CUNNINGHAM NAMED, “MOBILE BEST LAWYERS PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATOR OF THE YEAR”

Mobile, Alabama - Cunningham Bounds, LLC is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Robert T. Cunningham, Jr. as the "Mobile Best Lawyers Personal Injury Litigator of the Year" for 2009. After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating "Lawyers of the Year" in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. The lawyers being honored as "Lawyers of the Year" have received particularly high ratings in Best Lawyers’ surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Steven Naifeh, Managing Editor of Best Lawyers, says, "We continue to believe - as we have believed for more than 25 years - that recognition by one's peers is the most meaningful form of praise in the legal profession. We would like to congratulate Robert T. Cunningham, Jr. on being selected as the 'Mobile Best Lawyers Personal Injury Litigator of the Year' for 2009." Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 15th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2009), is based on more than 2.5 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

Cunningham has been practicing law for over 33 years and has represented plaintiffs in numerous cases resulting in record-breaking verdicts in Alabama and nationwide. He was lead trial counsel in the State of Alabama's $11.9 billion verdict against ExxonMobil for underpayment of royalties in 2001. In October 2007, Cunningham was lead counsel for Dirt, Inc. in an environmental contamination trial resulting in a $108 million jury verdict against Halliburton, Inc. Most recently, he was co-lead counsel in an intellectual property trial representing inventor, Dr. Peter Mannsfeld, against German chemical company Ineos Phenol GmbH & Co. KG, which resulted in a jury verdict of $192 million.

Prior to attending college, Cunningham served his country in the United States Marine Corps as both an enlisted man and officer. He received numerous decorations for his service which included the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, 29 Air Medals and the Combat Action Ribbon. He then went on to graduate with honors from the University of South Alabama in 1973. Next Cunningham received his Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Florida in 1975 and was admitted to the Alabama Bar that same year. Since that time Cunningham has practiced continuously with the law firm of Cunningham Bounds.

The law firm of Cunningham Bounds, founded in 1958, is based in Mobile, Alabama and has been representing plaintiffs for over 50 years. The firm provides services in the following areas: personal injury, business litigation, product liability and medical malpractice. In addition, the firm has expertise in national and state class action litigation involving defective products, consumer fraud, and complex litigation. For more information, visit cunninghambounds.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Attorney Interview Available.