Cole Portis serves as Section Head of our Product Liability/Personal Injury Section. He represents mothers who lost their daughters, spouses who lost their life-long mates, and injured children who will never be able to care for themselves as they grow into adulthood. Unreasonably dangerous and defective products caused these unnecessary deaths and injuries. Instead of placing profits above safety, Cole’s hope is that manufacturers of consumer products will carefully engineer and manufacture safe products so that innocent victims won’t be hurt or killed. In order to encourage the safe engineering and manufacture of consumer products, Cole will continue to prosecute companies that manufacture defective automobiles, aircraft, ATVs, farm equipment, logging equipment, textile machines and other consumer products. Cole and the lawyers in his section have successfully handled over 40 cases that were tried or resolved for more than one million dollars. Our non-lawyer staff personnel have been involved in all of these cases. More importantly, Cole and all of the folks in his section are blessed to be able to counsel and care for our clients!

Cole believes it is important to use the gifts God has given him in our community. Thus, as a lawyer, he is compelled to participate in legal organizations. He is a past president of the Montgomery County Bar Association (2002). Additionally, he served as President of the Alabama Young Lawyers Association (2000-2001), President of the Montgomery County Trial Lawyers Association (1999), and President of the Auburn University Bar Association (1999). He is also an active member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Currently, Cole is a Bar Commissioner representing the 15th judicial circuit. During his tenure as the President of the Montgomery County Bar Association some of his accomplishments included:

• establishing a Bench/Bar annual conference featuring judges from all courts located in Montgomery County;
• bringing financial stability to the Association; increasing the membership of the association;
• organizing a patriotic Law Day program featuring Gerry Izzo, a military officer involved in the Somalia conflict (and featured in the movie “Black Hawk Down”);
• presenting the Liberty Bell Award, posthumously, to Sergeant Stephen Bryson, killed in action;
• securing computers for the MCBA library;
• offering excellent CLE programs;
• publishing “The Docket” on a monthly basis;
• creating a grievance committee that issued timely reports to the Alabama State Bar;
• obtaining photo ID access for attorneys to the Montgomery County Courthouse; and
• beginning the process of long range planning for the Association.

Cole is an active member of Morningview Baptist Church, where he serves as chairman of the Deacons. In addition, he teaches the Adult 1 Sunday School class and sings in the choir. Cole served as President of the Jimmy Hitchcock Award, a prestigious award honoring Christian student athletes in Montgomery. He is a member of the Advisory Board at Auburn University Montgomery. He recently completed a three-year term as a member of the board of directors for Trinity Presbyterian School. He serves on the board of directors for Character at Heart, an organization that implements character education in our schools, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Finally, Cole previously served on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Head Injury Foundation, a dedicated group established to raise money for those who suffer traumatic brain injuries.

Cole’s mother is originally from Laurel, Mississippi. His father was raised in Lowndes County, Alabama. Cole is married to the former Joy Mikell of Millbrook, and they have four daughters and two sons. Their most recent additions to the family are a five-year-old boy adopted from China, an eight-year-old girl adopted from Ethiopia, and a one-year-old girl adopted from Ethiopia. More important than his legal career, legal accomplishments, community involvement or even his family, Cole recognizes that apart from Christ, he is absolutely nothing. We are blessed to have Cole in the firm.

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