The Executive Committee of The National Black Lawyers (The NBL) unanimously voted Beasley Allen’s LaBarron Boone to serve as president to lead the organization in 2022. The NBL is a national network of top African American plaintiff and defense attorneys representing law firms, academia, and government agencies across the country. This African American legal brain trust™ provides members with an abundance of professional resources and opportunities to share their expertise, increase their knowledge, and build professional connections.
As president of this elite group of African American lawyers, Boone aims to utilize the organization’s wealth of resources to maximize member benefits.
“I am honored to have the support of Beasley Allen Law Firm in my new role as president of The NBL,” Boone said. “The firm has provided opportunities for minorities to grow as attorneys and leaders and recognizes that when we succeed, the firm succeeds as well. I look forward to encouraging our membership to provide this same support to non-majority lawyers so that we can empower them to create meaningful change in the legal industry.”
As president of The NBL, Boone intends to organize and utilize the organization’s unique bounty of resources, harness the intellectual property of our members, promote their expertise and maximize the benefits of this association to all NBL members. He believes that if the group engages and empowers its members, they will excel exponentially as lawyers and leaders.
“LaBarron is a tremendous lawyer and a dynamic leader who is driven to improve the world around him,’ said Beasley Allen founder Jere Beasley. “The National Black Lawyers Association will benefit from LaBarron’s enthusiasm, passion and leadership experience during the next year as he serves in the organization’s top position.”
Boone joined Beasley Allen in 1995 and soon became the first African American to make partner at a major law firm in Montgomery, Alabama. He has been affiliated with numerous professional associations and has been named among the Top 100 Civil Plaintiff National Trial Lawyers and The National Black Lawyers Top 100. He is also the recipient of numerous other accolades, including the Chad Stewart Award, the Marquis Who’s Who in America, and Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.
As the lead attorney, LaBarron’s most recent notable verdict was for $151 million on behalf of Travaris “Tre” Smith (Travaris D. Smith v. Ford Motor Company) who was left paralyzed after the 1998 Ford Explorer he was riding in rolled over after the driver made an emergency avoidance maneuver to avoid a deer. The jury agreed with Smith in finding that Ford failed to meet its own safety guidelines for the Explorer’s rollover resistance requirement and attempted to cover up the vehicle’s defective design. It was the largest product liability verdict in Alabama history.
LaBarron was also the lead attorney in a case that resulted in a Georgia jury finding in favor of the family of Alfred Holt. Holt was killed after a Michelin Pilot tire failed on the recreational vehicle he was driving and the RV crashed into a tree. The case was brought against Southland MotorHome Center, which provided maintenance and service on the RV and had refused to take any responsibility for his death.
In 2017, LaBarron was the lead attorney in a case where the jury awarded $16.8 million as a result of a defective cab guard. The jury found the cab guard failed to protect a log truck driver from being killed by logs that broke through the truck’s cab when the load shifted. “Truck drivers face many hazards on the road every day, from weather to unexpected traffic and unpredictable other drivers. One thing they should be able to count on is that the vehicle they’re driving is designed so that they have a reasonable expectation of being safe in the event of a crash,” Boone said in an interview. “In this instance, the manufacturers failed Mr. [Larry] Albritton, and it cost him his life. It is our hope that this verdict will send a message to these and other companies that ensuring their drivers’ and the public’s safety is more important than their bottom line.”
While working in the firm’s Consumer Fraud Section, LaBarron worked on Merriweather v. Whirlpool, a case addressing a no-table door-to-door sales and finance scam that resulted in a $581 million verdict. The verdict is the largest predatory lending verdict in American history. As a result of this litigation, the defendant finance company left the state of Alabama.
LaBarron was also one of the attorneys to work on a personal injury suit, Aultman V. Telelect, which involved the electrocution of a bucket truck passenger after a nonconductive part was removed. The jury awarded $116 million in damages.
The National Black Lawyers is excited to see the continued growth of its organization, members, and new 2022 President.
