Forrest S. Latta
Mr. Latta is a corporate defense lawyer with over 30 years of experience helping clients defend their products, their services, and their brand in our courts.
His peer ratings include: Martindale Hubbell (A-V), Super Lawyers (Business Litigation), and Best Lawyers in America (Insurance Law & Appellate Practice).
Mr. Latta’s courtroom experience includes over 75 trials, and he serves on the Alabama Supreme Court’s Standing Committee for Alabama Rules of Evidence. He also chairs the firm’s Appellate Practice Section, having handled nearly 200 appeals including some landmark cases involving the law of punitive damages.
Mr. Latta is a peer-selected member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) and the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC). He also is active in numerous professional associations including the American Bar Association (ABA) and Defense Research Institute (DRI).
Mr. Latta serves on the Board of Trustees of Troy University, Board of Advisors of Cumberland School of Law (Samford University), Board of Trustees of the Baptist Foundation of Alabama, and Board of Directors of the American Camellia Society. He is a Fellow in the Alabama Bar Foundation and American Bar Foundation.
Mr. Latta received his undergraduate degree from Troy University, summa cum laude, in 1980 and his law degree from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, cum laude, in 1983. During law school he was an Associate Editor of the Cumberland Law Review and a member of the school’s award-winning National Trial Team.
Case experiences: Business litigation; insurance bad faith; insurance coverage disputes; excess & reinsurance; unfair claim practices; product liability; punitive damages defense; ERISA litigation; media liability; dealer/franchise termination; fair housing; false advertising; unfair competition; shareholder oppression; class actions; defamation; Robinson-Patman Act; price fixing; Sherman Act; securities fraud and broker-dealer claims; Directors & Officers Liability; Errors & Omissions; Agribusiness; appeals in state and federal courts.
Publications:
- Author, “State High Court’s Rulings Indicative of Alabama’s Civil Justice Turnaround,” Washington Legal Foundation, Oct. 2012.
- Author, “To Hell and Back — Alabama Tort Reform,” Business Alabama, Nov. 2008
- Author, “Difficult Removals: Revealing the Disguise,” ABA Committee News, Fall 2007.
- Author, “Defending Insurers from Punitive Damages Claims,” For the Defense
- Author, “Redefining the Jury Role in Punitive Damages Cases,” For the Defense
- Author, “Should This Case Be Appealed,” The Alabama Lawyer, March 1999
- Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice (2009-2020), Insurance Law (2008-2020)
- Best Lawyers in America, "Lawyer of the Year," Appellate Practice, Mobile, AL (2014)
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, Insurance Coverage (2016-2019)
- Alabama Super Lawyers, Business Litigation (2008-2015)
- Defense Research Institute, Duffield Smith Award for Best Defense Publication (2001)
Mobile, Alabama 36602
