Firm History

Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert, founded as the solo law practice of J. Gilmer Blackburn in 1955, was the first law firm to concentrate on Federal and State tax matters  in North Alabama. Located in Decatur, Alabama, many of the firm’s first clients were family-owned businesses and area farmers who were greatly affected by the high tax rates of the 1954 tax code.

In the early years of Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert, the firm became widely known for its focus in the areas of taxation and acquisition of life insurance companies, corporations, and other businesses. Mr. Blackburn was active in the representation of cities and was one of the first to establish a municipal privilege license system based upon gross receipts. Mr. Blackburn represented the City of Decatur as to the establishment of its personnel board and retirement plan.

In the early 1980s, the firm expanded to include attorneys Mark Daniel Maloney and Gay Blackburn Maloney, both bringing new areas of expertise to the firm. Mr. Maloney, who also received a Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University, added additional knowledge and experience to the firm’s tax, business, and agricultural law services. Mrs. Maloney, who had been the first woman to head the Vanderbilt University Bar Association and one of the first women in private practice in Morgan County, expanded the firm’s estate and trust planning and administration services.

The firm officially became Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert, with the addition of attorney Lynn Belt Schuppert and later her husband, attorney Kenneth M. Schuppert, Jr. Mrs. Schuppert, who has had one of the longest continuous law practices for a woman in Morgan County, continued the firm’s estate and trust planning and administration services. Mr. Schuppert added new legal services in the areas of real estate,corporate, litigation, and commercial transactions.

In recent years, two new members have joined the firm. Attorneys Steven C. Sasser and Christopher M. Priest further expanded the legal services of Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert. Mr. Sasser’s experience in bankruptcy and creditor’s rights and Mr. Priest’s experience in estate and probate administration have allowed the firm to offer more complete services to its business clients.

The attorneys of Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert help their clients preserve their heritage for future generations. In the same regard, the attorneys believe in preserving local heritage and history, having helped restore two downtown Decatur buildings.

The firm’s current office is housed in a historic building on Second Avenue that was erected in 1904 on a portion of the original site of the Casa Grande Hotel. Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert purchased the building in 1988 and converted it to serve the firm's legal practice. The office still maintains many of the historic aspects of the building, including the original pressed metal ceiling in the front reception and conference rooms, the metal cornice in the façade and the round porthole windows that line the side of the building. The firm’s previous office, which was another historic building the firm restored, was located on Bank Street in historic downtown Decatur. The firm has received awards for its preservation efforts.