Beasley Allen has named seven lawyers as new Principals and four as new Associates at its four locations.
Ryan Beattie is an attorney in the Mass Torts Section of Beasley Allen’s Montgomery office. His practice focuses primarily on litigation involving the link between talcum powder products and ovarian cancer. He has been part of five trials that resulted in verdicts against Johnson & Johnson totaling more than $725 million. Ryan received a B.S. in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Alabama State Bar Young Lawyers Section, and the American Association for Justice. Before joining Beasley Allen, Ryan worked at two law firms in Mississippi. Ryan has been named a Midsouth Super Lawyers “Rising Star” since 2019, a recognition bestowed on the top up-and-coming attorneys 40 years old or younger who have been practicing for ten years or less.
Matt Griffith is a trial lawyer in the Toxic Torts Section of Beasley Allen’s Mobile law office. Matt is part of the team representing the State of Alabama in the opioid litigation. He also handles cases involving environmental contamination of water systems. Matt earned a B.A. in political science from Auburn University and graduated magna cum laude from Faulkner University Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. Before joining Beasley Allen, Matt was involved in high-stakes commercial litigation representing both plaintiffs and defendants across the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard. Matt has handled numerous lawsuits involving environmental and toxic exposure issues, including cases focused on solid waste landfills, reclaimed dump pits, and cases involving the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Mobile Bar Association.
Aigner Kolom is an attorney in the Mass Tort Section of our Montgomery law office. She focuses on injury cases related to bone cement, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), IVC filters, opioids, and other harmful pharmaceutical products. Aigner received a B.S. in business administration/human resource management from Auburn University and graduated summa cum laude from Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. Before joining Beasley Allen, Aigner worked as a law clerk for Judge J.R. Gaines, Circuit Judge 15th Judicial Circuit in Montgomery, and Judge Charles Price, Presiding Judge (now retired), 15th Judicial Circuit. She also worked as an extern for Judge Charles Watkins, Chief Judge Middle District 11th Circuit, and was a legal intern/law clerk for Legal Services of Alabama. Aigner is a member of the American Association for Justice and the Alabama State Bar, where she is also a member of the organization’s Young Lawyer’s and Women’s sections. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed recently selected her to serve on the Mayor’s Young Professional Council. Aigner was also selected to the 2020 Midsouth Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” list for up-and-coming attorneys who are 40 years old or younger who have been practicing for ten years or less.
Mary Leah Miller is an attorney in our Atlanta office’s Personal Injury and Products Liability Section. Her practice focuses primarily on automotive defects. Mary Leah received a B.A. from Duke University and a law degree with a Certificate in Trial Advocacy from Samford University Cumberland School of Law. Before joining Beasley Allen, she worked for a small firm in Birmingham, Alabama. She represents individuals who have been catastrophically injured or killed against foreign and domestic manufacturers of various defective products, including automobiles, motorcycles, and all-terrain vehicles. Mary Leah has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and more than $30 million in judgments for those wrongfully killed. She is a National Trial Advocacy Team member and served on the Trial Advocacy Board. She is also a member of the Alabama State Bar Association, the Georgia State Bar Association, and the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.
Jeff Price is an attorney in the Toxic Torts Section of Beasley Allen’s Montgomery office. He handles opioid litigation, representing the State of Alabama and the State of Georgia as private counsel. Jeff received a B.A. from Tulane University, a J.D. from Samford University Cumberland School of Law, and an L.L.M. from the University of Miami School of Law. He was recently named by The National Trial Lawyers to the Alabama Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiffs Trial Lawyers List, an honor given to only a select group of lawyers for their superior skills and qualifications in the field. Jeff is a member of the Alabama State Bar and a former associate editor of The American Journal of Trial Advocacy at Cumberland.
Tom Willingham was the founding partner of the Law Offices of Thomas P. Willingham, P.C., based in Birmingham, Alabama, before returning to his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, to join Beasley Allen’s Personal Injury and Product Liability Section. He graduated from Mercer University and received his J.D. from Samford University Cumberland School of Law. Tom began his law career as a defense attorney, primarily representing automobile manufacturers. After seeing firsthand the devastating consequences to victims of careless decisions made by automakers, he was compelled to change his career and represent those who had been catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed. His prior experience as a defense attorney gives him a unique insight into prosecuting complex product liability cases. Since 1992, Tom has represented victims catastrophically injured or killed in automobile accidents due to defectively designed automobiles. He has been involved in automotive product liability litigation against virtually all foreign and domestic automakers. Tom is a board member of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Alabama Bar Association, and the Georgia Bar Association.
“Our new Principals have proven their commitment to helping those who need it the most,” said Beasley Allen Managing Attorney Tom Methvin. “We are proud to have them representing our firm.”
Additionally, Beasley Allen named Courtney Horton (Business Litigation/Consumer Protection), Lauren James (Medical Devices/Medication), Mary Raybon (Medical Devices/Medication), and Alexa Wallace (Medical Devices/Medication) as new Associates.
