Keith Givens

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Keith Givens is an American attorney and a founding partner of The Cochran Firm, P.C., renowned for his contributions to civil trial law, particularly in personal injury and wrongful death cases. With over 35 years of legal experience, Givens has played a pivotal role in securing over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements. As a managing partner, he has overseen the expansion of The Cochran Firm to over 40 offices nationwide, making it one of the largest personal injury law firms in the United States. Givens is also recognized for his leadership in the legal community, having served as president of The National Trial Lawyers Association.

Early Life and Education

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Keith Givens earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees from the University of Alabama. His education laid the foundation for a distinguished career in law, focusing on advocacy for injury victims and consumers.

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Givens has over 35 years of experience as a civil trial lawyer. As a founding shareholder and managing partner of The Cochran Firm, he has overseen its national operations since 1998, helping to expand the firm to over 40 offices across 22 states. He specializes in vehicle accident personal injury, wrongful death, truck accidents, product claims, and complex litigation.

Throughout his career, Givens has achieved over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements. He secured a $25 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case involving a drunk driver, the highest in Alabama's history for a single wrongful death. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in a $700 million environmental case settlement involving polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the largest settlement in Alabama history at the time. In the Perrine v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company case, Givens helped achieve a $381 million verdict, the highest consumer verdict in the nation in 2007.[1]

Honors and Awards

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  • Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Finalist for the Public Justice Foundation’s Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, 2008
  • Named to Lawyers of Color Power List, 2015
  • Featured in The Trial Lawyer Magazine’s RoundTable and America’s 50 and 100 Most Influential Trial Lawyers
  • Named one of The National Trial Lawyer’s Top 100 Alabama Trial Lawyers
  • The Keith Givens Visionary Award, honoring members of the bar for extraordinary creativity in the legal industry.[2]

Professional Associations and Memberships

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  • Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
  • Alabama Civil Justice Foundation
  • Alabama Law School Foundation Board of Directors
  • Alabama State Bar Association
  • American Association of Justice
  • Editorial Board for The Trial Lawyer
  • Florida State Bar Association
  • Georgia State Bar Association
  • Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
  • Houston County Bar Association
  • Southeast Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
  • The National Trial Lawyers Association (Executive Committee Member and former President)
  • University of Alabama Law School Foundation, Board of Directors

Bar Admissions

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  • Alabama
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Florida
  • Georgia

Other Involvements

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Keith Givens is also a member and manager of the Truck Accident Lawyers and Jacoby & Meyers law firms. He serves on the Board of Managers for Big Auto, providing legal expertise as co-counsel in states where he is licensed to practice. Givens has shown interest in innovative legal practices, as demonstrated by his involvement in Arizona's new law firm ownership structure that allows non-lawyers to co-own law firms.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Lawyers Rush to Benefit From Arizona's New Rules on Law-Firm Ownership - Business Insider". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  2. ^ "Mark Lanier Receives Award from National Law Journal - 2022". Lanier Law Firm. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  3. ^ "Lawyers Rush to Benefit From Arizona's New Rules on Law-Firm Ownership - Business Insider". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-06.