Practices

Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Business Litigation
Medical & Healthcare
Product Liability & Consumer Litigation
Intellectual Property
Government & Public Litigation
Long Term Care & Nursing Home Litigation
Collegiate Sports
Education

J.D., Cumberland School of Law (1981)
B.S., University of Alabama (1978)
Bar Admissions

Alabama
Courts

U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama
U.S. Supreme Court

Walter William Bates
Managing Partner

Billy Bates has been a partner at Starnes Davis Florie for more than twenty years and serves as Managing Partner for the firm.

Practice

Billy's practice has been devoted to civil litigation to include healthcare litigation, professional medical liability, pharmaceutical liability and medical device litigation. He has tried in excess of 100 complex civil cases to a jury verdict, including cases in defense of product manufacturers, physicians, hospitals and corporations.

Highlights

* Successfully defended an emergency physician in a wrongful death trial alleging failure to diagnosis a basilar artery stroke in the emergency department, and inappropriate discharge from the emergency department.

* Successfully defended two internal medicine specialists in a wrongful death case alleging inappropriate management of a patient's anticoagulation therapy subsequent to his diagnosis with deep vein thrombosis.

* Obtained a defense verdict in Federal Court in favor of a neurosurgeon in a spinal cord injury case arising from complications secondary to a foraminotomy.

* Obtained a defense verdict in favor of a surgeon in a personal injury case involving complications arising from a retained sponge following hernia surgery.

* Obtained a defense verdict in favor of a family practitioner and his professional corporation in a wrongful death case involving complications arising from an exercise stress test.

* Obtained a jury verdict in favor of a hospital in a wrongful death case involving complications arising from conscious sedation during a shoulder reduction procedure. 

* Obtained a jury verdict in favor of a defendant surgeon in litigation stemming from a complication arising from surgery.

* Obtained a jury verdict in favor of defendant obstetrician for complications secondary to delivery of twins.

* Successfully defended product liability claims against a construction hoist manufacturer.

* Obtained a jury verdict in favor of defendant in combination medical malpractice/product liability case secondary to complication from use of laser machine during plastic surgery.

Honors And Awards

Billy serves as a Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and is the immediate Past-President of the Alabama Chapter of ABOTA.  Billy is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and  is a frequent speaker on litigation issues, including discovery and trial techniques.

Honored by his peers for his litigation skills, Billy was selected as a leading litigator by the 2008 - 2010 editions of Chambers USA.  He was also selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America®, 2008 - 2011.  Billy has been named one of the top attorneys in the state of Alabama by Alabama Super Lawyers® magazine, 2008 - 2010, and has been named a "Litigation Star" for the state of Alabama in the 2009 & 2010 editions of  Benchmark Litigation.

Community Involvement

Billy serves as  a board member of the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation. He is actively involved in his church where he serves as a Deacon and a Trustee. Billy has been active in both coaching and leadership roles related to youth sports. He has also participated in a leadership role with high school students on mission trips to South America.  In addition, Billy also serves on the Advisory Board for Cumberland School of Law.

Reported Cases

Bassie v. Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates of Northwest Alabama, P.C., 828 So. 2d 280 (Ala. 2002).

Ex Parte Qureshi, 768 So. 2d 374 (Ala. 2000).

Johnson v. Price, 743 So. 2d 436 (Ala. 1999).

Ex Parte Pfizer, Inc., 746 So. 2d 960 (Ala. 1999).

Bennett v. Brewer, 682 So. 2d 448 (Ala. 1996).

Floyd v. Broughton, 664 So. 2d 897 (Ala. 1995).

Ex Parte Main, 658 So. 2d 384 (Ala. 1995).

Burns v. Windsor Ins. Co., 31 F.3d 1092 (11th Cir. 1994).

Patterson v. Hays, 623 So. 2d 1142 (Ala. 1993).

Thomas v. Baptist Medical Center-DeKalb, 614 So. 2d 997 (Ala. 1993).

Smith v. Medical Center East, 585 So. 2d 1325 (Ala. 1991).

Martin v. Phillips, 581 So. 2d 838 (Ala. 1991).

Black v. Baptist Medical Center, 575 So. 2d 1087 (Ala. 1991).

Beverly v. Chandler, 564 So. 2d 922 (Ala. 1990).

Humber v. B. F. Goodrich Co., 561 So. 2d 511 (Ala. 1990).

Independent Fire Ins. Co., Inc. v. Mutual Assurance, 553 So. 2d 115 (Ala. 1989).

Wood v. Shell Oil Co., 495 So. 2d 1034 (Ala. 1986).

Gregory v. Western World Ins. Co., Inc., 481 So. 2d 878 (Ala. 1985).

Fomby v. City of Calera, 575 F. Supp. 221 (N.D. Ala. 1983).

Related News

No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.