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Biographical Information

Buzzy Riis serves as the Managing Lawyer for the Mobile office of the firm. He is a lifetime resident of Mobile, Alabama, graduating from Washington & Lee University, B.A., cum laude, 1982, and receiving his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 1985. He has been with the firm since 1991, and is a member of the Litigation Section of the law firm actively involved in the following Practice Groups: Personal Injury & Insurance; Construction; Employment and Labor, Worker’s Compensation, and Cybersecurity.

Buzzy practices in the field of general civil litigation with a concentration in personal injury, trucking defense and construction defense litigation. Buzzy has tried more than 50 jury trials. He also has more than 37 years experience in OSHA disputes on behalf of contractors, healthcare providers, shipyards, stevedores and manufacturing facilities in contesting citations from the Occupational Safety & Health Commission. Buzzy has tried cases both before juries and judges in Mobile County, Baldwin County, Montgomery County, Choctaw County, Escambia County and Conecuh County, Alabama. He has also tried cases in the federal courts for the Southern District of Alabama and has argued appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Buzzy has been active in the pro bono lawyer program in the City of Mobile throughout his practice. He was recognized as the 2003 recipient of the Ben Kilborn Volunteer Lawyer of the Year.

While in law school, Buzzy served on the Editorial Board of the Alabama Law Review. He is currently a member of the Mobile Bar Association, the Alabama Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (Executive Council), and TIDA. He was inducted into the Paul Brock Inn of Court in 1999. He serves on the Associate Board of Directors of the Mobile AGC (Associated General Contractors) and he is a Past-President of the Associate Board of the Mobile and state AGC.

Buzzy and his wife, Nicole, are members of Government Street Presbyterian Church. He has two children: a son, Burruss, and a daughter, Mickey. His son, Burruss, graduated from the University of Southern Miss and law school at the University of Alabama School of Law. Mickey attended Auburn University and now works in Greenville, North Carolina. Buzzy also has two stepdaughters, Mollie and Callie. Mollie is a graduate of the University of Alabama and Callie graduated from Mississippi State and the University of Alabama School of Law.

Admissions

  • Alabama State Bar, 1985
  • Alabama Supreme Court
  • Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama

Education

  • J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1985
  • B.A., Washington and Lee University, cum laude, 1982

Additional Information

Civic and Professional Affiliations

  • Mobile Bar Association
  • Alabama Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Alabama Self-Insurers Association
  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, Executive Council 2016—2019
  • TIDA
  • Paul Brock Inn of Court
  • Associated General Contractors of Mobile County

Publications and Presentations

  • “Recent Trends in Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Law,” Summer 2003, Birmingham Bar Association Seminar
  • “Dealing with OSHA Inspections and Contesting OSHA Citations,” presented to The Associated General Contractors, The Propeller Club of The Port of Mobile, The Central Gulf Coast Safety & Health Seminar and Exposition, The Mobile County Homebuilders, Alabama Governor’s Safety Conference & AGC Safety Summit, Alabama Associated General Contractors / Construction Industry Risk Summit, Alabama Governor’s Health & Safety Conference, Alabama Associated General Contractors/ RiskCon 2018, and Central Alabama Construction Safety Conference and Expo
  • “Repair Charges When You Return A Leased Trailer – Do Not Let the Lessor Take Advantage of You,” presented to the Mississippi Truckers Association, August 17, 2004.
  • “OSHA Inspections and Citations: Do They Affect Architects and Engineers?” presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of Invited Attorneys, June 5-7, 2008, Seattle, Washington.
  • “OSHA Inspections and Citations: Do they Affect Architects and Engineers?” September 2013
  • Mock Trial presentations to the Alabama Trucking Association’s Safety and Maintenance Management Council on August 29, 2019,  August 24, 2022, and August 24, 2023
  • Presented the Construction Safety Excellence Awards during the Mobile Section – Alabama AGC Construction Safety Excellence Awards luncheon on March 20, 2019, April 28, 2021, and April 26, 2022
  • “Safety is the Right Choice,” presented to the AGC CLC Leadership Development Conference, October 5, 2022 and Governor’s Health and Safety Conference, August 28, 2023

Awards

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent
  • Best Lawyers In America© Litigation – Construction, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, Transportation Law, 2018—2025