John M. Pennington was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1986, after graduating from Cumberland Law School in Birmingham, Alabama, that same year. Prior to attending law school, he received a Bachelor's degree in Nursing, and was licensed and worked as a Registered Nurse in Alabama, Colorado, and California. After completing law school, he began the practice of law with a small firm in Andalusia, Alabama, where he hoped to put his knowledge of medicine to use as a trial lawyer. He was extremely fortunate to work for and learn from one of the pioneers in Alabama personal injury law, Frank Tipler. During this time, Mr. Pennington's practice included cases involving medical malpractice, products liability, motor vehicle accidents, and worker's compensation.

In 1990, Mr. Pennington returned to Birmingham. For the next twelve years, he continued to represent personal injury clients and injured workers, but also began representing the interests of the disabled. In particular, he began representing individuals seeking Social Security disability benefits and individuals whose benefits had been denied by long-term disability insurance companies. His background in medicine was particularly well suited to these cases which almost always involve medical problems.

In January 2003, Mr. Pennington formed the Pennington Law Firm, L.L.C., where today he continues to focus on protecting the rights of the disabled, and continues to represent people with claims against long-term disability insurance companies. This includes individual claims, as well as those governed by the Employees Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA"). He now has been litigating claims against long-term disability carriers for over 15 years.

Mr. Pennington also continues to represent claimants seeking disability benefits under the Social Security Act, including claims for SSI and Disability Insurance Benefits. Since 1990, Mr. Pennington has represented several thousand Social Security disability benefit claimants. He frequently receives referrals of disability cases from other attorneys, as well as from health care professionals. He represents Social Security claimants at both the Administrative and Federal Court levels. He frequently represents claimants before the Administration in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Mr. Pennington currently is admitted to practice in all State Courts in Alabama, the Federal Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama, the Northern District of Florida, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Areas of Practice

• 70% Social Security Disability
• 25% Long Term Disability Insurance Litigation
• 5% Personal Injury

Litigation Percentage

• 30% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

• Alabama, 1986
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Alabama, 1986
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Alabama
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1987

Education

• Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama
  J.D.
  
  
• Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
  Major: Marine Biology
  
  
• University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
  B.S.
  Major: Nursing
  
  

Classes/Seminars Taught

• Social Security Law, NOSSCR
• Social Security Law, ABICLE

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2002 - 2006
  Board of Trustees\Member
  
  

Birth Information

• 1955, Athens, Alabama, United States of America