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J. Keith Givens, Attorney
J. Keith Givens has been a civil trial lawyer for consumers and injury victims for over twenty-nine years. Keith was a finalist for the 2008 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, as recognized by the Public Justice Foundation for his work on the environmental case of Perrine v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company. The trial of the Perrine case resulted in a $390 million verdict, the highest consumer verdict in the U.S. for the year.

As a senior partner of The Cochran Firm, Keith serves as a member of The Cochran Firm's management team for national operations. Keith has been a board certified civil trial lawyer (1989-2009) who has concentrated his practice in the area of personal injury and wrongful death. Currently, he focuses his practice on truck accident cases, product claims, and complex litigation. Keith obtained the state of Alabama's highest verdict for a single wrongful death ($25 million) against a drunk driver and lounge, for the death of a lawyer killed while jogging. He was also the attorney for plaintiffs in a $700 million settlement of an environmental case involving PCB, the largest settlement in the history of the state of Alabama.

A civil trial lawyer for consumers and injury victims for over 33 years, Keith obtained over $1 billion in case verdicts and settlements for his clients, including the largest settlement of an Environmental Case in the U.S. and the largest verdict for a wrongful death case in Alabama.


 * Finalist for the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the Public Justice Foundation for work on the environmental case of Perrine v. E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company, a West Virginia case resulting in $381 Million verdict, the highest consumer verdict in the U.S. that year.
 * A founding partner with Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. of The Cochran Firm, P.C., Keith has managed the firm’s national operations and growth since 1998.
 * Obtained a $700 million settlement of an environmental case involving toxic PCB.
 * Obtained the state of Alabama's highest verdict for a single wrongful death ($25 million) against a drunk driver and lounge for the death of a lawyer killed while jogging.
 * Member of The RoundTable: America’s 100 Most Influential Trial Lawyers (2011, 2012, 2013).
 * Served as president of the following: National Trial Lawyers (2008) Alabama Trial Lawyers Association (1999 - 2000), Alabama Civil Justice Foundation (2001) and Southeast Alabama Trial Lawyers Association (1994, 1997)
 * Obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law and was a finalist in the John A. Campbell Moot Court Competition.
 * Named by the University of Alabama School of Law as the first "Howell Heflin Guest Lecturer."
 * Currently serves on the University of Alabama Law School Foundation Board of Directors.
 * Authored and presented on a wide range of topics concerning trial skills in the courtroom and the business of law.

Keith is past president of The National Trial Lawyers legal association, an invitation only association of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers from each state. He is currently an Executive Committee Member of The National Trial Lawyers and a member of the Editorial Board for The Trial Lawyer, the largest distributed magazine for Trial Lawyers.

The Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register recognized Keith for his outstanding achievements, legal ability and professional ethical standards by awarding him an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating™ in the practice areas of Personal Injury, Wrongful Death and Products Liability. An AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating™ is the highest rating of professional excellence and reflects the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary.

Keith is a member of the Alabama Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, and the Florida Bar Association. He has been a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association (currently known as The Alabama Association for Justice), where he has served as president-elect (2000) and president (2001). He has been a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar Association (1989 – 2009) and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (1990 – 2007). He is a sustaining member and has served on the Board of Governors for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, now the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Keith was the recipient of the Al Sansone Service Award, the highest award of service recognized by the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA).

He is also chairman of the board of directors of Legal Brands, Inc., a management and holding company for law firm and legal related brands and companies. Keith also serves as a member of the board of directors of USLegal, a legal services and products company which offers management, marketing, call center, and technical services, as well as legal information, products, forms and document preparation. USLegal provides management and marketing services to some of the largest and best known law firms in the U.S. The company has offered legal services for the public, small businesses and attorneys since 1997 through its network of websites. They include USLegal.com, USLegalForms.com, FormsPass.com, and more. USLegalForms.com is the largest, oldest and most acclaimed online source for downloadable legal forms.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, Keith earned undergraduate degrees in both Psychology and Business Administration. He obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law where he was a finalist in the John A. Campbell Moot Court competition. In 2004, Keith was named by the University of Alabama as the first Howell Heflin Guest Lecturer. He currently serves on the University of Alabama Law School Foundation Board of Directors. As an author and speaker, he has written and spoken on a wide range of topics concerning trial skills.