BIO
Bret R. Smith has a background and experience unique to the practice of law.
A 1991 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Bret served the United States as an Air Force officer and jet pilot before attending law school at the University of Alabama.
Although it would appear that the cockpit of a Boeing B-1 Lancer and a courtroom do not have much in common, Bret has found that professionalism, preparation, and attention to detail have been vital to success in both places.
Bret R. Smith is a member of the Alabama State Bar, Tuscaloosa County Bar Association, and is licensed to practice law in State and Federal Courts across Alabama.
In addition to obtaining the rank of Major while in the Air Force, Bret was appointed by Governor Robert Bentley as an Honorary Admiral in the State of Alabama.
State and Counties served: All of West Alabama including Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Hale, Marion, Lamar, and Fayette Counties
BIO
Jason has enjoyed a career practicing, teaching, and writing about the law. Before moving to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Jason was a lawyer in Kentucky and Colorado. At home in Alabama, he has used his experience and knowledge of the law in different states and across several disciplines to build a legal practice dedicated to solving client problems effectively and efficiently.
The benefit of having been a lawyer in several states is that it allows Jason to draw upon those experiences to find unique solutions to local legal problems. Jason’s experience opens him to new solutions that others might not find, all while clients get the benefit of a traditional West Alabama law practice.
He also runs the highly-useful
DisabilityAlabama
website for Social Security Disability (SSDI) claimants who get denied.
The Social Security Administration has a robust and complex system for reviewing and deciding claims. A disability claim does not end with the first denial of a claim. If you are unable to work, you may eligible for benefits despite what the Social Security Administration initially tells you. See what Jason can offer disability claimants at www.disabilityalabama.com
Every adult should have a will. Every family should have a plan. Through wills, trusts, and other devices you can and should plan ahead to protect your family and to protect your assets. Probate is the process through which the directions in a will are carried out, under court supervision. Contact Jason about preparing a will or to help you carry out your obligations as a personal representative in probate.
Businesses go through several phases over their life cycle: the beginning and incorporation, the operation, and the sale or dissolution. In the beginning, you need not only to file the right forms for the state to recognize your business, but you need to create the operating documents that direct how it should run as well. Once a business is running there are issues of employment, contracts, and collection to be dealt with. Eventually, or in parts, a business might dissolve, split in two, or need to be sold or passed on to family. Jason has dealt with small businesses at all phases of their existence. Contact him to help you with yours.
After your trial or hearing has ended, a new phase of your case is just beginning, the appeal. Not all cases should be appealed, but if the trial or hearing didn’t go as planned contact Jason about the appeal, including post-conviction work in a criminal case. Jason has a particular interest in appeals and may be able to take your appeal on a fixed fee. He follows appellate decisions and writes about some of them on his Alabama Appeals blog.
Before moving to Tuscaloosa, Jason was a visiting assistant professor in the Legal Studies Program at Morehead State University where he taught a variety of classes including: Real Estate, Contracts, Family Law, Employment, Torts (personal injury), and Trial Skills.
Jason is a Colorado Bar Fellow and winner of the 2014 American Bar Association Journal’s Ross Writing Contest for Short Legal Fiction. He has served on the boards of several non-profits and is a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow. He has been active in and served bar organizations including the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the Mesa County Bar Association. Jason is a member of the Tuscaloosa Bar Association and is active in the Alabama State Bar’s Volunteer Lawyers Program. He is a member of the 2020 class of Leadership Tuscaloosa and a member of Class 15 of the prestigious Alabama State Bar Leadership Training program.
The following cases describe some of Jason’s experiences:
BIO
Greg grew up in Tuscaloosa and obtained a Bachelors Degree in English from the University of Alabama in 1988 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1991.
Greg brings rare experience in criminal justice to the Brown House Law Group as he worked over 21 years as a prosecutor, nearly 7 years as a public defender and 1 year as a clerk with the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.
Over his long career, Greg has participated in numerous jury trials with a very high success rate. He has handled or litigated nearly every type of criminal offense, ranging from misdemeanors such as DUI to felonies such as capital murder, adult and child sex crimes, robbery, gun crimes, assault, and attempted murder.
After finishing a clerkship with the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 1992, Greg moved to south Alabama where he worked as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office in Covington County until 2011. In 1994, he was promoted to Chief Assistant District Attorney.
In 2005, Greg was elected District Attorney of the 22nd Judicial Circuit. While serving as District Attorney, Greg:
In 2011, Greg returned home to Tuscaloosa where he prosecuted in the District Attorneys Office for nearly 3 years. For most of his time there, Greg served as Chief Deputy District Attorney. He was also the chairman of the Child Death Review Team.
In 2014, Greg obtained a job as an attorney in the Tuscaloosa County Public Defenders Office handling primarily Class A and B felonies, including capital murder. Over his nearly 7 years as an Assistant PD, Greg represented hundreds of indigent criminal defendants in nearly 1000 cases.
Greg is a member of the First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa where he has taught Sunday School, led small groups and served on multiple committees. He and his wife, Julie, have three children, one in elementary school, one in high school and one a student at the University of Alabama. Greg is the son of Don and the late Teddy Gambril, of Tuscaloosa County. His father was the head swimming coach at the University of Alabama for 20 years, an associate Athletic Director at the University of Alabama, and a 5 time Olympic Coach.