Throughout 2019, we celebrated our firm’s 40th Anniversary. Looking back on the 40 years Beasley Allen has been dedicated to helping those who need it most, it’s humbling to see how our firm has grown and prospered.
Today, we have 85 lawyers in two locations – Montgomery and Atlanta – and more than 200 support staff, including full-time nurses, investigators, computer specialists, technologists, a marketing department, and a comprehensive trial graphics team. Beasley Allen is one of the country’s leading firms involved in civil litigation, representing hundreds of thousands of people, not just in Alabama and Georgia, but across the entire country.
The firm has helped thousands of clients receive justice. The jury verdicts included an $11.9 billion punitive damages award against ExxonMobile Corp. – the largest verdict against an oil company in U.S. history – for underpaying the State of Alabama royalties on natural gas in the Mobile Bay field; and a $4.85 billion settlement – the largest pharmaceutical drug settlement in U.S. history – against Merck & Co., over claims its anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx caused heart attacks and strokes.
It is gratifying that in so many cases and so many instances, the firm has made corporate America do things right when they were doing wrong, cutting costs and hurting people. In our work, we often talk to people who are going through one of the worst times of their lives. They are often up against a huge foe, a company with seemingly endless resources to fight back. The firm’s ability to help clients bring their battles into the level playing field of the courtroom, where everyone has a chance at obtaining real justice, is the true measure of its success.
This success continued as the firm celebrated four decades last year. Beasley Allen lawyers were privileged to represent Travaris “Tre” Smith in a lawsuit against Ford Motor Company over a rollover crash involving a 1998 Ford Explorer that left Tre paralyzed. The jury found that Ford failed to meet its own safety guidelines for the Explorer’s rollover resistance requirement and that Ford attempted to cover up the vehicle’s defective design. It awarded Tre $51,791,000 in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. Firm attorneys also secured a $2.83 million verdict on behalf of Brandon Jackson, a truck driver who was permanently injured in a vehicle crash caused by an improperly secured ladder on a Charter Communications van. Additionally, the firm worked with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office on its lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc., which resulted in a $10.3 million settlement. Further, the firm helped the family of Melquan Robinson, Jr. find justice following the needless electrocution death of the 12-year-old child.
The firm couldn’t do what it does without the tremendous work of all the people who put their time and dedication into this work. It has been a team effort in meeting clients’ needs. Beasley Allen lawyers and support staff work tirelessly to ensure every client has a fair chance in the courtroom. Throughout last year the firm recognized the individual talents and efforts that, when combined, constitute a powerful team. The firm’s Human Resources kept the celebration going, with special activities, prizes, events, and activities to show its appreciation to the staff.
Additionally, giving back is also an important part of what distinguishes the firm. From the Montgomery Volunteer Lawyers Program to Valiant Cross Academy to Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and many other organizations in between, the firm was happy to lend its support to the many groups that make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and communities every day.
It’s definitely been a fun year, celebrating the firm’s history. Last January, as the firm kicked off the celebration with a ribbon-cutting that spanned down Commerce Street, all the firm’s lawyers and staff took part. The firm has had the honor and distinction of being part of the fabric of the Montgomery community for so many years, and as our Atlanta lawyers make themselves at home there as well, it is exciting to think about what the future holds.
Today, on our 41st anniversary, the firm turns its focus to the challenges that lie ahead in 2020 and in the next decade. It will continue looking for opportunities in the courtroom and the community to continue “helping those who need it most” for the next 40 years and beyond.
