When it comes to client service, Eddie Elliott believes in treating each client as he would expect to be treated. This simple rule has served him well, as he has been defending and trying lawsuits in state and federal courts for more than 25 years. And what does he expect as a client? The highest quality legal services provided in a lean, economical way.

Eddie is a founding member of Christian & Small. He was a long-time partner with its predecessor firm, Rives & Peterson, and practiced at both firms with his father for a number of years. Although he has experience in virtually all aspects of insurance litigation, Eddie has devoted much of his practice to defending pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers, health care providers, transportation companies and insurance companies.

Education:

  • Washington & Lee University, 1979, B.A. magna cum laude
  • University of Alabama School of Law, 1982, J.D.
  • Judicial Clerkship, 1982-83, Honorable James H. Hancock United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama

Admissions:

  • Alabama, 1982
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama
  • United States District Court, Middle District of Alabama
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Alabama

Representative Cases:

  • Served as both national coordinating counsel and liaison counsel in national dietary supplement – pharmaceutical drug litigation, pending in both federal and state courts. This was one of only four cases assigned to the Northern District of Alabama by the Federal Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation. Christian & Small appeared in three of those matters.
  • Served as lead counsel for a life insurer accused of fraud in the sale of its life insurance policies by hundreds of its Alabama policyholders. After exhaustive and highly disputed discovery, he successfully negotiated a satisfactory resolution of that statewide litigation for the insurer.
  • Defended builder in a construction defect wrongful death case. Settled case when other defendants opted to try the case and ended up with a $50 million verdict against them.

Professional and Community Involvement:

  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel: Member
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI): Member, Medical Malpractice Committee
  • International Association of Defense and Corporate Counsel (IADC): Member
  • Trucking Industry Defense Association: Member
  • Transportation Lawyers Association: Member
  • American Bar Association (ABA): Member, Commercial Transportation Section
  • Alabama State Bar: Member
  • Birmingham Bar Association: Member

Awards and Recognition:

  • AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell*
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2011-2012 in the fields of insurance law, transportation law and personal injury litigation and 2013-2014 in the fields of insurance law, mass tort litigation defense, personal injury litigation defense and transportation law
  • Selected for inclusion in Alabama Super Lawyers® in fields of transportation/maritime, personal injury defense (products and medical malpractice) (since 2008) and 2012 and 2013 in field of civil litigation defense

Publications and Presentations:

  • Discovery Techniques for the Defense
  • Paper Discovery: Specific Documents that Should be Discovered and Examined
  • Depositions
  • Opening Statements
  • Demonstrative Evidence
  • Cross Examination
  • Closing Argument from the Defense Perspective
  • Liability Insurance: Reservation of Rights, Intervention and Declaratory Judgments
  • Supreme Court Considers HMO Malpractice Suits (2004).
  • The Gramm-Leach-Billey Act and Its Impact on the Discovery of Customer Lists and Policyholder Files (2003).
  • Sarbanes-Oxley: A Brief Overview (2002).
  • Statutory Caps on Punitive Damages: Could What Was Once Old Be New Again? (2001).

Practice Areas:

  • Civil Litigation
  • Electronic Discovery
  • Insurance
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Premises Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Transportation