About Abe
Abe is the Chair of the Admiralty and Maritime law practice group. This requires his attention to a broad range of maritime matters, both litigation and non-litigation, arising in the Gulf Coast Ports of Alabama, Mississippi and Northwest Florida, the navigable river system in Alabama, the intercoastal waterway as it traverses all three states and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico adjacent to all three states.
Abe is the correspondent attorney in those areas for numerous P&I Clubs and Defense Clubs and has represented many of the major P&I Clubs of the world throughout his career. Each year for the past fifteen years, he has been designated by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers of America in the field of Admiralty and Maritime Law.
He has proctor member status in The Maritime Law Association of the United States and is a member of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute and the Propeller Club. He is also a member of the Mobile Bar Association and the Alabama State Bar, and served as Chairman of the Admiralty Committee of the Mobile Bar Association. Abe has been a member of the Governor’s Industrial Advisory Committee and the World Trade Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. He also served as President of the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Board of Directors of the State Junior Chamber.
A native of Columbus, Georgia, Abe grew up in Alexander City, Alabama, attended Auburn University and obtained his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1959. He is admitted to practice before all of the State and Federal Courts in Alabama, the United States Courts of Appeal, for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.
What is your favorite thing about the law?
I delight in my practice of Admiralty and Maritime Law because of the broad range of challenges it presents. There is always something new and different. I also enjoy the personal interaction with the Maritime Bar, a close knit community.
What community projects are you involved in?
I am currently a youth baseball coach but in the past I have coached football as well. I have also held various positions and been on the Board of Directors for numerous community organizations including the Alabama Jaycees, America’s Junior Miss, Greater Gulf State Fair, Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, Mobile Azalea Trail, Lions Club and Rotary Club, United Way, Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, Port of Mobile Emergency Preparedness Agency, World Trade Committee for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Governor’s Industrial Advisory Committee.
What was your first job?
Old-fashioned service station— pumping gas; changing tires and filling flats; service bay including lubrication and oil change; washing cars
What are your hobbies?
Quail hunting, scuba diving, tennis, boating and fishing, deer hunting
What advice would you give to a young student in law school?
Work hard, learn as much as you can. Establish relationships with faculty and fellow students. This will be of great benefit the remainder of your professional life.
How do you define a “good day?”
One where at the end of the day I feel I have accomplished something worthwhile. One where none of my family has encountered a major problem.
How do you spend your weekend?
Church; office sometimes; with grandchildren; working in my yard; in pursuit of hobbies listed above; attending Auburn football games and other sporting events.