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Martinson & Beason, P.C. is pleased to announce that Morris Lilienthal has been selected as an honoree of the 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyer list for the second year in a row. The 2020 list was published on November 30, 2020.

Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. For five years running, from 2013 to 2017, Morris represented M&B on the Rising Star Super Lawyer list. The Rising Star achievement is only awarded to selected lawyers under age 40 — but last year he was honored to join the Super Lawyer list.

Super Lawyers is a trusted public resource of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. After a candidate receives a nomination, the annual selections are made through a multiphase process based on their verdicts/settlements obtained, experience, representative clients, professional activity, pro bono, and community service work, amongst other factors.

The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide and also features editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. The program was designed to establish a credible listing of outstanding attorneys that consumers can use in finding legal counsel. The Mid-South area encompasses the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Morris focuses his practice on helping injury victims obtain the compensation and legal recourse they deserve. His practice areas primarily focus on personal injury, car accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and defective products. Morris is also rated AV Preeminent through Martindale-Hubbell and was selected as a Top 100 Alabama Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers.

Morris and his wife Shannon have one son, Wyatt. Shannon is a teacher at Madison Elementary School. Morris hosts his own interview live show The Mo Show Live, he’s a member of the Madison Rotary Club, and his family is a big supporter of the March of Dimes.

The next episode of the Mo Show Live will air Wednesday, October 16^th at 3:00 PM central time and will feature William Hampton, the founder of Huntsville Revisited. Morris and William will be discussing the history of Huntsville, why it’s important to William, and what we can learn from our history in moving forward.

[Read more…] about Mo Show Live with William Hampton, Founder of Huntsville Revisited

The next episode of the Mo Show Live will air Wednesday, May 15^th at 3:00 PM Central Time and will feature Beau Cowan who frequently speaks on his personal story with cerebral palsy and what others can do to raise awareness and help. Morris and Beau will be discussing what it’s like living with cerebral palsy, why Beau is so passionate about sharing his story and how he has overcome disadvantages to get to where he is today.

[Read more…] about Mo Show Live with Beau Cowan

A new bill seeking to reduce penalties for simple marijuana possession took its first step through the legislature on April 17^th by an 11-0 vote in the state Senate Judiciary Committee. This could mean significant reform for the way personal amounts of marijuana are charged, prosecuted, and sentenced.

Current Alabama law divides marijuana possession into two categories: first- and second- degree. Possession of any amount for personal use is a second-degree conviction and a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by not more than one year in jail and a fine not more than $6,000. A first-degree conviction is a Class C felony carrying a punishment of not less than one year and not more than ten years in jail, for any amount and for any purpose other than personal use. First-degree possession also includes any subsequent charges for personal use after the defendant has been previously convicted of misdemeanor second-degree possession.

[Read more…] about Marijuana Misdemeanors Could Be Reduced to a Citation With New Bill

The next episode of the Mo Show Live will air Wednesday, March 6^th at 3:00 PM Central Time and will feature Alabama State Trooper Curtis Summerville. Morris and Trooper Summerville will be discussing distracted driving, the graduated driver’s license system, safe driving habits for teens, and more.

Trooper Curtis Summerville is the Public Information and Education Officer with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. He serves as the liaison for the State Police and the media and to provide presentations to the public regarding traffic safety, alcohol, drugs, and other law enforcement related topics. He has been a State Trooper for over 27 years and works out of the Huntsville Post. Trooper Summerville is from Eutaw, AL where he graduated from Paramount High School in 1982. He attended Alabama A & M University and Athens State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He also is a Graduate of The Alabama Military Academy and was commissioned as an Officer in 1996. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom from 2002 – 2004 in Afghanistan as a member of the Alabama National Guard. [Read more…] about Mo Show Live with Alabama State Trooper Curtis Summerville

Earlier this year, an Alabama high school basketball star sued the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) over her one-season suspension imposed for receiving improper monetary payments. However, this is not a story of illicit or illegal money being paid by corrupt coaching assistants like we have seen in the FBI investigation of “pay for play” schemes in college basketball. Instead, this seems to be a perfect storm of innocent mistakes that may cost Ms. Maori Davenport an opportunity to play out her senior year. AL.com has done a terrific job in covering the story, which you can read about here.

Ms. Maori Davenport is an exceptional basketball player at Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Alabama. She has signed to play with Rutgers next year. In the summer of 2018, Maori played for the U18 Team USA basketball team in an international tournament in Mexico City. That November, Maori received a check from USA basketball for $857.20 for her participation in the tournament. The amateurism rule in the AHSAA handbook prohibits high school players from being paid in this way, and the punishment is a mandatory one-season suspension. The Executive Director of the AHSAA, Steve Savarese, has stated that he has no discretion to issue a less severe punishment.

[Read more…] about Maori Davenport v. AHSAA: High School Sports Star Fights to Play After Team USA Basketball Mistake