Attorney Gerald Brooks

Gerald Brooks grew up in the small town of Livingston, on the western edge of Alabama’s Black Belt, and has carried forward the small-town values of hard work, respect, and fairness into his law practice. Brooks graduated from the University of Alabama twice — with an undergraduate degree in 1999 and with his law degree in 2002. After receiving his J.D., he joined a Birmingham insurance defense firm, where he stayed for five years until he realized that he wanted to work on behalf of injured people instead of insurance companies.

“Working for a defense firm on behalf of insurance companies, I learned a lot and it made me a better attorney,” he says. “I don’t know if I’d be as good helping my current clients but for the experience of seeing how the other side evaluates cases, and the tactics that they utilize. But doing defense work, you’re representing corporations, and your point of contact is an insurance adjuster who’s not concerned about anything but reports and evaluations. They don’t care right or wrong.”

In 2009 he crossed over to the plaintiff side of the law, joining a Montgomery law firm that concentrated in that area. He stayed there for three years, then ventured out on his own and joined forces with Chuck James, an old law school friend, in 2013, to form Serious Injury Law Group.

Brooks dedicates his practice primarily to wrongful death and catastrophic injuries caused by accidents involving commercial vehicles, medical malpractice and defective products. He has to his credit several multi-million dollar civil judgments including a $5,000,000 wrongful death judgment.

Brooks enjoys trying cases on behalf of his clients. He believes, however, that his clients can often be best served by obtaining a fair settlement without having to put the client through the stress associated with litigation and trial. To that end, he has obtained countless seven-figure settlements for his clients including a $7,500,000 wrongful death settlement involving a commercial vehicle.

“I take pride in aggressively fighting for my clients and consider it an honor to be trusted to serve my clients at perhaps the most vulnerable points in their lives. As our firm name suggests, I take that responsibility seriously. The best part of all is when you get a favorable outcome for a client, seeing their reaction, and knowing that you have positively affected their life.”

He also values positively affecting the communities that he serves, especially the youth. In 2017, the firm launched its first Serious Injury Law Group Living History Essay Contest. Fifteen high-schoolers received $1,000 scholarships for essays on living heroes in their communities. He also has given scholarships to numerous high school seniors.

Brooks has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, as a Top Attorney by Birmingham Magazine, as a Super Lawyer and has received a host of other awards and recognitions.

In his spare time, Brooks enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, travel, Crimson Tide sports and community engagement.