Mike Vercher helped establish Christian & Small in 2000 and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee. He chairs Christian & Small’s Transportation Practice Group and serves as a Program Chair for the American Bar Association (TIPS) Transportation Megaconference.

Mike has successfully represented businesses in complex mass tort, transportation, workplace exposure, construction, product liability, premises liability, and professional liability litigation. He has tried cases as lead counsel in seven different Alabama counties and in oral arguments before a full panel of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Mike is a frequent speaker at seminars – most recently presenting on emerging issues in commercial transportation litigation, recent changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence, and combatting Reptile Theory trial techniques.

 

Professional and Community Involvement

  • American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Section (TIPS): Program Chair of the Transportation Megaconference. The Megaconference is the longest running program for trucking company personnel, executives, corporate counsel, claims and risk management professionals, lawyers, insurance company personnel, investigators, experts, and industry followers. The Megaconference has been held biennially in New Orleans for the past 35 years.
  • American Bar Association House of Delegates: Alabama State Bar Delegate to the entity charged with the control and administration of one of the world’s largest professional organizations, 2018-2025.
  • American Bar Association (ABA):Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS): Member, TIPS Council, 2019 – 2022; Commercial Transportation Committee Vice-Chair, 2022; Litigation and Trial Practice Committee Chair, 2020-2021; Technology and New Media Committee Chair, 2019; Membership Committee Chair, 2015-2018; Task Force on Outreach to Young Lawyers Chair, 2012-2014; ABA Young Lawyers Division: Senior Committee Director, 2007-2008; Cabinet Member, 2006-2008; Council Member, 2003-2008; District Representative for Alabama and Georgia, 2003-2005
  • Chairman, City of Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission
  • Christian & Small’s Executive Committee: 2009 – 2012; 2024-Present
  • Alabama State Bar 2014 Leadership Forum Participant
  • Birmingham Bar Association: Executive Committee, Young Lawyers Section, 2001-2007
  • Cathedral of St. Paul: Parish Council, 2004 – 2016

  • Holy Family Cristo Rey High School: Junior Board of Directors, 2008 – 2015

     

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
 

  • Defends local, regional, national, and international trucking companies.
  • Defends product manufacturers from personal injury claims allegedly resulting from defective designs and products.
  • Defends national and regional retailers and distributors in claims involving everything from slip-and-falls to injuries resulting from forklift operations.
  • Defends construction companies in cases involving allegations of wrongful death, serious personal injury, and construction defects.
  • Defends insurers and insureds in catastrophic personal injury cases.
  • Routinely represents appraisers, title insurers, real estate professionals, and home inspectors in litigation.
  • Represented an Alabama company forced out of business by the predatory annexation and zoning of property by a city in a jury trial in Huntsville, Alabama. The trial received significant statewide media attention.
  • Represented an Alabama company against wrongful interference with its rock quarry business in a jury trial in Scottsboro, Alabama that resulted in a multi-million dollar jury verdict for the client. The verdict was upheld on appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
  • Served as lead statewide counsel for a large insurance company’s workplace exposure litigation for more than 25years.
  • Defended a large pharmaceutical company in statewide personal injury litigation for more than four years and through conclusion.
     

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
 

  • Presenter, Insurance Issues and the Trucking Industry Navigating the Road Between Risk Transfer and Risk Retention, ABA TIPS Megaconference XVII, New Orleans, LA (March 2025)
  • Presenter, It’s the End of Daubert As We Know It, CLE Seminar, New York, NY (February 2024)
  • Presenter, Anchoring Damages to Avoid Nuclear Verdicts, Primerus Transportation Practice Group, CLE Seminar, Tampa, FL (February 2024)
  • Presenter, The Relationship Between Motor Carriers and Insurance Companies Dealing with Trucking Claims –Different Perspectives, ABA TIPS Transportation Mega Conference XVI – Trucking and Motor Carrier Litigation (March 2023)

 

Awards and Recognition

  • Named a Benchmark Litigation Star, 2019 – 2025
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Insurance, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
  • Selected by The Best Lawyers in America® in 2019 as “Lawyer of the Year” for Land Use and Zoning Litigation
  • Selected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation – Membership is by invitation only and limited to 1 percent of lawyers in each jurisdiction
  • One of only 25 lawyers from around the country selected to participate in the ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Leadership Academy
  • Fellow of the American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
  • Selected as a member of the Birmingham Business Journal’s 2008 “Top 40 Under 40”
  • Presenter, Autonomous Transport Claims 2024 –Company Perspectives in Adaptability,
    Seminar/CLE, ABA Tort, Trial, and Insurance Section Conference, Baltimore, MD (April 2022)
  • Presenter, The Privacy and Ethical Implications of Using Information from Internet-Connected (IoT) Devices in Litigation, seminar presentation to the Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South, Inc. (December 2017)
  • Presenter, The Big Brother Implications of Everyday Internet Connected Devices, CLE presentation to Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, Sandestin, Fla. (June 2017)
  • Presenter, Using Information Gathered on ‘IoT’ (Internet of Things) Devices in Litigation, CLE presentation to Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Central Florida Chapter (March 2017)
  • Presenter, Adjuster Claims Notes: A Survival Guide to Avoiding Bad Faith, CE presentation to ESIS Claims Department, Tampa, Fla. (March 2017)
  • Author, Preparing Your Client for a Video Deposition, Christian & Small Nonstop Insights Blog (August 2014)
  • Presenter, Premises Liability Practice in Alabama, Barristers CLE Seminar (December 2013)
  • Presenter, Ethics & Experts – What You May Not Know That Can Destroy Your Case, ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section CLE and Judicial Division CLE Forum (April 2013)
  • Author, The Opposite of Condemnation – A Legal Remedy Called Inverse Condemnation, American Bar Association, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Publication(Summer 2012)
  • Presenter, Experts: Locating, Qualifying and Preparing Them for Trial Testimony, Barristers CLE Seminar(December 2011).
  • Presenter, Dealing with Medical Liens and Medicare’s Right to Reimbursement in Settlement
  • Agreements, Barristers CLE Seminar (Dec. 2010).
  • Author, Dealing with the Difficult Topic of Loss of Consortium Damages During Trial, TIPS Trial Techniques Newsletter (Spring 2010).
  • Presenter, Proving and Defending Special Damages, Loss of Consortium, Loss of Non-Occupational Services and Related Injuries, Barristers CLE Seminar (Dec. 2009).
  • Author, An Associate’s Answer Checklist, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 101 Practice Series: Breaking Down the Basics (2007).
  • Author, Preparing Your Client for a Video Deposition, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 101Practice Series: Breaking Down the Basics (2007).

 

Representative Experience

  • Defends local, regional, national, and international trucking companies.
  • Defends product manufacturers from personal injury claims allegedly resulting from defective designs and products.
  • Defends national and regional retailers and distributors in claims involving everything from slip-and-falls to injuries resulting from forklift operations.
  • Defends construction companies in cases involving allegations of wrongful death, serious personal injury, and construction defects.
  • Defends insurers and insureds in catastrophic personal injury cases.
  • Routinely represents appraisers, title insurers, real estate professionals, and home inspectors in litigation.
  • Represented an Alabama company forced out of business by the predatory annexation and zoning of property by a city in a jury trial in Huntsville, Alabama. The trial received significant statewide media attention.
  • Represented an Alabama company against wrongful interference with its rock quarry business in a jury trial in Scottsboro, Alabama that resulted in a multi-million dollar jury verdict for the client. The verdict was upheld on appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
  • Served as lead statewide counsel for a large insurance company’s workplace exposure litigation for more than 25 years.
  • Defended a large pharmaceutical company in statewide personal injury litigation for more than four years and through conclusion.

 

Publications and Presentations

  • Presenter, Insurance Issues and the Trucking Industry Navigating the Road Between Risk Transfer and Risk Retention, ABA TIPS Megaconference XVII, New Orleans, LA (March 2025)
  • Presenter, It’s the End of Daubert As We Know It, CLE Seminar, New York, NY (February 2024)
  • Presenter, Anchoring Damages to Avoid Nuclear Verdicts, Primerus Transportation Practice Group, CLE Seminar, Tampa, FL (February 2024)
  • Presenter, The Relationship Between Motor Carriers and Insurance Companies Dealing with Trucking Claims – Different Perspectives, ABA TIPS Transportation Mega Conference XVI – Trucking and Motor Carrier Litigation (March 2023)
  • Presenter, Autonomous Transport Claims 2024 – Company Perspectives in Adaptability, Seminar/CLE, ABA Tort, Trial, and Insurance Section Conference, Baltimore, MD (April 2022)
  • Presenter, The Privacy and Ethical Implications of Using Information from Internet-Connected (IoT) Devices in Litigation, seminar presentation to the Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South, Inc. (December 2017)
  • Presenter, The Big Brother Implications of Everyday Internet Connected Devices, CLE presentation to Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, Sandestin, Fla. (June 2017)
  • Presenter, Using Information Gathered on ‘IoT’ (Internet of Things) Devices in Litigation, CLE presentation to Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Central Florida Chapter (March 2017)
  • Presenter, Adjuster Claims Notes: A Survival Guide to Avoiding Bad Faith, CE presentation to ESIS Claims Department, Tampa, Fla. (March 2017)
  • Author, Preparing Your Client for a Video Deposition, Christian & Small Nonstop Insights Blog (August 2014)
  • Presenter, Premises Liability Practice in Alabama, Barristers CLE Seminar (December 2013)
  • Presenter, Ethics & Experts – What You May Not Know That Can Destroy Your Case, ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section CLE and Judicial Division CLE Forum (April 2013)
  • Author, The Opposite of Condemnation – A Legal Remedy Called Inverse Condemnation, American Bar Association, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Publication (Summer 2012)
  • Presenter, Experts: Locating, Qualifying and Preparing Them for Trial Testimony, Barristers CLE Seminar (December 2011).
  • Presenter, Dealing with Medical Liens and Medicare’s Right to Reimbursement in Settlement Agreements, Barristers CLE Seminar (Dec. 2010).
  • Author, Dealing with the Difficult Topic of Loss of Consortium Damages During Trial, TIPS Trial Techniques Newsletter (Spring 2010).
  • Presenter, Proving and Defending Special Damages, Loss of Consortium, Loss of Non-Occupational Services and Related Injuries, Barristers CLE Seminar (Dec. 2009).
  • Author, An Associate’s Answer Checklist, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 101 Practice Series: Breaking Down the Basics (2007).
  • Author, Preparing Your Client for a Video Deposition, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 101 Practice Series: Breaking Down the Basics (2007).

Admissions

  • The Supreme Court, United States of America
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
  • The Supreme Court of Alabama
  • The Supreme Court of Mississippi
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama

Practice Areas

  • Transportation
  • Business Services and Commercial Litigation
  • Class Actions &Toxic Torts
  • Construction
  • Insurance
  • Professional Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Retail and Hospitality

Education 

  • University of Alabama, 1996, B.A. cum laude (Jasons Senior Honor Society)
  • University of Alabama School of Law, 1999, J.D. cum laude (Benchand Bar Legal Honor Society)