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At its annual meeting on June 29, the Alabama State Bar installed Demopolis attorney Taylor T. “Tom” Perry, Jr. as the 149th president of the 19,600-member organization. Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker administered the oath.

“I’m proud, honored, and humbled to be the 149th president of the Alabama State Bar,” said newly installed President Perry of Manley, Traeger, Perry, Stapp, and Compton (Demopolis). “I look forward to building on the strong foundation that has already been put in place by past presidents and bar leadership before me.”

Perry’s platform, “Harvesting Hope,” is an effort he’ll lead alongside friend and fellow small-town attorney, H. Thomas “Tom” Heflin, Jr., to recruit and provide opportunities for attorneys in underserved areas in Alabama. Alabama State Bar statistics show that approximately 75 percent of the state’s attorneys are concentrated in seven counties, while the other 25 percent are spread over the other 60 counties.

“Our rural jurisdictions in Alabama are in crisis, and the few lawyers practicing in some of these underserved areas are aging. This is, unequivocally, an access to justice issue, and we have to do something about it now. ‘Harvesting Hope’ will take all of us binding together and working together,” he added.

Perry’s service to the bar includes 18 years as a bar commissioner for the 17th Judicial Circuit, ASB vice president under Past President Taze Shepard, chair of the ASB Solo and Small Firm Section, and a member of the Disciplinary Commission. In 2022, Perry was the recipient of the Commissioners’ Award, given to recognize individuals who have had a long-standing commitment to the improvement of the administration of justice in Alabama.

“Our profession is changing at a rapid pace, but one thing that remains the same is that it is still about who we serve. Lawyers serve the great people of Alabama,” said Perry. “We make a difference, and we are good to our communities, and that gives me hope for a bright future for our profession and our state.”

Perry is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. He joined Manley, Traeger, Perry, Stapp, and Compton in 1988. Perry’s practice is heavily concentrated on representing individuals who have received serious personal injuries or wrongfully lost their lives, combined with those who have been the victims of insurance fraud and other abuses.