Jay M. Ezelle, ADR Attorney in Birmingham, Alabama
Over 27 years of legal practice · focused on ADR, Appellate, and Business · 5.0/5 rating from 16 verified client reviews
PartneratStarnes Davis Florie Llp
Birmingham, AL
Practicing adr in Birmingham since 1999.
- 27+
- Years practicing
- 5.0 ★
- 16 client reviews
Are you Jay M. Ezelle?
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Quick answer
Jay M. Ezelle is a partner based in Birmingham, AL. The practice focuses on ADR, Appellate, and Business. Jay has over 27 years of legal experience. Currently practicing at Starnes Davis Florie Llp. Rated 5.0 out of 5 from 16 client reviews.
- Based in
- Birmingham, AL
- Experience
- over 27 years
- Known for
- ADR · Appellate · Business
- Handles ADR, Appellate, and Business matters from Birmingham, AL.
- Over 27 years of practice as a licensed attorney.
- Recognized with AV Preeminent.
About Jay M. Ezelle: Jay M. Ezelle is a partner based in Birmingham, AL. The practice focuses on ADR, Appellate, and Business. Jay has over 27 years of legal experience. Currently practicing at Starnes Davis Florie Llp. Rated 5.0 out of 5 from 16 client reviews.
Areas of practice
Practice areas handled by Jay M. Ezelle
Jay concentrates on adr, appellate, business, class action, and entertainment. Each area below outlines the kind of case Jay handles, typical outcomes to expect, and how the intake process starts.
ADR
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Appellate
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Business
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Class Action
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Entertainment
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General
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Patent
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Product Liability
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Securities
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Trademark
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Trade Secrets
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Whistleblower
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White Collar
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Wrongful Death
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Zoning
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Copyright
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Criminal Defense
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Environmental
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Personal Injury
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TBI/SCI
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ADR cases in Birmingham, Alabama
Jay takes adr matters in Birmingham, Alabama. Typical engagements include intake calls to scope the issue, review of any records or filings you already have, and a written strategy memo before Jay agrees to represent you.
Appellate cases in Birmingham, Alabama
Jay takes appellate matters in Birmingham, Alabama. Typical engagements include intake calls to scope the issue, review of any records or filings you already have, and a written strategy memo before Jay agrees to represent you.
Business cases in Birmingham, Alabama
Jay takes business matters in Birmingham, Alabama. Typical engagements include intake calls to scope the issue, review of any records or filings you already have, and a written strategy memo before Jay agrees to represent you.
Class Action cases in Birmingham, Alabama
Jay takes class action matters in Birmingham, Alabama. Typical engagements include intake calls to scope the issue, review of any records or filings you already have, and a written strategy memo before Jay agrees to represent you.
Entertainment cases in Birmingham, Alabama
Jay takes entertainment matters in Birmingham, Alabama. Typical engagements include intake calls to scope the issue, review of any records or filings you already have, and a written strategy memo before Jay agrees to represent you.
Biography
About Jay M. Ezelle — Over 27 years of Alabama adr experience
Jay M. Ezelle is a partner based in Birmingham, AL. The practice focuses on ADR, Appellate, and Business. Jay has over 27 years of legal experience. Currently practicing at Starnes Davis Florie Llp. Rated 5.0 out of 5 from 16 client reviews.
One of the leading litigators and university and corporate advisers in the southeast, Jay has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies, universities, and individuals through “bet the company” litigations, internal investigations, and public relations crises.
Numerous publications have identified Jay Ezelle as a leading lawyer. According to Chambers USA,Jay is “intelligent, savvy and a tireless worker . . . one of the smartest lawyers I have ever met. When he is in the room, everyone listens.” Jay has been selected multiple times as Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers . His work has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NPR, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN.
Jay has experience in a variety of high-profile litigation including national class actions and multidistrict litigation. He has also represented clients involved in mass shootings, infectious disease outbreaks, and nationally publicized disputes ranging from sexual assaults, workplace indiscretions, student suicide, and intellectual property battles. He also regularly provides guidance to hospitals, academic medical centers, and healthcare providers on a variety of compliance and risk-avoidance measures. He also has vast experience in advising universities, administrators, and coaches in high-profile matters ranging from NCAA investigations, name, image & likeness, campus safety, employment issues, and Title IX.
Within the firm, Jay has served in numerous leadership roles for the firm, including Managing Partner, Chief Strategy Partner, Hiring Partner, member of the Executive Committee, and Head of the Higher Education, Commercial Litigation, and IP Litigation Practice Groups.
Professional Recognition
•AV Preeminent Rated
•Top Leading Litigator by Chambers USA
•Named a 'Litigation Star' in Benchmark Litigation
•Named “Birmingham Best Lawyers - 2024 Lawyer of the Year” for Securities Litigation (2026 & 2023) and Intellectual Property Litigation (2024)
•Named “Birmingham Best Lawyers - 2023 Lawyer of the Year” for Securities Litigation
•Best Lawyers in America
•Alabama and Mid-South Super Lawyers
Highlights
•Currently representing approximately 50 corporate entities and their affiliates, including multiple Fortune 100 companies, that are pursuing federal antitrust claims after opting out of a $2.7 billion class action settlement in In re: Blue Cross and Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation (MDL No.: 2406), 2:13-cv-20000-RDP (N.D. Ala.).
•Represented numerous entities in compliance, regulatory, and pre-suit investigations by using the firm’s litigation experience to conduct a systematic inquiry into practices creating potential exposure and the advising clients on the best practices to minimize those risks. For example, early involvement in a deadly Legionella outbreak at a hospital helped the hospital to manage the response and press coverage and allowed early resolution of all potential claims without a single lawsuit being filed.
•Represented numerous companies in trade secret matters ranging from high-stakes litigation involving corporate espionage to advising small companies on how to avoid liability for trade secret misappropriation when hiring or firing employees.
•Represented public and private companies, as well as universities, in trade secret disputes, including representing The University of Alabama in a trademark dispute with sports artist Daniel A. Moore that was the subject of press coverage by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, NPR and ESPN.
•Represented public and private companies, universities, and individual inventors in patent infringement litigation including Sony, Procter & Gamble, The University of Alabama System, UAB Research Foundation, UAHuntsville, Rice University, and Emory University.
•Represented and helped obtain dismissals and/or favorable settlements for numerous global financial institutions in the highly-publicized Enron, HealthSouth, WorldCom, Just for Feet, Walter Energy, and ProAssurance securities litigations.
•Defended Universities from claims for alleged violations of Title IX as well as advised universities on best practices for compliance with Title IX.
•Successfully obtained a complete dismissal for university officials sued in a wrongful death actions involving a highly-publicized mass shootings at a university and academic medical center.
•Successfully obtained full summary judgment for academic medical center institutional review board and investigator in class action relating to alleged ethical violations in human research trials that was the subject of extensive news coverage and academic commentary, including in the New England Journal of Medicine.
•Obtained favorable settlement for a Voice Over Internet Provider in lawsuit filed by Alabama Statewide 911 Board.
•Obtained a favorable settlement for a large government contractor in a fraud and breach of contract case with a former employee.
•Obtained dismissal and favorable settlement for KKR in numerous litigation filed following the leveraged recapitalization of Bruno’s grocery chain.
•Represented an NFL player in a civil case alleging assault and battery.
•Obtained declaratory judgment for General Motors allowing it to close car dealership under the Alabama Motor Vehicle Franchise Act and ruling that GM was not obligated to pay the dealer $1.2 million in alleged debt forgiveness and sales tax revenue relief offered by the City of Birmingham.
•Obtained a complete dismissal for The University of Alabama and its President in litigation stemming from the termination of Mike Price, the former head football coach, in what USA Today described as one of the “top 25 biggest sports scandals”.
•Obtained dismissal of a class action alleging inadequate Medicare reimbursement by a long term care management company.
•Obtained favorable ruling for a university in a First Amendment case alleging that the school improperly limited the free speech rights of non-sponsored speakers.
•Successfully represented a lender in the establishment of a receivership of a regional healthcare company and the successful liquidation of the debtor’s assets.
•Obtained order compelling class action against insurance carrier to arbitration, where the class claims were completely dismissed.
Presentations and Publications
•A Ballpark Overview: The Field of Sports Law, NCAA Compliance Panel, October 13, 2017
•Jay M. Ezelle, “Insights to Litigation,” The Birmingham Business Journal, August 18, 2017
•Jay M. Ezelle and Cole R. Gresham, “Big Verdicts, Limited Discovery: The Rising Importance of Trade Secrets in Alabama,” in the Cumberland Law Review, Vol. 44 at 55 - 77 (2014).
•Jay M. Ezelle and C. Clayton Bromberg, Jr., “The Internal Affairs Doctrine in Alabama”, The Alabama Lawyer, Vol. 72, No. 2, at 143 - 147 (March 2011).
•Potential Liability Arising from Mass Epidemics, International Association of Defense Counsel Seminar in Scottsdale, AZ (February 21, 2017).
•Don’t Be Fumbled or Be Intercepted: Legal Observations from the Sidelines, Birmingham Bar Association CLE (September 8, 2016).
•Sports Law CLE, Birmingham Bar Association CLE (March 5, 2016).
•Compliance Under the NCAA’s New Enforcement Model, Alabama Chapter - Association of Corporate Counsel Seminar in Birmingham, AL (September 20, 2013).
News & Insights
• Twelve Starnes Attorneys Selected for Mid-South Super Lawyers 2025
•Benchmark Litigation 2026 Ranks Starnes Davis Florie as a Highly Recommended Litigation Firm
•SDF’s Axon, Butler, Ezelle & McCall Named 2026 “Best Lawyers of the Year”35 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2026
•Starnes Davis Florie Ranked a Top Law Firm by Chambers USA 2025
•SDF Attorney Jay Ezelle Interviews SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey
• Fourteen Attorneys Selected for Mid-South Super Lawyers 2024
•Starnes Davis Florie Ranked as a Highly Recommended Litigation Firm in the 2025 Edition of Benchmark Litigation
•33 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2025
•SDF’s Collegiate Sports News Alert: A Summary & Analysis of the NCAA’s New NIL Bylaw
•SDF’s Collegiate Sports News Alert: NCAA House Settlement - Top 10 Takeaways
•SDF’s Collegiate Sports Practice Group Alert: Takeaways from NACDA
•Starnes Davis Florie Ranked a Top Law Firm by Chambers USA 2024
•SDF Sponsors the 2024 UA School of Law BLSA Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet & Congratulates Alfred Perkins on the Gail K. Johnson Award
•Eleven Attorneys Selected for Mid-South Super Lawyers 2023
•Starnes Davis Florie Ranked as a “Highly Recommended Litigation Firm” in the 2024 Edition of Benchmark Litigation
•SDF’s Davis, Eagan & Ezelle Named Best Lawyers “2024 Lawyer of the Year”
•30 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2024
•Starnes Davis Florie Ranked a Top Law Firm by Chambers USA 2023
•16 Starnes Attorneys Listed in the 2022 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
How Jay handles adr matters
One of the leading litigators and university and corporate advisers in the southeast, Jay has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies, universities, and individuals through “bet the company” litigations, internal investigations, and public relations crises. Numerous publications have identified Jay Ezelle as a leading lawyer. According to Chambers USA ,Jay is “ intelligent, savvy and a…
The kind of cases Jay takes
Jay reviews new inquiries case-by-case for adr, appellate, and business matters in Birmingham and the surrounding Alabama area.
Credentials
Jay M. Ezelle's legal education and bar admissions
University of Alabama School of Law
J.D. · 1999
Rhodes College
B.S. · 1995
Jay studied at J.D. in University of Alabama School of Law and B.S. in Rhodes College.
Law school and academic background
Jay completed J.D. in University of Alabama School of Law and B.S. in Rhodes College. Formal legal training is one signal of substantive knowledge — the day-to-day practice Jay runs in Alabama is where that training gets applied to real client questions.
Recognition
Awards, publications, and recognition of Jay M. Ezelle
Jay has received 1 formal recognition from bar associations, industry bodies, and peer-review services.
AV Preeminent
Legal awards and honors
AV Preeminent.
Affiliations
Jay's professional memberships and bar associations
Community Involvement Jay is actively involved at the Cathedral Church of the Advent where he served as Senior Warden
membership
He currently serves on the board of the United Ability Foundation, the Advisory Board of the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UAB Arts Advisory Board, and is Chairman of the Board for Covenant Counseling and Education Center
membership
Jay previously served as the Chairman of the Board of United Ability, a non-profit providing innovative services connecting people with disabilities to their communities and empowering individuals to live full and meaningful lives
membership
Locations
Jay M. Ezelle's office in Birmingham
Jay's primary office is at 100 Brookwood Place, 7th Floor, Birmingham, AL, 35209. In-person meetings are by appointment; a phone intake usually comes first.
Starnes Davis Florie Llp
100 Brookwood Place, 7th Floor
Birmingham, AL 35209
Open in Google MapsClient feedback
Client reviews of Jay M. Ezelle — 5.0/5 rating from 16 verified client reviews
Every review below is from a verified client of Jay. Reviews cover communication, case outcome, and value — the three signals that matter most when comparing adr attorneys in Birmingham.
5.0
16 client reviews
Client ratings are sourced from public records and editorial research. Reviews on LawyersListed are accepted from verified clients once Jay M. Ezelle claims this profile.
Read all reviewsHiring guide
How to hire Jay M. Ezelle — what to expect in your first consultation
Working with a new adr attorney should feel structured. Here's how the first two conversations with Jay usually go, from the moment you request a consult to the day representation begins.
Consultation formats and pricing
Jay charges for the initial consult. That fee is credited toward representation if you retain Jay's office.
What to bring to your first meeting
Bring any documents you already have — police reports, medical records, filed pleadings, correspondence from an insurer, a copy of the contract at issue. If you're not sure, err on the side of bringing everything; Jay will tell you what matters and what doesn't.
Questions to ask a adr attorney in Birmingham, Alabama
A short list to run through before you commit: How many adr matters have you handled in the last year? What's your fee structure? Who else in the office will work on this? What's your realistic estimate of timeline and range of outcomes? How do I reach you between meetings?
Fees & payment
Fees, payment methods, and consultation options for Jay
Jay discusses fees during intake so the arrangement fits the matter. Contingency, hourly, and flat-fee options are all common in adr practice — ask which fits.
Hourly rates, contingency fees, and flat-fee options
Every adr matter is priced differently. Simple document review might be a flat fee. Injury litigation is often contingency. Complex commercial disputes usually run hourly with a retainer. Jay confirms the model in the engagement letter before any work starts.
Payment methods and payment plans
Jay's office accepts standard payment methods. Ask about payment plans if the retainer is a stretch — many adr practices work with clients on structured schedules.
Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions about Jay M. Ezelle
How much does it cost to hire Jay for a adr case?
Cost depends on the type of matter, the fee model (contingency, flat, hourly), and how contested the case becomes. Jay walks through the likely range during the consult so there are no surprises.
Does Jay offer a free consultation?
Jay charges for the initial consult; that fee is credited toward representation if you retain Jay's office. Some adr attorneys offer free consults — check Jay's current terms during booking.
How long do adr cases in Alabama typically take?
Simple adr matters can wrap in a few weeks; disputed cases can run 6–18 months from intake to resolution, longer if the matter goes to trial. Jay gives a realistic estimate for your facts at the consult — vague answers here are a red flag.
Can Jay take my case if I'm outside Birmingham?
Jay is licensed in Alabama. Matters governed by Alabama law are the natural fit. Out-of-state matters are handled case-by-case, sometimes with local co-counsel. Ask during intake — Jay will tell you if the case is a fit or refer you to someone closer to your court.
What should I bring to my first meeting with Jay?
Bring every document that touches the dispute: contracts, correspondence, police or medical reports, filed pleadings, invoices, photographs, insurance letters. Also bring a written timeline of what happened, in your own words. Jay will filter what matters — over-preparing at intake is always cheaper than needing a second meeting.
Is Jay accepting new adr clients right now?
Jay's intake status shifts week to week. Submit the form; the office will confirm availability or refer the matter out.
Areas served
ADR attorneys serving Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile in Alabama
Jay handles adr matters throughout Alabama. Each city below is a direct link into the search page for verified adr attorneys in that community.
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