Practice areas: Appellate, Civil Litigation, Estate Planning & Probate; view more
Licensed in Alabama since: 1998
Education: Samford University Cumberland School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025 Call today:
205-794-0088
Marsh | Rickard | Bryan
2222 Arlington Ave S.Suite 210
Birmingham, AL 35205 Visit website
Details
Richard J. Riley, a partner at Marsh | Rickard | Bryan in Birmingham, Alabama, has dedicated over 25 years to aiding individuals and families affected by injury and loss. His legal work spans Alabama and the nation, addressing various facets of the law, including motion practice, appellate matters, posttrial proceedings and probate issues.
With an extensive portfolio, Mr. Riley has conducted numerous appeals and crafted thousands of legal briefs. He is known for his adept handling of intricate motion hearings and is frequently called upon by the Supreme Court of Alabama to deliver oral arguments. His ability to integrate written advocacy into courtroom success is increasingly crucial as the legal landscape shifts toward more document-centric proceedings.
In an era where written briefs are becoming increasingly central to court proceedings, Mr. Riley's role is pivotal in crafting compelling narratives that blend his clients' stories with legal principles to argue their cases convincingly. A passionate devotee of literature, he collaborates closely with the trial attorneys at Marsh | Rickard | Bryan, transforming each client’s ordeal into a powerful narrative for the courts.
Mr. Riley's academic journey began with a B.A. magna cum laude in social science from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, followed by a J.D. cum laude from Samford University Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. He was licensed to practice in Alabama in 1998 and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Alabama and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
A respected figure within the legal circle, Mr. Riley actively participates in the Alabama State Bar, the Birmingham Bar Association and the Alabama Rules of Appellate Procedure Committee. His contributions to the field were recognized with the National Civil Justice Institute 2021 Appellate Advocacy Award.
In addition to his legal pursuits, Mr. Riley is a dynamic speaker and author. He has published his writings and led numerous classes and seminars, sharing his insights and fostering a deeper understanding of the law.
Practice areas
Appellate, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Estate Planning & Probate, Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Animal Bites, Appeals, Assault, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Dram Shop Laws, Estate Planning, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Living Wills, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Defense, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Power of Attorney, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Probate & Estate Administration, Sexual Abuse - Plaintiff, Slip and Fall, Toxic Mold, Trucking Accidents, Trusts, Wills, Wrongful Death
- 40% Appellate
- 20% Civil Litigation: Plaintiff
- 20% Estate Planning & Probate
- 20% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1998, Alabama
Professional Webpage: https://www.mrblaw.com/attorney/riley-richard-j/
- Alabama State Bar
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
- Alabama Bar Association, Member, 1998
- Birmingham Bar Association, Member, 1998
- Alabama Rules of Appellate Procedure Committee, 2020
- Ghee v. USAble Mut. Ins., __ So.3d __, 2023 WL 2720996 (Ala. Mar. 31, 2023) (approving potential liability of a health insurer and holding that the claims were not barred by the federal ERISA statute because the insurer acted like a healthcare provider and caused a death)
- Banks v. State, 845 So.2d 9 (Ala. Crim. App. 2002) (overruling circuit judge’s failure to allow criminal defendant to withdraw guilty plea for allegedly killing a newborn when evidence proved to a scientific certainty that no baby existed, and no death occurred)
- Hutchinson v. State, 66 So.3d 220 (Ala. 2010) (overruling circuit judge’s failure to provide full payment of legal fees to lawyer appointed to defend capital murder suspect for allegedly killing a newborn when lawyer’s work proved to a scientific certainty that no baby existed, and no death occurred)
- Cooley v. HMR of Alabama Inc., 747 Fed. App’x 805 (11th Cir. 2018) (reversing district judge’s dismissal of fair wage case under federal law brought on behalf of employees of nursing home)
- HealthSouth Rehab. Hosp. v. Honts, 276 So. 3d 185 (Ala. 2018) (affirming liability of rehabilitation hospital based solely on circumstantial evidence that its employees overmedicated elderly lady and caused her death and then tried to cover it up)
- Jackson v. Wal-Mart Stores, 753 Fed. App’x 866 (11th Cir. 2018) (reversing district judge’s dismissal of severe burn injury case and held the complaint was specific enough to plead a product liability claim against Walmart)
- Foster v. Maloney, 785 Fed. App’x 810, 812 (11th Cir. 2019) (affirming potential liability of jailers under federal law for severe injuries to inmate when the jailers observed inmate having strokes and seizures for days but did nothing)
- Ghee v. USAble Mut. Ins., 291 So.3d 465 (Ala. 2019) (reversing circuit judge who failed to allow a timely amendment to a complaint)
- Ex parte Ultratec Special Effects Inc., 296 So.3d 801 (Ala. 2019) (approving of potential liability of parent company of employer for explosion deaths of two workers and rejecting the argument that the claims were barred by the workers’ compensation act)
- Williams v. Aguirre, 965 F.3d 1147 (11th Cir. 2020) (affirming potential liability of police officers who maliciously prosecuted citizen on the charges of attempted murder and rejecting the “any crime” rule, which would provide immunity to officers from false-arrest claims if there was probable cause to arrest the suspect for some crime (even a minor crime), even if it was not the crime the officer thought had occurred)
- Resurrection of Life Inc. v. Dailey, 311 So.3d 748 (Ala. 2020) (affirming multi-million-dollar jury verdict for severe injuries to child and rejecting the wrongdoing defendants’ contentions that the jury was biased)
- Ex parte Russell, 314 So.3d 192 (Ala. 2020) (approving suits against healthcare providers who caused a death after the expiration of the statute of limitations when their employers and co-workers failed to disclose their identities within the statute of limitations)
- Ex parte Pinkard, 373 So.3d 192 (Ala. 2022) (overruling prior bad precedent and clarifying that government employees who cause injury or death can be held liable if they do not use governmental discretion, violate clear laws or rules, and/or act willfully, maliciously, in bad faith, or through fraud)
- James River Ins. v. Ultratec Special Effects Inc., 22 F.4th 1246 (11th Cir. 2022) (affirming district court decision upholding separation of insured clauses in liability insurance contract and requiring liability insurer to provide a legal defense and indemnity for parent corporation whose wrongful conduct caused an explosion that caused two deaths and serious burn injuries to a third worker)
- Ex parte Huntsville Emer. Med. Servs., 372 So.3d 538 (Ala. 2022) (approving ability of plaintiffs to discover prior bad acts of impaired ambulance driver whose reckless driving caused a death of patient, who was a passenger in the ambulance)
- Appellate Advocacy Award, National Civil Justice Institute, 2021
- B.A., Social Science, Cumberland University, magna cum laude, 1992-1995
- Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, J.D., cum laude
- Criminal Law, Samford University, 2001 - 2011
- The Injured and Absent Employee
- Business Law, Samford University, 2001 - 2011
- Author, Rule 512A(a) the Banquet of Consequences Following Your Opponent’s Invocation of Privilege, 44 Ala. Ass’n Just. J. 44, 2023
- Author, Preserving Fairness When the Defendant Elects to Inform the Jury About A Pro Tanto Settlement, 43 Ala. Ass’n Just. J. 48, 2022
- Author, Damage Caps Do Not Apply to Healthcare Authorities, 41 Ala. Ass’n Just. J. 63, 2021
- Author, Effective Jury Instructions in Medical Malpractice Cases, 42 Ala. Ass’n Just. J. 48, 2021
- Author, The Effect of Inflation on Alabama Wrongful Death Verdicts, 43 Am. J. Trial Advoc. 361, 2020
- Author, Get What You Want — Using the Protective Suit to Combat Personal Jurisdiction Attacks (and Keep Your Case in Alabama), 41 Am. J. Trial Advoc. 365, 2017
Office location for Richard Riley
2222 Arlington Ave S.
Suite 210
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone: 205-794-0088
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025
