About E. Allen Dodd, Jr.
Allen Dodd is a trial lawyer and partner who has tried more than 150 jury cases to conclusion. Practicing since 1987, he represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation, with substantial experience in commercial and financial disputes, class actions, oil and gas matters, trust litigation, and serious personal injury cases.
His work includes cases involving extensive financial records, technical evidence, multiple parties, and competing interpretations of complex agreements. He handles disputes over business ownership, corporate transactions, lending relationships, industrial operations, and fiduciary obligations. His experience extends from investigation and contested discovery through lengthy trials, post-judgment proceedings, and appellate review.
Allen has represented individuals, closely held businesses, financial institutions, manufacturers, and national organizations. His representation has included ExxonMobil, DuPont, Nucor, Feralloy, and the NCAA, and he has worked alongside regional and national counsel in substantial civil matters. His experience on both sides of the courtroom informs his assessment of the evidence, litigation risks, and practical stakes for each client.
Trial and litigation experience
Extended jury and bench trials
Allen represented the NCAA during a jury trial lasting four weeks in Keller v. NCAA. In Matthews v. LaPenna, he represented trust beneficiaries through a three-week bench trial addressing the interpretation and administration of a trust with approximately 12,000 acres of land.
Commercial, banking, and ownership disputes
His experience includes litigation over business acquisitions, contractual obligations, commercial lending, and shareholder and member rights. His trial work includes Cooper Hosiery v. Renfro Corporation in federal court and the defense of a financial institution against a substantial liquidated-damages claim in Bank of New York v. AmSouth Bank of Alabama. His practice also encompasses lender liability and disputes involving interconnected financial transactions.
Oil and gas litigation
Allen represented property owners in Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Stryker, a dispute involving alleged oil and gas drainage across property boundaries. He was also among Exxon’s counsel in the Mobile Bay royalty litigation, which involved gas leases, accounting, contract interpretation, and fraud allegations. These matters brought technical questions about production and mineral interests together with substantial commercial claims.
Environmental, product, and exposure claims
His experience includes PFAS litigation, industrial and pesticide exposure claims, product liability, and construction defects. These matters involve technical records and disputed questions of causation, product design, or industrial operations. His work has included both representation of injured plaintiffs and the defense of manufacturers and other businesses.
Class actions and public law
Allen represented a taxpayer class challenging Jefferson County’s occupational tax. The litigation reached the Alabama Supreme Court in 2009 and 2010 and involved statutory interpretation, constitutional questions, and the treatment of collected tax revenue. His practice also includes antitrust, trade regulation, and First Amendment matters.
Trust, estate, and fiduciary disputes
He represents clients in disputes concerning fiduciary conduct, the administration of substantial trusts and estates, and the ownership and control of closely held businesses. His work includes matters in which corporate governance, inheritance rights, asset transfers, and financial accounting must be addressed together.
Appellate advocacy
Appellate advocacy is a substantial part of Allen’s practice. His reported matters include disputes over business acquisition agreements, oil and gas interests, and the exercise of governmental authority. He also handles arbitration and appellate procedure issues. His work at trial and on appeal gives him a perspective that connects the evidentiary record, the rulings made below, and the questions presented for review.
Professional service
Allen has contributed to the development of trial lawyers through his service on the faculty of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association Trial Academy from 2004 to 2011. He also served on the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum Standing Committee in 2004 and 2005.
The Circuit Court of DeKalb County appointed him special master in Ashley v. Archer Daniels Midland Co. His professional memberships have included the Alabama State Bar and the American Bar Association.
Education
- J.D., Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, magna cum laude, 1987
- B.A., Samford University, magna cum laude, 1983
Bar and court admissions
- Alabama State Bar, 1987
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit