Beers

As a member of the Commercial Litigation Group, Mike focuses his practice on insurance defense, investigations and white collar crime. He serves as the team leader for the firm’s Catastrophic Events and Major Claims Group.  His experience includes over 40 years of extensive civil litigation and courtroom experience in defending insurers in extra-contractual litigation. 

• Insurance
• White Collar, Compliance & Government Investigations
• Data Privacy & Security
• Catastrophic Events & Major Claims
• Commercial Litigation
• Class Actions
• Mass Torts

Mike has defended hundreds of cases arising from Superstorm Sandy and other catastrophic events for flood losses brought under flood insurance policies issued by Write Your Own insurers under the National Flood Insurance Program. He has been lead counsel in numerous internal investigations which had the potential for both state and federal law implications. He has also represented clients subjected to governmental investigations and acted as lead trial counsel for a client in a longstanding False Claim Action.

He is AV®- Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® and is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® (Insurance Law and Commercial Litigation).  Best Lawyers in America® selected him as its Insurance Law: Lawyer of the Year – Montgomery, AL in 2016 and 2023.

He is a member of Alabama Defense Lawyers (former member of the board of directors), Alabama Arson Investigators (board counsel), American Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association and Defense Research Institute.

He obtained his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law and his B.A. in English from Mercer University. He is admitted to practice in Alabama and Georgia.

• U.S. ex rel. Rigsby v. State Farm Ins. Co., no.1:06-cv433- LTS-RHW, 2008 WL 2130314 (S.D. Miss. May 19, 2008), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Cochran v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 552 U.S. 815, 128 S. Ct. 90 (2007), WL 4495335 (11th Cir. 2006), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Fondren v. Allstate Ins. Co., 790 F.2d 1533 (11th Cir. 1986), Trial and Appellate Counsel. 
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Oliver, 854 F.2d 416 (11th Cir. 1988), Trial and Appellate Counsel. 
• Allstate Ins. Co. v. James, 845 F.2d 315 (11th Cir. 1988), Trial and Appellate Counsel. 
• Colonial Life & Acc. Ins. Co. v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co., 358 F.3d 1306 (11th Cir. 2004), Trial and Appellate Counsel. 
• Barkley v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., WL 1577796 (S.D. Ala. 2005), Trial Counsel.
• Wright v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., WL 114902 (M.D. Ala. 1997), Trial Counsel.
• Craft v. Bankers Ins. Co., WL 1005947 (S.D. Ala. 2000), Trial Counsel.
• Manlove v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., WL 36106113 (S.D. Ala. 2001), Trial Counsel.
• Parr v. Jackson, WL 1381874 (S.D. Ala. 2006), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Sexton & Sexton, Inc., 985 F.Supp.1336 (M.D. Ala. 1997), Trial Counsel.
• Finger v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., WL 2621020 (S.D. Ala. 2011), Slip Copy, Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Earnest v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., 475 F.Supp.2d. 1113 (N.D. Ala. 2007), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Richardson, WL 4531765 (S.D. Ala. 2008), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm General Ins. Co. v. Oliver, 658 F.Supp. 1546 (N.D. Ala. 1987), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Causey, 509 F.Supp.2d. 1026 (M.D. Ala. 2001), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Balmer, 891 F.2d 874 (11th Cir. 1990), Trial and Appellate Counsel. 
• Fuller v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 742 F.Supp. 1128 (M.D. Ala. 1989), Trial Counsel.
• Huey v. American Truetzchler Corp., 47 F.Supp.2d 1342 (M.D. Ala. 1999), Trial Counsel.
• Brassfield v. Jack McLendon Furniture, Inc., 953 F.Supp. 1424 (M.D. Ala. 1996), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Middleton, 65 F.Supp.2d 1240 (M.D. Ala. 1999), Trial Counsel.
• State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Crumpton, 708 So.2d 136 (Ala. 1997), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Slade, 747 So.2d 293 (Ala. 1999), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Livingston v. Auto Owners Ins. Co., 582 So.2d 1038 (Ala. 1991), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Bush v. Alabama Farm Bureau Mut. Cas. Ins. Co., Inc., 576 So.2d 175 (Ala. 1991), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Killough v. Jahandarfard, 578 So.2d 1041 (Ala. 1990), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Wonderful Counselor Apostolic Faith Church, 12 So.3d 662 (Ala. 2008), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Zuicarelli v. Clark, 924 So.2d 701 (Ala.Civ.App. 2003), Trial Counsel and Appellate Counsel.
• State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Nix, 888 So.2d 489 (Ala. 2004), Trial and Appellate  Counsel.
• Willis v. Parker, 814 So.2d 857 (Ala. 2001), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Moseley v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Ins. Co., 597 So.2d 1312 (Ala. 1992), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Allstate Ins. Co. v. Amerisure Ins. Companies, 603 So.2d 961 (Ala. 1992), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Williams, 926 So.2d 1008 (Ala. 2005), Trial and Appellate  Counsel.
• Ex parte State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 924 So.2d 706 (Ala. 2005), Trial Counsel.
• Day v. Alfa Mut. Ins. Co., 659 So.2d 32 (Ala. 1995), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Dorsey v. Bowers, 709 So.2d 51 (Ala.Civ.App.1998), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Walls v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., 984 So.2d 412 (Ala. 2007), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Green, 624 So.2d 538 (Ala. 1993), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Gardner v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 842 So.2d 1(Ala.Civ.App.2002), Trial and Appellate Counsel.                                
• Clardy v. Sanders, 551 So.2d 1057 (Ala. 1989), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• Cowan v. State, 579 So.2d 13 (Ala.Crim.App., 1990), Trial and Appellate Counsel.
• State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Alexander, 950 So.2d 267 (Ala. 2006), Trial and Appellate  Counsel.
• State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Owen, 729 So.2d 834 (Ala. 1998), Trial and Appellate Counsel.

• Martindale-Hubbell®
  • AV®- Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, 2002-2021
• BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Insurance Law, 2013-2025
  • Commercial Litigation, 2018-2025
  • Lawyer of the Year, Insurance Law (Montgomery, AL), 2016, 2023
• Former Director, Alabama Defense Lawyers

• Alabama, 1977
• Georgia, 1977
• U.S. District Courts
• Georgia: Northern
• Alabama: Northern, Middle, Southern
• U.S. Court of Appeals
• 5th Circuit
• 7th Circuit
• 11th Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

• Cumberland School of Law, J.D., 1977
• Mercer University, B.A., English, 1974

• American Bar Association
• Alabama Bar Association
• Georgia Bar Association
• Alabama Defense Lawyers Association
  • Board of Directors
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Alabama Association of Arson Investigators
  • Board Counsel