John M. Pennington

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 30 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, and Middle Districts of Alabama, the Northern District of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Areas of Practice

• Social Security — Disability
• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) — Employee
• Long Term Disability
• Disability

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. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1987
• Supreme Court of the United States of America, 2011

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

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

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Multiple Sclerosis Society, Board of Trustees\Member, 2002 – 2006
• American Association for Justice
• Alabama Association for Justice
• National Organization of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives
• Birmingham Bar Association
• Shelby County Bar Association
• Huntsville Madison County Bar Association