Since our founding, we have adhered to a set of guiding principles we refer to as “The Lightfoot Way.” Chief among these principles is the value and emphasis we place on service — to our clients, our communities and each other. That core tenet defines Lightfoot as a firm and shapes our unique approach to what we do: litigation, compliance and investigations.

We were founded in 1990 by a group of lawyers in Birmingham, Alabama, who left a full-service firm to establish a litigation boutique. Our founding name partners — Warren Lightfoot, Sam Franklin and the late Jere White — wanted to break out of the traditional mold for managing a law firm. From the very beginning, Lightfoot, Franklin & White was a place where diversity was encouraged, work-life balance was emphasized and quality legal work mattered most.

The firm also became the training ground for some of the brightest, most experienced defense lawyers in our state and beyond. We were founded during a time when Alabama was home to jurisdictions that were openly hostile to corporations, and plaintiffs’ lawyers were pursuing new avenues of attack not attempted anywhere else, particularly in the realm of toxic torts and class actions. Lightfoot’s lawyers were at the forefront of defending clients against these emerging lawsuits, and our lawyers developed novel approaches and tactics of their own. We honed our legal skills in this fire, sharpening them as we became dedicated advocates for our clients.

Today, Lightfoot continues to advance its reputation as a formidable defense litigation firm and strategic partner to our clients. We are sought out by leading companies from around the country to handle litigation, internal investigations and compliance matters. We recently expanded to Texas, where we serve clients in the state and surrounding region from our Houston office.

We continue our tradition of promoting diversity within our firm. In 2018, Melody Eagan was named managing partner. The first woman to hold that position at Lightfoot, Eagan has spent her entire career with the firm, joining soon after it was founded.

Though much has changed in the world since 1990, our founding values remain the same. We are a firm that puts service first, pursues excellence, attracts talented attorneys from all backgrounds and gives nothing but our best to every client and matter. It is who we are. It is The Lightfoot Way.