James R. Bussian

Jim is a Shareholder in Maynard Nexsen’s Litigation Practice and has served as a Member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.

He represents clients in complex commercial litigation involving a wide variety of matters, including business torts, insurance coverage, health care, real estate, and products liability. Jim has litigated as lead counsel in state and federal courts across Alabama and the Southeast, including Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida and has served as discovery counsel in MDL litigation in venues across the United States. He has extensive trial experience in both traditional and alternative dispute resolution forums.

Jim has been recognized in such publications as Alabama and Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine, Best Lawyers, and Benchmark Litigation. He has tried jury and bench cases, including medical device and products liability, medical negligence, real property, construction defects, personal injuries, premises liability, product design, and insurance coverage.

Jim also serves as the Firm’s General Counsel and is a Member of the Firm’s Ethics & Loss Prevention Committee.

Community & Professional

• International Association of Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute
• American Bar Association, Fellow
• Alabama Defense Lawyers Association
• Alabama State Bar Association
• Birmingham Bar Association

• Led team of lawyers and defended condominium lenders in a multimillion-dollar lien priority dispute with owner's association.
• Defended various drug and medical device manufacturers in cases involving anticoagulants, antiarrhythmic agents, weight loss medications, and fracture fixation devices.
• Defended hospital system in federal and state court class actions brought by a putative class of uninsured patients.
• Represented eighteen former directors and officers of a healthcare company arising out of an alleged accounting fraud scandal against D&O carriers.
• Defended magazine distributors and sweepstakes operator against 209 Alabama opt-outs from class action settlement.

Recognition

• The Best Lawyers in America© for Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions: Defendants, Product Liability Litigation: Defendants (2010-present)
• Mid-South Super Lawyers for General Litigation (2008-present); "Top 50 Lawyers in Alabama" (2011-2012)
• B-Metro, Selected as a Top Attorney (2020)
• Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent Rating