI, Alat:>am8 ThIS InSl,Iul6 Wl~ bflng togecher an ootstar\dlng, dress the 10000wing tOPICS.

II)('\K HIIIIIII(I) ... \11111

During his (:an.~r Edg.1r served as sla((

allorncy for Ihe Lega l Aid Services Corporation of A l a b~m .. , ilSslst<lnt professor at Alab..1!'na Stale! University, instructor at Thskt.'gee Insliluk! and legal rt.'Scareh assistant with Ihe Southern Poverty law Center In Mont~mery. He was a member of Ihe American Bar Association, the Alabama 5t" te B~r, the NAACP ;Hld The N1ltlonal Urban League, He Is Survived by his mother, M rs. Theodora S. Smith, and one brother. Charles Mifflin Smith, Jr.

11111 (.OIUlON

A. Fletcher Gordon, a member of the Mobile, Alabama and Americ.an b.ars, died September 29, 1986. He w.lS born in Mobile, Alabama, November 26, 1907, the son of Robert E. The Alabama LaNyer

natlOO8l~·known

lacuhy who Wln lid·

Thl IRS Per.peetlve on RKent Changee ln Corporate and Per.onel Tues, James (}.vena, OGpvty CommlSl/Ol"let 01 Internal Revenue SerVICe, Wastllngton, D.C. Liability 01 Ollle, ra and DtrKlofl, Dan A Bailey, Arter & Hadden, CoIumbu., Ohio BankIng Law: Inl eflllli Banking , Waller Moeling. IV. Powell. GoIdSien. Frazer & Murphy, Atlanta, GeorQIII Reclnl Developmentlln Corporatl Takeovers, BUllne.. Judgmlnt Rutl, and Acqul.ltlon., VICtor I. LeW.<ow. Cleary, Gottlieb, 5toon & Hamilton. New YOt'\, New York Anlilrull, Roger Anderwell, Oeput~ ASSistant Attorney General. US, OepanmM1t 01 Jusli(;e, Wa$l'lIngton, 0 C Revllw 01 Rteenl Changes In Corporlll end P'r.onlt Tues, Speaker To Be An",,"""'" ApptOV8d tor t2.9 Alabama MCLE Cfecllt I'\our, CLE aedrt applied 101' It! Ronda.

MISSIUIPPI & Geor,16 For 1TIOI8 Intormaloo contacl Alabama Bal Institute 10( Continuing Legal EOllC8t\on, PO

Box CL. Tusceloosa, AL 35487, (205) 348·6230.

Cordon, a Mobile attorney, and Lucy H. Gordon, He gradl,l<Jted (rom University MIU!l'Iry School, Davidson College and the Un I· 'o1'!r1lty of Alilb.1mil. He re<:el~ his LL.B, degree In 193 1 from the University of Alabama Law School. In that same year, he commenced the l)raCl ice of law in Mobile wi th William Hamilton. Shortly thereafter, he joined his father's law fi rm, Gordon, Edlngt!)n, Leigh & Cordon, Subsequently, he had as his pmtners various prominent Mobile anorncys, and at the time of his retirement In 1984 was the senior partner in the (jrm of Cordon 50 House, Following his marriage 10 Jean Henry In November 1941, he serVlod with distinction In World W,lr II with United St,IICS Army Counter·\rllelllgcnce in both O\f(lrt and c(WCrt opetallOils In the European Theater. During his I~I ca-ecr he served diligently as chairman ol various millot com· minces for Th(o Mobi e Bar Association,

He always has been known for his gen· erosity in contributing I1me to assist other attorneys In di(flcul! legal m:lltors. However, his commitment to the community was nOI limi led to the legal l)rofession, as witnessed b¥ the fact that he actively supported a number ol local endeavors, especially Ihe Mobile Symphony, the Mobile Chamber Music Society and the Mobile Library Board, for which he served as chai rman. AI the time of his dellth, he W,lS a dl..>d· le,1100 member ol the GOVi!rnmcnt Sireet Presb¥terlan Church. Fleleher Gordon le<M!S surviving him his wife, Jean Henry Gordon; his slsten., Roberta Murphy, Lucy Be;tVen and Lee Gordon Shearer; and sC\lCfill nieces <md nephews. The Mobile BlIr Assoclalion recognizes A. Fletcher Gordon as one shClYo'lng spedal dLodic.1lion 10 the bar, this community, the performing arts and his church, and his death represents a great loss to each. • III

Disciplinary Report Suspensions • On Decemoor 16, 1986, the Disciplinary Bomd of the Alab,una SHill! B~r ordered Mobile IllW~f C. ChrlSiopher Clarl' Ion Icml>orarily Sllspendt)d from Ihe practice of law, under Rule lie), Rules of Disciplinary EnfOfcem nl of Ihe "lab-1ma State Bar. • P.lnama City lawyer Sam PAttieSC Robinson WitS suspended, effecli \le September 30, 1986, for failure to comply with thc Mand;uory Continuing legal Educ.uion rl'quiremenl of the Alabama Stale 8ar. [eLE 8»31

Public Censures • On DL'Cefllber 5, 1986, Linden lawyer lconard M . lowrey, Jr., was publicly censu red for having b<!cn guilty of willful miSCOnduct, ilnd conduct ad~rsely reflecting on his Il lness to practice law, in viola tion of the Code o( I'rofcss/ona/ Responsibility of the Alabama Stale Bar. Lowrey failed to com· ply with his written agreement 10 sell i) p.lrcel of real proper· Iy, under specified condillons, t!\o1!n Ihough the perwn 10 whom he agreed to sell thc proper1y complied with the specified coodilions. [ASB No. 66-266J • On ~mbcr 5, 1986, Birmingham attorney Charles M. Purvis recelvOO a public censure from the presldei\l of the Alabama State Bar for vioilltion of Disciplinary Rules 1·102(A)(4), 2·107(A), 5·103(AI and 6·101("1 of Ihe Code of Profe5siol1.11 Responsibility. Purvis was found to have lilken i) criminal maHer on i) contingency fe(! basis, misrepresented the status of the case 10 his d lent, acquired a proprietary interest In the case and neglected the case contra ry to the terms of his employmenl. The Disciplinary Commission determim.>d tha t Purvis should recei~ i) public ccosure for these violations of the Cock, (AS8 No. 65-5821 • On December 5, 1986, Talladega County lawyer lames J. Climon was publicly censured for having violated the Code of Professionlll Responsibility of the Alabama Stale Oar b¥ engaging In cond Ud adversely reflecti ng on his fitJlt.'Ss to prac· tlce law. Clinton willfully negle<:ted a legal mailer entrustro to him, and failt'(i to carry out (l contrilct of Crilploymerll entered Into with a client for professional services. He agreed to represent a client In seeking recovery for damages suffered in a motor vehicle accident, on i) one-third contingency fee basis, but therei)(ter failed to negotiate a seulement or file suit on the client's behalf, to advise the client concerning the represen tation and to respond to any of the client's effons 10 contact him concerning Ihe mnller, (ASO No. 62-2391

Privale Reprimillnds • On De<:ember 5, 1986, a lawyer was privOllely repri manded for violation of DR 7.102(A)(I), DR 7·102(A}(2), DR 7·102(A)(3), DR 7·1Q2(B){2} and DR 7·102(C), The lawyer

112

represented p.1ternal grandparenlS In Intervening In their son's divorce action lind seeking custody of their IIrandson. He pur· sued the maller, without n()lifyl ng the court. cvcn afler he was Informed that the child's mother had never 1x.'<!f1 divorced from her first husb.lnd, the p~nt marriage waS void and the court, thus, had no jurisdiction OYer the pending divorce maucr.jASB No. 86-04) • On December 5, 1986, a law~r W,J§ privately reprl· manded for willfully neglecting a legal matter entrusted 10 him and intentionally failing to seek the lawful objectives of his client through reasonably available me<lns. He filed a suit on behalf of a client in a Louisiana courl, without beinllilcensed 10 practice In louisiana and without qualifying U a visiting attorney under louisiana law, and failed to take remedial aclion for nine monlhs after learning the louisiana court had dismissed his client's lawsuit because of the lawyc(s f;'lilure 10 qualify as a visiting attorney. (ASO 86-196) • On Friday, December 5, 1986, an Alabama lawyer recei~od a private reptimand for violation of Disciplinary Rules l·l02{A)(4) and 7-I02{A)(5I, The DiSCiplinary Commission delermlned Ihal Ihe lawyer, In corresponding with an advefSe par· ty, made material misrepresentations to that party regarding Ih filing of a lawsuit. In additiorl, he prepared and forwilrded 10 thaI ;adverse party a document purporting 10 be an OrdN ~tli n g dCM'n ;a matter for OJ hearing when In fact no lawsuit had been fli ed and no order had been entered bt' lhe court. The Disciplinary Commission found the lawyer had violated the above-<:ltcd provisions of the Code and determined he should receive a private reprimand. IASB No. 86-425J • On December 5, 1986, an Alabama lawyer received a private reprimand for violation of Disclpl1nary Rule 7-101(A)(2). The Disciplinary Commission determined the llllorney failed 10 conclude a settlement of a worker's compensalion case In which he had been retained, to the detriment of his client. The Disciplinary Commission <leteonined the attorney should fccel\'e a privatC reprimand. IASB No. 84-4311 • On December S, 1986, a lawyt!r was l)fivately repri. manded for conduct adversely tcllCCling on his fi tness 10 ptac· tice law, In violation of DR l.l02(A)(6), by having negIL'Cll'<l his reprcsentntlon of a client In a divorce procec<Jlng,. during a period In which the lawyer was abusing the use of alcohol. lASB No. 86-294) Re insllllcmenlS • Birmingham lawyer Herber1 P. Massie was reinstated, ef(ectl~ November 25, 1986, from a Mandatory Continuing legal Education suspension of the Alab-1ma State Bar. (ClE No. 86·67) • Deanna Saunders Higginbotham, a attorney, was reinsta!ed, effective December II, 1986, by the DiSciplinary Board of the Alabama State Oar. •

March 1987

MeLE

News

4.1.14. or if the broadcaster obtains applOVal as proylded In Regul~ t l on5 4.1.6 and 4.5; 6. Ocnkod a n:quCSt for- a relfo..,C1lve special memoorshlp exemption lor an attorney be<:ause 5lll! held a rusulal license tOr onl! month dUling 1966 and was aule to prilC"lice law during that month; 7. Gr;lnted a wal~r 04 the 1966 CLE rcqul/l!ment to a disabkod attorney; 8. Denied an attorn!'Y's ft.'<!UCSt for ClE credit lOr tnklng a smtlstlcal analysis COUf$C; 9. Ruled that a course on computer-assisttod case preparallon qualified for hall credit under Regulation 4.1.12. (Cumberland Institute for CLE); 10. Approved for full <:Il.odit a lo.ts IJrtMintlon seminar cond\l cttoO by an ~ lIornCyS' lIa· bility Insurer for Its InSilred ~l1orneys (AItorneys' Liabil ity ASjur.lnce Society, tnc.l; II. Approved pans of a 1966 SoYIC1-Ame.ican legal study tOur (Professional Seminar Con5 ul rll!\t ~l;

and Regulation 5.1, Rules (Of Mandatory Continuing Lt..gal Education, rcquill!~ all

12 . [)e(;llned to approve a public utility manal!Cfl1l!fll and Jqlula1ion semin~r dt"Signed (or utility personnel. regulators 3nd pr/)resslon~l s In related fl elds; 13. On appeal, appfOved in parl a m{!(/ical, dental and 11'8il1 ma'pl'llaice and m3r\ilij(lment seminar (AmerIC"n EduClltiQn~1 tnstltute); I'!. Also on appeal. denied approval of two segments of iI law office managemenr sen,IMr IAlobama Sar tn stltute for CLE); IS. Deslgnoted the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel an appfOVLod sponsor of Cl E aclivi t i~s (or 1967.

auorncys, exempt from the eLE !'CQulrt.... men! or not (e~cepl those 6S or OYer), 10

M o rgan Count y Bar Young law yers'

by Mary lyn Pike Assistant E~ec uti ve Directo r

December 5 commission meeting At lIs December 5 meeting in M ont. gomery, the MCl E Commission made th e following decisions: 1. Strict compllahce with Rules SA nnd 58

submit a elE form each ~lf and, (unher,

Section

mquirc s thil commi ssion 10 Certify to thc

The M organ County Bar Yl5 was Inadverumtl y Qmil1ed from the list of 1987 al>p~ sponsors published on page 15 of the January Issue of thi s lournal.

Di $C lplin~ry

Commission those who do

nor file. Addl1l()nlllly, onyone who files a

form lor the ~edlng calendar ~M :lIter January 31 is requirt.'d 10 anaeh a lam fil · Ing fee of SSO, In the form of a check made payable to the Alabama State Bar; 2. An anorney who alt!!nd~ makeup COU~>!i in j.muary wi thout obta ining appl'Ov.ll of a deficiency pl~n, 35 prwitled in Rule (;.0\,

Rules for Miloo..tory COfltlnulng lcg.11 Ed. ucatioo. will be considered filing a de factI> deficieney p'an and mqulrt.od to pay thl! $SO I"te compllan«: I(!{J; 3. Auorneys cen,fied to the Disciplinary Commi ssioo under Rule 6B will be reQuired to t><1y ~ $50 latc filing fcc when compUllilce I~ reponed; 4_Any a110rney wi th an applo.oed def1clenI!y plan who does not make up the <:rt.odi t deficiency by Malch ! must be cel1ificd to the Olsclpll'lary Commission, even if cl"Cdit s arc made up after March 1; 5. Seminars blO<ldcast by sa tellite to law firms may be apl)foYcd II accredi tm ioJ' i, SOullht by the films under Regulation

The Alabama l awyer

H ow to reach an approved sponsor Printed bel""" are fret:luently ll.'(jUI..'Stl..'t! addresses and tciel)hone numbers of a few <lpprO\led sponsors. Please keep <I copy of this li st for use in obt<l ining course: inlorm:lliOn . Ameri can Bar As5OCia ti on 750 North Lake Shore Drive Chicago, Il 60611 (312) 966·5000 Alabama 13M Institute for elf p. O. Box Cl Tusc"loosa, Al 35487· 2669 (205) 346-6230 Alabama Distri ct Allorneys Asroclatlon 122 Soulh H ull Street Montgomery, Al 36104 (205) 261·4191

Alab:lma Dclensc lawyers Association 1101 South H ull Street Montgomery, Al 36104 (205) 265-1276 American \.<IW InstituteAmerican Bar Associ ation 4025 Chestnut Street Phll<ldelphia, PA 19104 (2 15) 2 4 ~·1 (,00 Alabam<l Trial lawyers Association 750 W.;Ishington Avenue, Suite 210 M ontgom'-!ry, Al 36104 (205) 262·4974 Bi rmingham 8ar Associa tion 109 20th Street, N., 2nd FlOOr Birmingham, Al 35203 (205) 251-6006 Cumberlalld Institute for Cl E BOO Lakeshore Drive Birmingham, Al 35229 (205) 670-2665 Defense Research Institute Suite 5000, 750 N orth Lake Shore Chicago, Il 60611 (312) 94 4·0575

Drive

Mobile BM Associa tion P. O. Drawer 2025 Mobile, Al 36652 (20S) 433·9790 MOr\lgorllery County Bar Association P. O. Box 72 Montgomery, Al 36101 (205)265-4793 Nalional College of District Attorneys U niversi ty of HO\lstOn liIW Center Un iversity Park Houston, TX 77004 (713) 749·1571 Pracllslllg Law itl stJtute 810 7th Avenue New York, NY 10019 (2 12) 765-5700

•

1966 Bar Directori es-

$11.50 per copy Mai l check to: 1986 Alabama Bar Directory

P.O. Box 4156 M ontgomery, AL 36101

113

Classified Notices POSITIONS WANTED MAY '87 GRADUATE of LouisiarHI S!:)lC University to t.lke the louisiana bar in July '87, mow to Birmingham, AliIbarna, in AuguSI '87. Seeking eml>loymenl for on!'! ~dr while wife attends

ATIORNEY IOOS-National <Iud Fed· eral Legal Employment Report: highly regarded momhly detailed listing o( hundreds of ilttorney ilnd law-related iobs with U.s. Government, other publidprivilte employers in Washington, D.C. , lh roughou t U.S. ,mel (lbro(ld, $30-3 months; $50-6 months. Fed· eroll Repc:arls, !(lIO Verm(lnl Ave., N,W., #408·AB, wa ~hittgl on, D.C. 20005. (202) 393·3311, Visa/M C

AI)I>lications and resume should be

STAFF ATIORNEY, U.S. COUrl of Appeals, 11th Circuil, Atlimta, 2·yearclerk· ship5 beginning June. law degree (rom ilCcrl..>diled school, slrong ilcademic background, excel!enl resea rchiwriting sk ills, law r(.'View or equiv,llenl. t-, years eXI)Criel'lce preferred. Resume, taw school transcript, unedited writing sample and references by March 31 to: Karen C. W1lb.lrlks, Dircctc:a r, Room 317, 50 Sprinll Street, S.w., AU.lnta, CCOrlliil ) 0303-3147. ALABAMA STATE SUPER intendent of Educalion seeking applicillions for posi. tloll of General Counsel to Alilbama State Boai'd of Education and Alabama St.11 e Depanment of Education. Gefu:m11 Counsel appointed by State Board of Educa tion upon rCCO!ll!llelldallon of Superintendent, and responsible (or all legal mallel"$ affecting the stil te educa· tion ageney and officials responsible (or elementary and secondary 1..>(lucation . Conducts, su~rvlse~ <ind manilges lit· Igalion, and provides counseling and advice to state educatio n official s. Must be licensed to practi ce law In Alabama.

114

Corporate Attorney A!!rt'11ii"~ M (lbil~ f' r~ncin l

,nstitut ion IHwy,'r for lIew I\'sal di'parl ml'nl , Th~ I)O!;lt IOn rl~t UI rt'ti HI l ell ~t I hr.'!' r,~n r~' eKI>"rl ~"\IT ....,, h I"w f "on or ~ ~ In lOUse roun>;c!, conCI'nl nllllg III Olll! Of mo...: <)11 hI' (<)lIowl "II nren~; «'IlInwrt:ial r~lll e~ lalC telld l n~. rommen:ial ron· Ir~(tl. CV~ril tc aw.I J,C.{;. Arliclcg:l and 4, cr~ II 0r~' rillhlS nnd workouis. oon~um{'rcvml,l mnr(, Sl.'Curn l~'ti laws. [Hid Ihrlft <lr b.mk fI·lI.uliltiO'\~. Slrun!! R~HdC!lIl~ Hnd l)rofCSSIOII:l1 b.1ckgrou lld "r",'~ ...'m lal. W,>uff~f a ~~"n rlel lll vr 1<"I"ry. nm')Jr~ ' htll ~iI'e Ilcndl t~ , IIlc1Jdllljj rdo.:a11011 "~~ i~t nni;\' IUIII r~ witrlli O~llOrl 11M II 'l'ti fur pt'T!.,ma \ growl h lind evelllj}llI"nl . If yOIl arc inlt'r,"" t'<l flll(t ~llIal i[i,'d. Rh"LS(' ~"ml " r,"'lIm~ ~IIJ!l1I w" h ~"I.'ry 1 ~ lory tu: 1'11•. ( &lu(hcrn Sav!lI~s and I ~JiI" 1\."""1:",,," 1\11"nII0I1: Httr[.·1 " ()!;I Offk.· Uox 16201 Moll,II', I\hLI~1"1I :100 IIi

"''I'

We put ~ fjrsl.

Em Southern' II.... _ 11..,n 1....,.1 I•• ", II ....

"'"hop .,,"

-".

"""""''' -..u...,..

c,...

submitted no later than March 15, 1987, to 0., Wayne Teague, Slate S UPQrint end~ nl of Educa li(l n, State Oepartment of Education, 48] Siale QUiee Building, MOntgomery, Alabarna 36130.

graduate school. For re sume and refer· ellCes, send letterhead to Kent M ercier, P.O. 80x 19148, Baton Ro uge, louisiana 70819,

POSITIONS OFFERED

""', S _ N(I " " '. .. - . I • ." U I ... '.""'" .. "" _ .. .... I ~ ... ...,,,,""", _ CIo .. oIlocI """ ..... ~ ...... bo ......... "" ..... _ Iho '" ~ <II ""' . . . - , ..... ,..til ...... lNo _ ... _ , ...... n....flod ....... I'Wl ........... .... .... .,r.............. .r...... "'" ....._ 1&..., 1'0. ... ~I~ ~ AI 1I>1CI

"., ....

FOR SALE FOR SALE: We have. in eKcess of our needs, the following equipment that h<ls been under continuing milint~ nance contra cts and is in excetlent cond ltlo,,; Me Electr~ · 100 telephone system with switch and 50 phones; one IBM Cenlral Processi ng Unit (CPU) model S362 with 120 megabyles of memory installed; five displaywriters (two with TeKtpack 3 and three with Textp<lck 2); lind two primers with automatic sheet feed for the displaywriters. hlquiries (:1'1 11 Louis Slater III

(205) 432-1414 or wri te P,O. Bo" 46, Mobile, Alabama ]660t.

LAW BOOKS: Southern Reporter 1st &

2d, Federalist & 2d, AmJur 2d, USCA, Tax LIbrary, etc. AU nmlonal publicalions, Buy & sell nationwide, PROfES· SIONAL BOOKS SERVI CE, Box 366, Dayton, OH 4540 1, (513) 22)·)7]4. FOR SALE: Anti q ue Maps, Alabama 1855, Col ton's, Full Color, 18 112" x I S': eKcelient condlUon, S120; Alabama 1887 R.1nd M cNolly, FuJI Color, 20 1/2" 14': with Atlas listing o( counties, cities, population, history on reverse, $80. Allthenti city guar';l rl teed, Sol Mitter, P.O, Bm: 1207, Huntsville, A la' bama 35807, (205) 536·152"

FOR SALE: 67 volumes of Corpu s JurIs; one 80 volumes of Alabama Reports (49 book s); 200 volumes of Southern Reporter; 189 volumes of Southern Second; Sou thern Digcst; American Jurisprudence Ple<lding and PraCt i c~ Form$ 12' volumes). Cont.lct Llvern Tate (205) 75 7·5924, Rt, 8, B(u 278, Flor· ence, A labrmm 35630. FOR SALE: law library-partial listing as (ollcwvs: American Juris Prudence 2nd wl1981 p.p.; Code of Alabama, 1975 Ed. wl1984 p.p.; Am . Jur. Pleading <md Practi ce wlt98 1 p. p.; West's Al a· b(lm<t Digesl wl1985 p.p.; Alilb<tmil Reports, Annota ted Ed., Vols. 1-49: South· ern Reporter 1st Ed. 200 \.(lIs.; Soulhern Reponer 2nd, \10k 1·1 48; Alabama Supreme Court Report s, Vo~ s. 274.295; Alabama Appellate Court Reports, \Qls. 41·5 7; Alabama Reponer, \klls. 33 1thru 424. For details call Mary L. Nichols, (205) 942·6126. FOR SALE: Two complete sets of the Alabal'na Code, !lever Ix!cn used, $400 each set. Write to Codf'. MLD, P.O. Box 4156, Montgomery, Alabama 36101.

SERVI CES RESEARCH, WRITING and Rl..'fresher Cou/'SCs. Attorney licensed In Alabama

March 1987

Classified Notices & Tennessee; J,D. • M. law Libr. degrees; 12 yealS' experience as 1lM' professor and 13W IIbr3rl:1I1, 15 as pr<iCUc1ng altorncy. Quality research (manual

or computer.asslsted, as desired); clear writing; products tailored to your litig"tion pos ture. Free to Havel to special.

Ized colleclions, etc. QUillified to pre-

sent condensed in-house research and wriling course. to staff attorneys and paralegals. Fee negotiable above $201 hour plus expenses. Please write WI!lian, R. Murray, Murray lane, Northport, AL 35476 or call evenings (205) 339-1080. No rcprcsenlJlioll Is made il bow tile ClulIlity of the leglli services

be performed or the expertise of the lawyer />erforming such services.

FORENSIC ENCINEERING SERVICES: Accident reconstruction, product mechanical (ailures, slip & (all accldents. Registered Mechanical Engineer serving Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. Rates and references upon r<-'quest. Qualified in st"te and federal court. Jam{.'S D. Anderson, Jr" P,E., 9663 Hollowbrook Circle, Pensacola, FL 325 14, (904) 4711-1;1208,

WANTED: Altorneys Interelitoo In sub·

rogation referrals. Please send mIme ~lnd addrl'iS!(): American Subrogation

Atys., P.O. Box 5294/F.O.R.Stal., Ntw York, NY 10150, AnN: Robert Abidor, ES<luire.

PARALEGAL SER~ I CES, all cllies. Pro(esslonally tr.... lned. Court and other goYernment office flings. Document examination, UCC sc,lfches, Courtroom assistance. Assistance with wills and estates. For furtller infornlalion call (205) 322-7348. LEGAL RESEARCH HElP. EKperlcrlced anorney, member of Alabama State Bar since 1977. Access to law school and state law libraries. Ykstlaw iWolllable. PromlJt deadline ~rvlce. USihour. Sarah kathryn Farnell, tl2 Moore 8uilding, Montgomery, Alabama 36104, (20S) 277-7937. In JeHetSOn and Shelbv counlies, call free : (205) 3224419, No rcpresenl.1tlon Is made about the quality of the legal services to be performed or the expertise oflhe lawyer perform/1I8 such services.

EXAMINATION OF QUESTIONED Documents: Handwriting. typewri tin g and relal(.>d clIo1mlnatlons. Internationally coun-quaHfled ",pen wilncss. D iplomate, American Board of Foren-

sic Document hamlncrs. Member: American Society of Questioned Oocu·

men! EXtlminers, the International Association for Identification, the Brilish Forensic Seience Society alld the Na· tiooal Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Retired Chief Document Examiner, U~ CI laboratories. Hans Mayer Gidi(m, 218 Merrymont Drive, Augusta, Georgia 30908, (404) 860· 4267. LAMAR MILLER, hamlner o( Questloned Documents: Qualified In most Alabama courts. American Society o( Questioned Document EKilminers, American A(:itdemy of Forensic Seiences, certified by American Board of Forensic Document Examiners. Handwriting, forge ry, typewriting, aitcr<ltion o( medical and other records. Miscell· ancous document authentication prot>lems. P.O. Box 55405, Birmingham, Alabama 35255, (205) 979-1472.

LITIGATION SECTION INVITATION TO MEM8ERSHIP IlonlnM ',QUI 111;1$ U:III. I. ill,r om- '" Ihto adv.>nt~~ 01 membetShlp to rht Ut!~tlon S«tlon, 1';Illlc'iNlion by tri~1 ad.....:.!!.... pI_lnuff ~1Id <k'fend.nt, ttI~ • well·rouoded IpptOKh tu ~ Se<.Uan·, ;o(I1V111t'\. Mt'lt1b\-I)/lIp .. only $10 ~nd ilil 1nI'fl1b.-1l d rht AlaWma Sl~r,., II~I J'I' 1"." ri'd It! iuln Thl. I. ~ tlew >tCtiotl, MItiS !x-t'n OIX".llnlllol It"~ lhoin ~ \'NI. ~ had ,In Oubtandltl8 Pf'll8t~m sr rN: Ann ..... 1 ~ing, .nd a $t'ITl11la1 Is 1)1"",,ed 10, Mm::h, Wllh anothel InformmlWl IlItIs,.n, 10 I)e p'l'.... nle<l .>1 Iho ilnnuill nll't-1lnH In July. The rltWSl"'II~1 will 1M: ~1tthc:omlnH' MEMBERSlilP A'PUCA1 ION LITIGATION SECTIONIALARAMA STATE RAil N~mt'

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When you write wills, trusts, nnd estme plans, you wllm your sources to be os organized lind liS comprehensive as possible. That's why AmSoulh's all new s(:cond edition Will tlncl nust f'Ofm Book is bound in scpnrillc vol ulllcsof wills [mel trusts. It includcs twenty-ninc completc documents ttl. i1ored to Alabama law - far marc thtln nny other Alnbtlt11a form book gives you. Wcalso provide you with parallel oonunentaryon each document, partiCularly helpful in estate planning. St.-st of al l, it's updated regularly to ensure continuing nccllmcy. For more .information or to order, call the ~ AmSouth Estflte IlndTrust Planning Reprcsentn- JJ tive in your area, and tnlk to someone who c _ v-.. _r .. __ -.: . N eds. speaks your language. rut' 1UUI \JWWU~ e Ann iston 2.3S-9J40

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