Crystal Armstrong helps health care organizations navigate complex state and federal regulations and challenges, developing robust, growth-oriented legal strategies for streamlined operations and risk-averse structures for long-term compliance.
Crystal boasts experience conducting health care regulatory due diligence in mergers, acquisitions, and other transactional arrangements, as well as drafting and reviewing necessary transactional documents. She has assisted in counseling a diverse client base – spanning pharmacies, health care providers, commercial Medicare and Medicaid managed care organizations, life science companies, and health care industry investors – on a wide variety of regulatory and compliance matters.
In addition, Crystal has gained experience assisting high-net-worth clients with estate planning matters and general business law, including drafting and reviewing estate planning documents and business materials, and collaborating with key stakeholders and advisors to develop comprehensive estate plans. This multidisciplinary work lends itself to her current practice, in which she regularly analyzes intersecting interests and regulations to both avoid risk and maximize advantages.
While earning her Juris Doctor at The University of Alabama School of Law, Crystal served as the vice president of the Black Law Student Association, president of the Health Law Society, a Law School Ambassador, a member of the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society, and the acquisitions & development editor for the Law & Psychology Review.
Prior to attending law school, Crystal spent five years as a school psychologist, a background which helps her better interpret complex relational dynamics and prioritize strong client communication.
Education
- University of Alabama School of Law, 2023 (J.D.)
- Middle Tennessee State University, 2015 (Ed.S.)
- Middle Tennessee State University, 2014 (M.A.)
- Tennessee State University, 2012 (B.S.), summa cum laude
Bar Admissions
Carmen Paige joined Friedman, Dazzio, & Zulanas. P.C. as an Associate Attorney after being admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2024. She will maintain a general litigation practice consisting primarily of civil litigation, construction law, and insurance defense. Carmen earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from The University of Alabama in 2021. While at Alabama, she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and worked as an intern with Project Health Peer Education.
Carmen earned her Juris Doctor from The University of Alabama School of Law. While in law school, Carmen worked as a student attorney in the school’s Civil Law Clinic. Additionally, she was a member of the Alabama Law Moot Court Board, Co-Chair of the Alabama Law 2L Moot Court Competition, and Vice President of the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights and Reconciliation Organization. As a third-year law student, Carmen was a member of Alabama’s Black Law Student Association trial advocacy team. As a member of the team, she competed in North Carolina and Texas, where they ultimately won second place in the nation. During her first- and second-year summers, Carmen participated in the Firm’s Summer Law Clerk Program.
Professional Affiliations
- Alabama State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Birmingham Bar Association
Personal Information
Carmen was raised by two Army officers and traveled frequently as a child, but claims Phenix City, AL as home. She enjoys watching Alabama football, pistol marksmanship, reading, listening to music, and playing with her mini schnauzer.
Areas of Practice
- Civil Litigation
- Construction Law
- Insurance Defense
State Bar Admissions
Alabama
Education
- J.D., The University of Alabama School of Law, 2024
- B.S., Biology, The University of Alabama, 2021
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master of Science in Management from Faulkner University, followed by her J.D. from Faulkner Law in Montgomery, Alabama in 2018.
She began her legal career as a personal injury attorney, advocating for clients injured in automobile and truck accidents, dog bites, and premises liability matters. She now serves as a Real Estate Closing Attorney, where she guides clients through the homebuying process, reviews title history, and performs curative work to ensure clear and insurable title.
In addition, she assists clients with protecting their assets and planning for their future. She is committed to providing excellent service and being a strong, reliable advocate for every client she serves.
Kevin Clark loves the art of oral advocacy and it shows. Kevin has successfully argued hundreds of motions and tried several jury trials in state and federal courts throughout Alabama and across the country. He is a frequent speaker at national legal conferences and seminars hosted by the Defense Research Institute (DRI), The Trial Network and other legal organizations. He also regularly speaks for local schools and civic organizations, and routinely preaches for churches across the country.
Kevin’s legal practice spans a wide variety of civil litigation matters, including catastrophic injury, product liability, toxic torts, medical malpractice, employment discrimination and consumer fraud. Kevin also has significant experience defending clients in class action litigation. In addition to litigating cases, he provides training and consulting services for his employment law clients.
Before joining the firm, Kevin clerked for Judge Bernice B. Donald of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. The experience of researching legal issues and writing opinions allowed him to further refine and hone the research and writing skills he developed in law school. Moreover, the opportunity to consult with a federal district court judge about the lawyers appearing before her helped Kevin develop an appreciation for the intangible aspects of persuading judges, communicating with courts and portraying his clients in the most favorable light during litigated disputes.
Kevin is a member of the National Black Lawyers Top 100, a national invitation-only professional honorary organization. He also is a Fellow in the American Bar Foundation, the Alabama Law Foundation and the Litigation Counsel of America. In addition to his legal practice, Kevin is active in several national and local legal associations. He has been very involved with DRI, which promotes the interests of the defense bar, and has served on many committees within the organization, including his service as chair of DRI’s Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Committee. Additionally, Kevin is a member of the firm's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.
Kevin has also been active in supporting his alma mater. He served on the University of Tennessee Alumni Association’s Board of Governors from 2004-10. He was elected to serve as treasurer for the University of Tennessee Alumni Association (UTAA) for the 2006-07 fiscal year. In addition, he served on the Executive Committee for the UTAA and the UTAA Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
Kevin is a proud husband and father of three, including a set of fraternal twins.
PRACTICE AREAS
- Catastrophic Injury
- Product Liability
- Automotive
- Employment Law
- Medical Malpractice
- Environmental & Toxic Torts
- Consumer Fraud & Bad Faith
- Commercial Litigation
- Class Actions
- Professional Liability
- Appellate
EDUCATION
- Vanderbilt University Law School (J.D.)
- University of Tennessee (B.S., summa cum laude )
BAR ADMISSIONS
JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
- Judge Bernice B. Donald, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA)
- Alabama Law Foundation, Fellow
- Alabama Lawyers Association
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Birmingham Bar Association, Fellow
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), Member
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
- Magic City Bar Association, Parliamentarian (2017)
- Propane Gas Defense Association, Member
- University of Tennessee Alumni Association, Treasurer (2006-07); former member of the Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Steering Committee
- University of Tennessee Alumni Association Board of Governors (2004-10)
AWARDS
- The Best Lawyers in America© by BL Rankings, “Lawyer of the Year” for Birmingham — Tort Litigations/Class Actions (2022)
- The Best Lawyers in America© by BL Rankings — Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (2020-22), Product Liability Litigation (2021-22)
- Alabama Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters — Personal Injury Defense: General, Product Liability Defense (2013-15)
- Alabama Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, “Rising Star” — Environmental Litigation (2012)
- Birmingham MS Leadership Class of 2017
- Birmingham Times , “Birmingham Lawyers on the Rise” (2018)
- Mid-South Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters — Product Liability (2016-17)
- National Black Lawyers Top 100 AL, member
Gerald Brooks grew up in tiny Livingston, on the western edge of Alabama’s Black Belt, and has carried forward the small-town values of hard work, respect, and fairness into his law practice.
Brooks graduated from the University of Alabama twice — with an undergraduate degree in business in 1998 and with a law degree in 2002. After receiving his J.D., he joined a Birmingham insurance defense firm, where he stayed for five years until he realized that he wanted to work on behalf of injured people instead of insurance companies.
“I enjoyed the experience there in the sense that I learned a lot and it made me a better attorney,” he says. “I don’t know if I’d be as good at what I do now but for the experience of seeing how the other side evaluates things, and the things that scare them. But you’re representing corporations, and your point of contact is an insurance adjuster who’s not concerned about anything but reports and evaluations that aren’t really about right or wrong.”
He crossed over to the plaintiff side of the law, joining a Montgomery law firm that concentrated in that area. He stayed there for three years, then ventured out on his own and joined forces with Chuck James, an old law school friend, in 2013, to form the firm of Brooks, Hubbard & James. That firm later became the Serious Injury Law Group.
Brooks’ practice focuses solely on personal injury cases, and he has achieved some significant outcomes on behalf of his clients. They include a medical malpractice jury verdict of $3.5 million, a jury verdict of $380,000 in a motor vehicle case, and multiple seven-figure settlements in medical malpractice and trucking cases.
Brooks admits that the competitive aspect of personal injury law appeals to him, but there’s more to it than that. “You want to win,” he says, “but honestly, I want to make sure the client has a good outcome versus what my personal ego might feel.”
“I also enjoy formulating the theories and doing the work that involves litigation. But the best part of all is when you get a favorable outcome for a client, seeing their reaction, and knowing that you have positively affected their life.”
He also values positively affecting young lives in his community. In 2017, the firm launched its first Serious Injury Law Group Living History Essay Contest. Fifteen high-schoolers received $1,000 scholarships for essays on living heroes in their communities.
In his spare time, Brooks enjoys travel — he and his wife, Staci, have traveled widely around the globe — and Crimson Tide sports.