Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada, PLLC announced today the expansion of offices into Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama.  Three Alabama attorneys have joined the firm: Michael B. Beers, A. David Fawal and Angela T. Baker.

“With more than 30 years of extensive trial experience practicing in Alabama, Michael will be invaluable in establishing Butler Snow’s presence in the market,” said Donald Clark, Jr., Chairman, Butler Snow.  “I know that he, along with David and Angela, will provide the strong foundation and leadership needed to best serve and support our clients.”

Beers, who will be working in both the Montgomery and Birmingham offices, is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and will focus on complex civil litigation with insurance defense, extra-contractual insurance claims and arson and insurance fraud as a member of Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation Group. He has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict.  Beers is former director of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and also serves as Board Counsel to the Alabama Association of Arson Investigators.

Earlier in his career, Beers served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama where he specialized in the prosecution of white collar crime and arson. A graduate of Mercer University with a B.A. in English, Beers received his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.

Also joining Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation Group is Fawal, who will be located at Butler Snow’s Birmingham office. AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Fawal will focus on insurance defense/coverage, punitive damage claims, antitrust, civil RICO, product liability, class actions and arson.

Fawal presently serves on the Grievance Committee of the Birmingham Bar Association and the Military Law Committee of the Alabama State Bar. He is an active member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute.  Fawal started his legal career on active duty in the U.S. Navy. He has continued his military service through the Reserves and is a Commander for the U. S. Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Following his active duty, Fawal returned to Birmingham in 1995 and went into private practice focusing on civil litigation. A cum laude graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, Fawal received his B.S. in psychology. Fawal received his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law where he was the Associate Managing Editor of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy and was a member of the Trial Advocacy Board.

Baker will be located in Butler Snow’s Montgomery office as a member of the Commercial Litigation Groupfocusing on insurance defense, arson and fraud defense. She is currently Vice President of the Alabama Association of Arson Investigators. Previously, Baker served as a board member for the Young Lawyers Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association. She is a member of the Defense Research Institute, Hugh Maddox Inns of Court and Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. After receiving her B.S. in political science from Auburn University, Baker received her J.D. from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law.