I. THE GROWTH OF HOME EQUITY LENDING Over the past few years, the U.S. consumer finance market has witnessed a striking resurgence in home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) — a form of revolving credit secured by a borrower's home. On average, homeowners now hold approximately $212,000 in tappable equity, with aggregate home equity nationwide estimated at $17.6 trillion. Additionally, according to Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), homeowners took out nearly $25 billion in consumer debt through HELOCs in the first quarter of 2025 — the highest first-quarter total since 2008. When combined with cash-out refinances, total equity withdrawals reached $45 billion during that quarter...
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Offices
Overview
Bradley is a national law firm with a reputation for skilled legal work, exceptional client service, and impeccable integrity. We provide business clients around the world with a full suite of legal services in dozens of industries and practice areas.
Founded in 1870 in Elyton, Alabama, before moving to Birmingham the following year, Bradley has retained the tradition of southern hospitality even as the law firm has grown into a global force. Our founding partners established the highest standards of value, ethics, and professional excellence in the practice of law - standards that have guided us through to the present day. Respect for our clients, colleagues, and communities and passion for our work are the driving forces behind everything we do. That kind of integrity means that clients can trust us to not only serve their needs, but ensure that the work is completed the right way.
Our 13 offices are located in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, giving us an extensive geographic base to represent clients on a regional, national, and international basis. We frequently serve as national coordinating counsel, regional counsel, and statewide counsel for clients in various industries.
Diversity and equality in the workforce are core values at Bradley, allowing us to leverage a wide range of perspectives to help us achieve the results that we expect and our clients demand. We are also committed to giving back to our communities with meaningful pro bono legal services and charitable contributions.
Although we are a large law firm with more than 650 lawyers, our clients still enjoy the personal attention, responsiveness, and deep relationships they would expect from a boutique firm. Our attorneys and staff combine legal experience and knowledge with a sophisticated understanding of industries to work side by side with clients and come up with practical, strategic solutions specifically tailored to their business operations. Bradley lawyers use their talents, judgment, work ethic, and experience to go above and beyond expectations to help our clients meet their goals.
Areas of Practice
Professionals
Partners
Alicia Adlerz
Partner
Patrick L. Alexander
Partner
Petar Angelov
Partner
A.J. Bahou
Partner
Caleb L. Barron
Partner
Christopher A. Bowles
Partner
Emily Hatch Bowman
Partner
Stephen T. Braun
Partner
Michael D. Brent
Partner
Brian R. Browder
Partner
Brandon Bundren
Partner
Jeffrey S. Buschmann
Partner
Marc Bussone
Partner
Kevin B. Campbell
Partner
Ann Peldo Cargile
Partner
George H. Cate
Partner
J. Greer Cummings
Retired Partner
Alé Dalton
Partner
David C. Dillender
Partner
Kyle M. Doiron
Partner
Alexandra Dugan
Partner
William W. Earthman
Retired Partner
Van P. East
Partner
Andrew Elbon
Partner
Charles E. Elder
Partner
William T. Farmer
Partner
Doug Franck
Partner
Joseph W. Gibbs
Partner
John E. Gillmor
Retired Partner
William F. Goodman
Retired Partner
Jay Hardcastle
Partner
Nathan S. Harris
Partner
John R. Haynes
Retired Partner
Stephen Hinton
Partner
Stephanie M. Hoffmann
Partner
Lela M. Hollabaugh
Partner
E. Berry Holt
Partner
Emily Stuart Horn
Partner
Ty E. Howard
Partner
H. Frederick Humbracht
Retired Partner
Kimberly M. Ingram-Hogan
Partner
Lauren Jacques
Partner
B. David Joffe
Partner
Roger G. Jones
Partner
Johanna L. Jumper
Partner
Benjamin Katz
Partner
Kris Kemp
Partner
Connie Lewis Lensing
Retired Partner
Robert E. Leonard
Partner
Samuel D. Lipshie
Partner
Matthew C. Lonergan
Retired Partner
Erin Malone-Smolla
Partner
Chuck Mataya
Partner
Matthew B. Mattingly
Partner
Kevin B. Mattingly
Partner
John P. McGehee
Partner
Austin L. McMullen
Partner
Kacie McRee
Partner
Kevin C. Michael
Partner
Casey L. Miller
Partner
Mark W. Miller
Partner
Kathryn Moore
Partner
Mike Moore
Partner
Russell B. Morgan
Partner
John E. Murdock
Partner
Jim Murphy
Partner
Andrew J. Murray
Partner
John W. Myers
Partner
Jake Neu
Partner
Paul Ney
Partner
Gordon Earle Nichols
Partner
Richard J. Nickels
Partner
Michael B. Noble
Partner
William L. Norton
Partner
Junaid Odubeko
Partner & Director of Inclusion & Diversity
Mary O'Kelley
Partner
Craig Oliver
Partner
Robert F. Parsley
Partner
Robert S. Patterson
Retired Partner
John M. Perry
Partner
Todd Presnell
Partner
Kristina Allen Reliford
Partner
R. Calloway Renegar
Partner
Hunter Robinson
Partner
John P. Rodgers
Partner
David A. Rutter
Partner
Peter C. Sales
Partner
Charles S. Sanger
Partner
Elizabeth C. Sauer
Partner
Lauren P. Schick
Partner
Eric Setterlund
Partner
Jonathan M. Skeeters
Chairman of the Board & Managing Partner
Brooks R. Smith
Partner
Brooke Baird Smith
Partner
Fritz Spainhour
Partner
Frankie N. Spero
Partner
Caroline Dare Spore
Partner
David W. Stempel
Partner
Mike Stephens
Partner
Charles Stewart
Partner
David K. Taylor
Retired Partner
D. Bryan Thomas
Partner
Robert P. Thomas
Retired Partner
John W. Titus
Partner
J. Thomas Trent
Partner
Thor Y. Urness
Partner
Henry Walker
Partner
Phillip E. Walker
Partner
Richard F. Warren
Retired Partner
Robert E. Wood
PartnerAssociates
Adriante C. Badger
Associate
Adam Baker
Associate
Charles F. Blanchard
Associate
Alex Brent
Associate
Elizabeth A. Brown
Associate
Ethan Chenoweth
Associate
Ben Colalillo
Associate
Erik M. Coon
Associate
Sarah B. Daugherty
Associate
Taylor C. Davis
Associate
Adelaide K. Determann
Associate
Charlie Evans
Associate
Joseph E. Freeman
Associate
Amanda Gialil
Associate
Stephanie Goldfeld
Associate
Jack R. Grant
Associate
Hannah Grewal
Associate
Katherine E. Griffin
Associate
Erik Halvorson
Associate
Madison Crooks Haynes
Associate
Will E. Hoover
Associate
Dawn Jackson
Associate
Aaron M. Johnson
Associate
Zachary June
Associate
Caroline Kerr
Associate
Nora Klein
Associate
Josh Kleppin
Associate
Joseph K. Larkin
Associate
Daniel L. Lawrence
Associate
David T. Long
Associate
Maddie N. Lynn
Associate
Peter Mackay
Associate
Kristine Martinez
Associate
McCall Current Matlock
Associate
Jenna R. Mazzella
Associate
Mary-Kathryn McKinney
Associate
Lara Morris
Associate
Ocasha O. Musah
Associate
Sara L. Norton
Associate
Carter Oakley
Associate
Lily Rucker Othmer
Associate
Rainer Park
Associate
Monica Peacock
Associate
Elizabeth T. Petras
Associate
Sabah Petrov
Associate
Madison Porth
Associate
Matthew J. Radford
Associate
Timothy A. Rodriguez
Associate
Marlee Sacks
Associate
Jordan Smart
Associate
Kenneth Snavely
Associate
Jon Michael Sockwell
Associate
Rachel L. Sodée
Associate
Maddie Spearman
Associate
Gabrielle A. Sprio
Associate
Adrian A. Szycowski
Associate
Andrew W. Tao
Associate
Jaden R. Taylor
Associate
Brianna Bartelsmeyer Turner
Associate
Caroline Unger
Associate
Alyssa Ward
Associate
John Hill Wheliss
Associate
W. Preston White
Associate
Christian L. Wilkinson
Associate
Adam Williams
Associate
Grant T. Williamson
Associate
Timothy Willman
Associate
Luke R. Yordy
AssociateOf Counsel
Andrew Bastnagel
Counsel
Katherine Barnes Cohn
Counsel
Catherine W. Grow
Counsel
Howard W. Herndon
Counsel
Amy S. Leopard
Counsel
Christopher C. Puri
CounselOther
Joshua E. Barza
Senior Attorney
Richard Cortés
Senior Advisor (Consultant)
Alex Huffstutter
Senior Attorney
Jody Kepler
Senior Attorney
Harrison Gray Kilgore
Senior Attorney
Joseph P. Mueller
Senior Attorney
Tara S. Sarosiek
Senior Attorney
Charles Schneider
Senior Advisor
Brooke E. Sgambati
Senior Attorney
Deke Shearon
Senior Attorney
Andrew Tuggle
AssociateArticles
The King Is Gone (So Are You)
Judge E. Grady Jolly owned a whiskey decanter that looked like Elvis, a reference to the tongue-in-cheek 1989 George Jones hit, “The King is Gone (So Are You).” He proudly displayed this kitschy object on a shelf in his home and delighted in explaining it to guests, many of whom didn’t know the song it referenced. His guests were probably surprised to receive a lesson on country music from this bespectacled federal judge, who owned a closetful of white bucks but no cowboy boots, and shelves of artifacts from his world travels but no other Elvis memorabilia...
Press releases
Robert Maddox Quoted in Bank Director on the Second Trump Administration's Increased Enforcement Focus
Bradley partner Robert Maddox was quoted in Bank Director emphasizing that banks should use the changing regulatory environment as an opportunity to reevaluate and strengthen their BSA/AML programs. “This is an opportunity to sit down and reassess your BSA/AML program overall,” Maddox said. Maddox stressed that leadership must be able to demonstrate the quality of the program. “Every bank will have an established program...
Bradley's Margaret Oertling Cupples Recognized with 2026 Outstanding Community Service Award by Capital Area Bar Association
Bradley proudly announces that partner Margaret Oertling Cupples has been recognized with the 2026 Outstanding Community Service Award by the Capital Area Bar Association (CABA). Ms. Cupples was presented with the award at the CABA’s annual Evening Honoring the Judiciary event held on May 12. The CABA Outstanding Community Service Award is given each year to an individual who has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to serving the local and legal community through pro bono efforts, volunteerism, and civic involvement. Ms...
Blogs
BuildSmart
Significant issues can arise during the three phases of the design and construction process. Effective planning, performance and completion are critical to the success of any construction project. So is informed counsel that addresses a variety of business issues, including mergers and...
Declassified
The Declassified blog offers commentary and insights on the latest class action suits, significant class action opinions, relevant changes to laws and rules, and important class action trends. Declassified covers topics ranging from significant Supreme Court and appellate court decisions regarding...
Financial Services Perspectives
Bradley's Financial Services Litigation and Compliance Team offers the full spectrum of legal services to banks, bank holding companies, mortgage servicers, home mortgage lenders, and other consumer finance companies.
It Pays to Be Covered
Bradley's It Pays to Be Covered Blog discusses insurance law developments and industry trends in property and casualty insurance, including the growing cyber insurance market, coverage for drones, and blockchain exposures. We also address practical risk management strategies of interest to risk...
Labor & Employment Insights
Our Labor and Employment team has extensive experience helping our clients resolve disputes both in and out of the courtroom. We are proud to work with a large and diverse group of local, regional, and national clients in a variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, mining, media,...
Online and On Point
A Resource for Privacy Developments and Cybersecurity Risks in an Era of Evolving Technology
Patent 213
Patent law, like most things in life, is subject to change. Changes to patent laws not only impact investment in your existing IP, but directly shape strategies to protect your freedom to operate. The Patent 213 blog provides up-to-date, insightful analysis of the evolution in the written...
The Law of Order
Bradley’s The Law of Order blog serves as a general parliamentary procedure resource, providing information about creation and revision of governing documents (constitutions, bylaws, or rules), application of Robert’s Rules of Order and other procedural authorities in a variety of contexts (such as...