Atty. Richard E. Smith
Richard Smith, one of the founding partners of Christian & Small and a partner with its predecessor, Rives & Peterson, has been an integral member of the firm’s litigation group for his entire legal career. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner for five years.
Profile Summary
About Richard E. Smith at a glance
Richard E. Smith is a business, class action, construction, whistleblower, and product liability attorney based in Birmingham, Alabama, practicing at Christian & Small LLP. They have 41+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 1985. Admitted to practice in Alabama (1985). Educated at Samford University (J.D., 1985) and Samford University (BS, 1981). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Arbitration (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Bet-the-Company Litigation (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Commercial Litigation (2026). Serands clients in Birmingham, AL and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Richard Smith, one of the founding partners of Christian & Small and a partner with its predecessor, Rives & Peterson, has been an integral member of the firm’s litigation group for his entire legal career
- He served as the firm’s Managing Partner for five years
- Richard’s practice focuses primarily on complex and corporate litigation for clients in the financial services, health care and construction industries, as well as corporate entities in other industries
- His extensive litigation experience includes having tried over 170 jury trials to a verdict in over 30 Alabama counties and all three Alabama federal district courts
- He obtained successful results for his clients in over 90% of those cases
- In recent years, Richard has arbitrated more than 30 cases before the American Arbitration Association, the National Association of Security Dealers, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and other arbitration panels
- He has been appointed as an arbitrator, mediator, and receiver in several business litigation disputes
- Because of Richard’s vast trial experience combined with his knowledge of the insurance industry, he is frequently retained as an expert to consult and testify in insurance cases dealing with bad faith and coverage disputes
Practice Areas Explained
Richard E. Smith's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Richard E. Smith handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Richard E. Smith is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in Alabama →
Richard E. Smith is one of 26,424 class action attorneys indexed nationally. Browse class action attorneys in Alabama →
Richard E. Smith is one of 40,689 construction attorneys indexed nationally. Browse construction attorneys in Alabama →
Richard E. Smith is one of 3,552 whistleblower attorneys indexed nationally. Browse whistleblower attorneys in Alabama →
Richard E. Smith is one of 66,193 product liability attorneys indexed nationally. Browse product liability attorneys in Alabama →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in Alabama
Practicing law in Alabama. Legal matters in Alabama are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Birmingham are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Alabama state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Alabama brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Alabama courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional Alabama attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Birmingham or all attorneys in Alabama.
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