Birmingham's personal injury legal market has expanded sharply over the past five years, with local firms opening new offices and national firms moving in. For someone filing a claim, this growth means more attorney options, more competition for cases, and firms with the staffing to handle larger caseloads — but it does not change the legal deadlines or evidence standards a claim still has to meet. The clearest example is Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, a Birmingham-headquartered firm that marked its 20th anniversary in August 2021 with more than 60,000 clients served and over $800 million recovered, according to a report on the firm's anniversary. That kind of growth reflects a broader industry trend, not an isolated case.
Table of Contents
- How Much Has the Birmingham Firm Landscape Grown?
- Is This a Local Trend or a National One?
- What Does Firm Growth Actually Mean for a Claim?
- What Deadlines and Limits Still Apply in Alabama?
How Much Has the Birmingham Firm Landscape Grown?
Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys reported 28 office locations across nine states and more than 400 attorneys and staff as of its 2021 anniversary announcement, representing over 100% location growth in the two years prior, according to the same report. In 2020 alone, the firm opened seven new offices in Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Texas — the first time its footprint extended beyond Alabama, as described by The Homewood Star. That expansion has continued. U.S.
News & World Report's legal directory now lists the firm as operating 26 offices nationwide with 125 lawyers, a different snapshot than the earlier 20-office, nine-state figures, per its directory listing. The firm's main Birmingham office remains at 2900 1st Avenue South, with additional Alabama-area locations in Mobile and Gulfport, plus offices in Panama City and Atlanta, according to its FindLaw attorney profile. Growth isn't limited to firms based in Birmingham. Morgan & Morgan, a national personal injury firm, opened a Birmingham office as part of a network that had grown to 34 offices across nine states, covering practice areas including auto accidents and slip-and-fall claims, according to the firm's own announcement.
Is This a Local Trend or a National One?
Birmingham's growth mirrors what's happening across the personal injury law industry nationally. The U.S. personal injury law sector generated an estimated $61.7 billion in revenue in 2025, growing at roughly a 2.5% compound annual rate from 2020 to 2025, according to IBISWorld's market-size analysis.
Despite that revenue growth, the market remains highly fragmented. IBISWorld counts roughly 50,435 personal injury law firms operating in the United States as of 2025, with the number of firms increasing about 0.8% annually over the same period — meaning no single firm holds a dominant market share nationally, per the same analysis. Birmingham's visible growth — new offices, bigger staff counts, out-of-state firms moving in — is a local expression of an industry-wide expansion, not an anomaly specific to Alabama. IBISWorld attributes recent industry growth to steady case volumes, rising road travel, and a growing population aged 65 and older, which it expects to increase future medical malpractice claim volume — a factor relevant to firms expanding in markets like Birmingham, according to its industry report.
What Does Firm Growth Actually Mean for a Claim?
More offices and more attorneys generally translate into more capacity to take on cases, which can matter if a claim involves extensive medical records, multiple defendants, or long negotiations with insurers. A firm with hundreds of staff across dozens of locations, like Alexander Shunnarah's reported footprint, has more resources to dedicate to case investigation and litigation than a smaller practice. Competition between firms can also benefit claimants.
When a national firm like Morgan & Morgan opens in a market already served by established local firms, claimants in that area gain more choices for representation, which can affect fee structures, communication style, and case strategy options available to them. Growth does not, however, change the legal requirements a claim must satisfy. A larger firm still has to prove liability, document damages, and file within the same statutory deadlines as a smaller one. Firm size affects capacity and resources, not the underlying legal standard a case is measured against.
What Deadlines and Limits Still Apply in Alabama?
Regardless of which firm handles a claim, Alabama law sets a strict filing deadline. Most personal injury claims in the state, including car accident cases, must be filed within two years of the date of injury under Alabama Code § 6-2-38, as cited by Cory Watson Attorneys. Missing this deadline typically bars the claim entirely, no matter how strong the underlying evidence is or how large the firm representing the claimant.
This deadline applies the same way whether a claimant hires a long-established Birmingham firm, a newly opened branch of a national firm, or a solo practitioner. Firm growth and market competition do not extend or shorten this window. A larger firm footprint can mean more scheduling flexibility and specialized staff, but the two-year filing window remains the fixed constraint every claimant in Alabama has to work around.
- Confirm the date of injury and count two years forward under Alabama Code § 6-2-38 before assuming there's time to decide on representation.
- Ask any firm, regardless of its size or number of offices, how it handles case investigation timelines relative to that deadline.
- Request documentation of a firm's resources (staff, office locations, prior case volume) only as one factor among several when comparing representation options — not as a substitute for confirming the firm has handled cases similar to yours.
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