Charles Cleveland has been engaged in the general practice of law in Birmingham since October of 1952. He is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts in Alabama. He has handled numerous appeals in the Alabama appellate courts; the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; and the United States Supreme Court. His first argument in the
Alabama Supreme Court was the case of Mason v. State, 259 Ala. 438 (1953). He argued the case of Douglas v. Alabama, 380 U.S. 415 (1965) in the Unites States Supreme Court.
In 1952, he began working for Robert S. Gordon. In 1953 they formed the partnership of Gordon & Cleveland. Other lawyers who were partners at various times include Nina Miglionico, Bruce Gordon, Bryan Chancey, Wilbur Silberman, and Robert Loeb. In 1985, Charles withdrew from the firm and formed Cleveland & Cleveland.
Charles was born in Sylacauga, Alabama in 1927. He attended public schools there and, in 1945, graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee. He joined the United States Marine Corps in June of 1945 and served until October 1946. He did pre-law at Howard College. He received a B.S. in law from the University of Alabama Law School in 1950 and his L.L.B. in 1952.
While in law school, Charles was a member of the Alabama Law Review. He has written legal articles that were published in the Alabama Law Review, the Alabama Lawyer, and the Birmingham Bar Bulletin. He has also been a committee member with the Alabama Law Institute.
Charles is an active member of the Birmingham Unitarian-Universalist Church. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees and on numerous committees. In the 1970's he served two years as the president of the congregation. He served 13 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Water Works Board.
Kenneth Lee Cleveland has been engaged in the general practice of law in Birmingham, Alabama since 1985. He is licensed to practice in the state courts of Alabama; the federal courts in the Northern District of Alabama; the United States Patent And Trademark Office; the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit; and the United States Supreme Court. Lee has represented clients including Fortune 500 corporations, medium size businesses, small businesses and individuals.
Lee was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1960. He attended public schools in Birmingham, and private schools of Sequoia Middle School and Red Mountain High School. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1982, He was a member of the Senate of the Student Government at the University of South Carolina. He went one year to law school at Case Western Law School in Cleveland, Ohio, and received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Alabama Law School in 1985. In law school he was a member of the editorial board of the Law And Psychology Law Review and a member of the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society. Although he practices law full time, Lee is a Law Professor at the Birmingham School of Law teaching night classes in Commercial Law.
Lee is an active member of the South Highland Presbyterian Church. He is an Elder currently serving on the session. Lee is active in many activities and missions of South Highland Presbyterian Church.