Partner

Steven W. Couch

Steve attended the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. During law school, he was a Region V Champion in the ABA National Trial Advocacy Competition. Steve graduated from Cumberland receiving his Juris Doctorate degree in 1998. He has also received the Medal for Excellence in Advocacy from the American College of Trial Lawyers.

During his career Steve has handled countless cases across Alabama, the southeast and nationally. He has settled and/or tried to verdict cases ranging from Medical Malpractice and Products Liability to Insurance Fraud, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, and Premises Liability. Each year since 2011, Steve has been selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers.

Steve is extremely grateful that he gets the chance to be an advocate for people who have been injured or wronged but are not able to speak for themselves. He enjoys really getting to know his clients and their families. "I think the better you know someone, the better job you are able to do as that person's lawyer. At the end of the day, we are not only someone's attorney, but many times we are also the only ones who end up counseling families during a time of loss. In today's world, I believe ministering to the individual's needs is an often overlooked part of representing a person." To this day, Mr. Couch remains involved and in touch with many of the families and individuals he has represented over the years.

Steve lives in Hoover with his wife of twenty-five years, Lori, and their four children Caroline, Griffith, Brody and Cooper. He and his family are members of Fullness Christian Fellowship church in Vestavia Hills Alabama.

Areas of Practice

• Automobile/Motorcycle Crash liability
• Premises liability
• Industrial/Workplace injuries
• Nursing Home Abuse

Litigation Percentage

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Alabama State Bar
• Mississippi State Bar
• Alabama Association for Justice
• American Association for Justice
• Southern Trial Lawyers Association
• National Association of Trial Lawyers
• Birmingham Bar Association

Honors and Awards

• Top 100 Trial Lawyers – National Trial Lawyers
• Medal for Excellence in Advocacy from the American College of Trial Lawyers
• Top 10 Attorney - National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys

Bar Admissions

• Alabama
• Supreme Court of Alabama
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Alabama
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
• Mississippi
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Mississippi
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Mississippi
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit

Education

Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama

• Juris Doctor - 1998
• Dean's Honor List
• ABA National Trial Team
• ATLA National Trial Team

Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

• B.A.
• Honors: Dean's List
• Major: History/Political Science

Partner-Of Counsel

Joshua L. Firth

Josh has spent the last 11 years developing a litigation and legal consulting practice with a small law firm.  From single client representation to multi-party interests, Josh has developed a broad-ranging skill set which allows him to address the various legal needs of his clients and their interests, across a multitude of legal platforms and practice areas.  Through his experience in litigation practice, Josh came to realize that litigation prep, strategy, and forward thinking are often pushed to the background for small to medium-sized businesses, who are then forced to respond “reactively” rather than “proactively” when faced with legal issues.  This type of response is costly, time-consuming, and more often than not, negatively impactful on small businesses or closely held corporations.  By engaging in face-to-face, customized legal strategy, planning, and preparation, Josh has found that clients can avoid many of these negative impacts and avoid long-term disruptions to their businesses and client services.

Josh is a native of Northwest Georgia, growing up in Whitfield County just outside of Dalton, GA.  He then moved to Birmingham to attend Samford University, where he obtained a Bachelors Degree in Biology with a Minor in Fine Art in 2002.  While at Samford, Josh was a Presidential Scholar and spent two years as an officer in student government, as well as working his way through undergrad, both as an undergraduate research assistant and as a teaching assistant for the anatomy and physiology labs in the biology department.  After graduating from Samford, Josh spent the next year working as an assistant in open-heart surgery at Baptist Princeton Hospital.

He then attended Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in May 2006, and joined a civil litigation firm after taking the bar.  While at Cumberland, he was recognized as 1 of 5 Presidential Scholars in his class, was a member of Cumberland's nationally ranked Trial Advocacy Program and Board, was a repeated Dean’s List Member, served as an Abrahm Caruthers Teaching Fellow, and also worked as a research and teaching assistant for various faculty members.

Josh resides in the Edgewood community of Homewood, with his wife (also a Samford alumni), the former Jenny Goforth, and their three sons, Winston, Thatcher, and Shepard.  They are members at Mountain Brook Community Church, where they serve in numerous capacities, including teaching and leading community groups, serving on the worship team, Chair of the Global Missions Team, and working in the children’s ministry.

Areas of Practice

• Legal & Litigation Consulting
• Personal Injury
• Dram Shop
• Appellate

Litigation Percentage

• 70% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Education

Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama

• J.D. cum laude - 2006
• Honors: Order of the Barristers

Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama

• B.S. cum laude
• Honors: Dean's List
• Major: Biology
• Minor: Fine Art

Bar Admissions

• Alabama, 2006
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Alabama, 2006
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Alabama, 2006
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Alabama, 2006
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 2008

Classes/Seminars

• Pool & Aquatic Related Cases - Know the Law so You Don't Sink, Southern Trial Lawyers' Association Annual Conference, February
• Dram Shop & Alcohol Related Injuries - Pitfalls & Dangers to Avoid in Expert and Evidentiary Presentation, Alabama Association for Justice Annual Conference, June

Honors and Awards

• Alabama Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2011 - 2015
• The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, 2012 - 2015

Ancillary Businesses

• Lobbying
• Legal & Litigation Consulting