My Experience

William B. Hairston III - Attorney at Law, Birmingham, AL

August 2018 to Present

Solo practitioner providing business and succession planning guidance to select clientele.

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Admitted to practice law in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Samford University - Cumberland School of Law

Birmingham, AL

Adjunct Professor - 2019 to Present

Summer 2019 -

Engel Hairston & Johanson, P.C.,

Birmingham, AL

1983 to Present

Practicing law initially as an associate and later as a shareholder predominately in the areas of commercial finance, business and succession planning, workouts, turnaround management, lending, SBA lending and real estate matters.

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Admitted to practice law in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Became “Of Counsel” on August 3, 2018 to facilitate new career development.

Education

Affiliations and Accolades:

Highlands United Methodist Church 

• • Council of Ministries (Chair, 1990)

  • Administrative Board (Chair, 1993)

  • Trustee (2018 - present)

  • Adult Sunday School Teacher (1983 - present) 

Highlands Methodist Educational Foundation (Organizer and multiple years as Chair)

Rotary Club of Birmingham (2003 - present)

• • Paul Harris Fellow

Saint Andrews Society of the Middle South (President, 2017)

Designated 504 Counsel under 13 C.F.R. 120.802 (1994-2018)

Alabama Law Institute 

• • Voting Member of the Institute (2004 - present)

  • Standing Trust Committee (Member, 2013 - present)

  • Real Estate Study Committee (Member, 2004 - present)

  • Study Committees pertaining to acts submitted to the Legislature:

    • Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (Chair, 2016 - 2017) 

    • Alabama Rule Against Perpetuities (Chair, 2010 - 2011)

    • Self Settled Spendthrift Trusts (Member, 2018)

    • Condominium Act Amendment (Member, 2010 - 2018)

    • Trust Decanting (Member, 2017)

    • Asset-Preservation Orders Act (Member, 2015)

    • Heir Property (Member, 2014)

    • Unitrust (Member, 2012 - 2013)

    • Uniform Commercial Code - Article 4A Amendments (Member, 2012)

    • 2010 Amendments to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (Member, 2011) 

    • Uniform Interstate Deposition and Discovery Act (Member, 2011)

    • Principal and Income Act Amendments (Member, 2011)

    • Alabama Revised Notary Act (Member, 2010)

    • Alabama Unsworn Foreign Declaration Act (Member, 2010)

    • Residential Mortgage Satisfaction Act (Member, 2007)

    • Uniform Residential Landlord/Tenant Act (Member, 2005)

    • UCC Article 1 - General Provisions Amendments (Member, 2003)

    • UCC Article 7 - Documents of Title (Member, 2003) 

    • UCC Article 9 - Secured Transactions Revisions (Member, 1999 - 2001)

    • UCC Article 5 - Letter of Credit (Member, 1998)

    • UCC Article 6 - Bulk Transfer Repeal (Member, 1997)

    • UCC Article 3 - Negotiable Instruments (Member, 1996)

    • UCC Article 4 - Bank Deposits and Collections (Member, 1996)

    • Multiple Persons Accounts Act (Member, 1996)

    • UCC Article 2A - Leases (Associate Member, 1991)

Alabama Bar Association (1983 - present) 

• • Committee of Rules of Professional Conduct (Chair, 1993-1998, Reporter, 1983-1993)

Alabama Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Civil Rules and Practice and Procedure for District Courts (Member, 1988 - present)

Alabama Bar Foundation (Life Fellow, 2010)

American Bar Association (1982 - present)

• • Business Law Section (Member, 1986 - present)

  • Commercial Financial Services Committee (Member, 1987 - present)

  • UCC Committee (Member, 1988 - present)

  • Opinion Letters Committee (Member, 1990 - present) 

  • Loan Documentation Committee (Member, 1988 - present)

American Bar Foundation (Life Fellow, 1994)

Birmingham Bar Association (1983 - present)

• • Professionalism Long Range Task Force (Member, 1999)

  • Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee (Member, 1996-1998)

  • Ethics Committee (Chair, 1994 - 1995)

  • Fee Arbitration Committee (Member, 1990 - 1991)

  • Grievance Committee (Member, 1987 - 1989)

The Florida Bar (1984 - present)

The Georgia Bar (1984 - present)

Best Lawyer in America recipient

Super Lawyer designation

Lawyer of Distinction

Birmingham Camellia Society (President and Show Chairman in 1980s)

Papers and Major Presentations:

• “The Ranking of Attorney Lien Against Other Liens in the United States,” 7 Journal of the Legal Profession, 1983, 1982.

• “Repossession and Disposition of Personal Property,” section of Foreclosure and Repossession in Alabama, NBI, 1987, 1989, 1991.

• “How to Close SBA 504 Transactions,” National Association of Development Co., 1992.

• Lecturer, various CLE programs

• SBA Loan Guarantees: Current Purchase Issues and Complexities Live Webinar (May 8, 2014)

• Navigating the Storms of Recovering on SBA 7(a) Loan Guarantees Webinar  (September 12, 2013)

Bill Hairston

Lynn Hairston