Roderick K. Nelson

Biography

Rod has extensive experience in civil litigation, with primary emphasis on insurance law; insurance coverage analysis; extra-contractual damage claims; bad faith; fraud; defense of first-party punitive damage claims against insurance carriers; mediation and arbitration of all types of insurance disputes. He has defended numerous personal injury, products liability, trucking accidents, and wrongful death claims in state and federal court. Rod also has specialized training in arson and insurance fraud civil litigation on behalf of insurance carriers. Rod’s trial experience also includes defending employment cases involving Title VII, sexual and racial discrimination and municipalities in 1983 actions.

While in college at the University of Alabama, Rod earned a football scholarship, where he played under the legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

Prior to entering private practice, Rod served as Law Clerk to the Honorable James Garrett, Circuit Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit. Rod served as a Deputy District Attorney for three years and a Special Prosecutor for fraud and arson for six years. He is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association; American Bar Association; Alabama Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute; and Alabama Association of Arson Investigators.

Rod is AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Admissions

• United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
• United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama
• United States District Court, Middle District of Alabama
• United States District Court, Southern District of Alabama
• Alabama State Bar

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Birmingham School of Law, 1983
• M.A., University of Alabama, 1979
• B.A., University of Alabama, 1978