Terry McCarthy is one of the preeminent authorities on evidence issues in the state of Alabama.
Terry has served as lead counsel and appellate counsel in a variety of matters in more than 25 states. While he enjoys his diverse practice, his first love is evidence. Clients, attorneys, judges and law students seek Terry’s advice on evidence issues every day, and he loves helping them solve their problems.
Terry serves as co-author (along with Charles Gamble and Robert Goodwin) of Gamble’s Alabama Rules of Evidence and the Seventh Edition of McElroy’s Alabama Evidence, the two leading treatises on Alabama evidence. These “must-reads” for any Alabama practitioner have been cited in thousands of judicial opinions, motions, briefs and articles. Terry also serves on the Alabama Supreme Court Advisory Committee to the Alabama Rules of Evidence and teaches several CLEs each year on evidence issues.
A substantial amount of Terry’s practice is devoted to appellate work, which often involves him attending the trial to preserve the trial record and to consult on and argue evidence issues. He also has deep experience in insurance law, having defended hundreds of bad faith, fraud and breach of contract cases across the country. He is also experienced in employment law, including defending corporations against charges made to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, Title VII lawsuits, facilities compliance under the Americans with Disabilities Act, noncompete agreements and more.
As a former university administrator with master’s and doctorate degrees in education, Terry is also active in the field of education law. He frequently publishes and lectures on education law topics and advises college administrators and Greek organizations. He has taught (and continues to teach) evidence courses at the Cumberland School of Law, the University of Alabama School of Law and the Birmingham School of Law.
Outside of his legal and teaching careers, Terry is an active member of his church, and he supports many charities and educational organizations, including Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, Adopt a Golden Birmingham, Firehouse Ministries, Jimmie Hale Mission and John Carroll Catholic High School.
