Thompson Coburn Grows Higher Ed Practice, Birmingham Team with New Partner Lorrie Hargrove

Thompson Coburn announced today that Lorrie L. Hargrove has joined the firm in its Higher Education practice in Birmingham, bringing more than 30 years of broad nationwide litigation experience.

Her arrival comes just a few months after Thompson Coburn established its presence in Birmingham with the arrival of Higher Education attorneys Tres Cleveland, Brandt Hill, and Evan Moltz. They, along with Roger Swartzwelder in Washington, D.C., joined the firm from Maynard Nexsen, where Hargrove also last worked.

Hargrove has cultivated a diverse, national litigation practice, ranging from class action defense to civil RICO cases to appeals at the state and federal levels. An experienced trial attorney, she advocates on behalf of clients in higher education, financial services, and numerous other industries. Hargrove’s practice is well recognized, and she has successfully defended clients before federal circuit courts across the country.

“Adding Lorrie and her nationally respected litigation experience to the team in Birmingham is a notable step forward in our continued growth,” said Cleveland, who serves as co-chair of Thompson Coburn’s Higher Education practice. “She is expanding our capabilities to advise clients in this complex industry and will be a great fit with our team.”

Hargrove has represented clients in a broad spectrum of areas including labor and employment, insurance and financial services, higher education, and product liability. She has a well-established platform in Alabama and has defended hundreds of class action opt-out cases for Fortune 500 companies in nearly every county in the state. At Thompson Coburn, Hargrove will support the broader Business Litigation practice in addition to the Higher Education group.

“Thompson Coburn’s strong litigation platform and commitment to the highest level of client service are important to me as a client-first litigator.” Hargrove said. “I am excited to be reuniting with my former partners and collaborating with new colleagues across the firm. I look forward to the synergies created by Thompson Coburn’s regulatory, lobbying, and litigation Higher Education groups working together for many of the same clients.”

Hargrove earned her J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Maryland.  After law school, she clerked for the Honorable William M. Acker in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.