Experience, Awards & Recognitions

  • Law Clerk to Hon. Robert P. Bradley, Chief Judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeal (1988- 1989)

    o Primary researcher and author for 26 appellate opinions

    United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama (1989-1995)

    o Outstanding Performance Awards from Department of Justice for three of six years

    o Acted as Freedom of Information Act Officer (1990-1995)

    Rogers & Associates, Staff Counsel Office of Travelers Insurance Company for the State of Alabama (1995-2016)

    o Named youngest Managing Counsel for Travelers at age 34

    o Managed a law office of up to nine (9) lawyers with 16 total staff, for over 20 years

    o Led Southeast Regional Trial Team (2008-2016)

    o Served on National Staff Counsel Office Review Team (2005-2016)

    o Represented clients in 66 of Alabama’s 67 counties

    o Took over 50 cases to trial

    DeGaris & Rogers, LLC (2016-2019)

    o Co-owner of law firm specializing in Mass Torts and Trial Practice

    o Obtained Board Certification in Civil Trial Practice from the National Board of Trial

    Advocacy (NBTA) in 2016 (one of only 45 lawyers so certified in the State)

    o Recognized as a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News and World Report for all four years

     Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (2019-Present)

    o Executive Assistant to Sheriff Mark Pettway

    o Teacher at Sheriff’s Academy, providing legal training to deputies, police officers, healthcare

    workers, social workers and mental health advocates

    o Representative Sheriff Pettway at Election Commission Meetings

  • Member, Executive Board of the Craig Crisis Care Center (2020-Present)

    o The Craig Crisis Care Center is the first of its kind in the Birmingham Area, treating individuals in mental illness and/or addiction crises as an alternative to jail

    o Worked with local legislative delegation to obtain funding for the Center

    Member, Board of Directors for Crisis Intervention Training International (“CITI”) (2023-Present)

    o Member of the Public Policy Sub-Committee

    o Member of the Governance Sub-Committee

    o CITI is the largest organization in the nation for training of law enforcement officers and others in handling mental health and addiction crises

    Member, Birmingham Bar Association

    o Served on the Sub-Committee for Diversity and Inclusion (2020-2021)

    Member, YMBC of Birmingham

  • Chair and Founding Board Member, Hoover Democrats (2018-2023)

    o Hoover Democrats is one of the largest grass roots Democratic political organizations in the

    State, with well over one thousand people on its mailing list

    o Chair Emeritus as of February 2023

    Chair, Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee (2021-Present)

    o Provided training in County Party building to officers from seven (7) other county parties

    o Provided numerous training sessions on the ten (10) proposed Amendments to the Alabama

    Constitution which appeared on the 2022 ballot

    o Led successful Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts for Jefferson County in 2022, including the taking of a GOP seat on the County School Board

    Founding Member, United Democratic Clubs of Alabama (2021-Present)

  •  Married for over 35 years to Lauri Sitton Rogers

     Father of three (3) grown children, Sarah Hook-Rogers (Elizabeth), Joel Rogers (Brittany) and Justin Rogers

     Grandfather of two, Skylar Pruet (age 10) and Lowen Rogers (age 9 months)

     Member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood

     Youth Sunday School teacher for over 30 years

     President of Hoover Track Foundation (2009-2010); Secretary (2007-2009)

     Recipient of the “Mentor of the Year” Award from Hoover Law Academy, 2005