Attorney Profiles
James H. Richardson
Huntsville, Alabama
Phone: (256) 533-2440
Fax: (256) 533-2441
Jim Richardson is the senior partner of the firm, and heads the firm's personal injury practice. Jim represents plaintiffs in a broad range of personal injury matters, including automobile accidents, truck accidents, industrial accidents, insurance law, premises liability, wrongful death and catastrophic injuries, products liability, and nursing home abuse and neglect. Mr. Richardson has the unique advantage of having some twenty (20) years of experience as a defense attorney to draw on, having handled insurance claims, product liability cases, transportation accidents, work injuries, and liability claims of all types. Because Mr. Richardson knows the games the claims adjusters and defense attorneys will play, he can anticipate their strategies and keep his clients a step ahead.
Mr. Richardson was admitted to practice in the State of Alabama in 1978. He has been admitted to practice in the U. S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama, the U. S. Claims Court, the U. S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Eleventh and Federal Circuits, and the U. S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Richardson was appointed Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alabama in 1987. He is a member of the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar, of which he is a member of the Litigation and Employment Law Sections and the Task Force on Pro Hac Vice Admissions, and the American Bar Association, of which he is a member of the Forum on Franchising and the Litigation Section. He holds memberships in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association.
An Alabama native, Mr. Richardson received his undergraduate education at Davidson College (B.A. 1975) and his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law (J.D. 1978), where he was a Hugo Black Scholar, a member of the Order of the Coif, a member of the Board of Editors of the Journal of the Legal Profession (1976-1978) and author of "Unconscionable Litigation and the Attorney," 3 Journal of the Legal Profession 153 (1978). Following graduation from law school, he served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Foy Guin, Jr., United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama (1978-79).
Mr. Richardson's reported cases include: Glenn v. General Motors Corp. , 658 F. Supp. 918 (N.D. Ala. 1986), 841 F.2d 1567 (11th Cir. 1988), cert. denied 488 U.S. 948 (1988); Johnson v. BMW of North America, Inc. , 583 So.2d 1333 (Ala. 1991); and Faulkner v. Univ. of Tenn. , 627 So.2d 362 (Ala. 1992).
Education:
- J.D., The University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1978
- Honors: Order of the Coif
- Honors: Hugo Black Scholar
- Law Journal: Journal of the Legal Profession, Member, Board of Editors, 1976 - 1978
- B.A., Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, 1975
- Major: English
Admissions:
- State Bar of Alabama, 1978
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, 1978
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama, 1990
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1981
- U.S. Court of Appeals for Eleventh Circuit, 1981
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 1984
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1982
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1982
Published Works:
- "Unconscionable Litigation and the Attorney", 3 Journal of the Legal Profession 153, 1978
Representative Cases:
- Glenn v. General Motors Corp., 658 F.Supp. 918 (N.D. Ala. 1986)
- Glenn v. General Motors Corp., 841 F.2d 1567 (C.A. 11 (Ala.) 1988)
- Johnson v. BMW of North America, Inc., 583 So.2d 1333 (Ala. 1991)
- Faulkner v. University of Tennessee, 627 So.2d 362 (Ala. 1992)
- Scott v. Schlosser, 401 So.2d 41 (Ala. 1981)
- Twickenham Station, Inc. v. Beddingfield, 404 So.2d 43 (Ala. 1981)
- Strode Publishers, Inc. v. Holtz, 665 F.2d 333 (11th Cir. 1982)
- Cerrock Wire and Cable Co. v. Johnson, 533 So.2d 622 (Ala. Civ. App. 1988)
- Northeast Utilities, Inc. v. Pittman Trucking Co., 595 So.2d 1351 (Ala. 1992)
- Centon Electronics, Inc. v. Bonar, 614 So.2d 999 (Ala. 1993)
- Stroud v. John M. Cockerham & Associates, Inc., 620 So.2d 643 (Ala. 1993)
- Osborne v. Weil, 628 So.2d 436 (Ala. 1993)
- S & W Properties, Inc. v. American Motorists Ins. Co., 668 So.2d 529 (Ala. 1995)
- Ex parte McClanahan, 703 So.2d 973 (Ala. 1997)
Classes/Seminars Taught:
- Frequent Lecturer, various topics including Worker's Compensation and Wrongful Discharge Claims
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member, Forum on Franchising
- American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Member
- Alabama State Bar, Sections of Litigation and Employment Law, Member
- Alabama State Bar, Member, Task Force on Pro Hac Vice Admissions
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Member
- Alabama Trial Lawyers Association, Member
- Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, Member
- Defense Research Institute, Member
- State Courts, Appointed Mediator
- United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama, Member, Panel of Neutrals
- Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, Mediator
Past Employment Positions:
- United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama, Hon. J. Foy Guin, Jr., District Judge, Law Clerk, 1978 - 1979
- State of Alabama, Special Assistant Attorney General, 1987 - Present
Jacob A. Maples
Direct Phone: (256) 319-2783
Direct Fax: (256) 319-2784
jam@rcfllp.com
Jacob A. Maples is a partner with the firm and, along with Mr. Richardson, manages the firm’s personal injury practice. Jacob has spent the majority of his legal career handling personal injury claims, including on-the-job injuries, automobile accidents, trucking accidents, premises liability, as well as a variety of other insurance-related matters. Like Mr. Richardson, Jacob has the advantage of bringing several years of insurance defense experience to his personal injury practice. Jacob understands just how devastating a disabling work injury can be. His familiarity with the laws governing workers’ compensation and workplace accidents, and his expertise in insurance law and claims-handling practices are formidable additions to the firm’s personal injury practice.
Mr. Maples received his Bachelor of Science degree in business management, with honors, from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business at the University of Alabama in 2001. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2005.
Mr. Maples is admitted to practice in all State courts in Alabama and has represented clients throughout most of the Circuit Courts in the State. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama.
Jacob is a member of the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association and the Alabama State Bar, of which he is a member of the Workers’ Compensation Section.
Jacob is married to the former Kristina Gutierrez, who teaches lower elementary school. Jacob and Kristina currently live in Madison, Alabama.
Education:
- J.D., University of Alabama School of Law
- B.S., University of Alabama, cum laude
Admissions:
- State Bar of Alabama, 2005
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, 2009
Lisa M. McCormack
Huntsville, Alabama
Phone: (256) 533-2440
Fax: (256) 533-2441
Lisa M. McCormack is an attorney at Richardson Maples, PC practicing plaintiffs' personal injury law. Ms. McCormack graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and later attended University of Alabama School of Law, where she was the Senior Lead Editor for the Journal of the Legal Profession, a periodical concentrating on ethics issues in the legal profession. She graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law, with a Juris Doctor degree.
She is admitted to practice in all Alabama state courts; the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama; and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama.
Ms. McCormack, who is of Guatemalan descent and perfectly fluent in Spanish, is an active member of the Alabama Hispanic Association. She currently serves on that organization's public relations committee and is dedicated to promoting the educational, cultural and economic development of Hispanic families in North Alabama.
Education:
- J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, cum laude
- Honors: Senior Lead Editor, Journal of the Legal Profession
- B.A., University of Alabama

