With decades of estate law experience, Melanie B. Holliman and John R. Holliman can advise you regarding the legal tools that will best serve your needs.
ohn R. Holliman’s passion is to help families in Jefferson and Shelby Counties develop and implement the best long-term life care plans for their specific situations. He is a creative problem-solver with strong interpersonal skills and an eternally positive attitude, as well as 32 years of legal experience. John has a talent for putting people at ease in stressful situations.
John says “estate planning is not only about where your stuff goes when you depart this earth, but also about taking care of yourself and your family while you are still alive”. For example, read this client’s story. He wants to help people make better estate decisions because he has seen so many suffer the consequences of preventable bad decisions. His practice is now focused on estate planning, elder law, special needs and probate after years in real estate law.
John R. Holliman has become especially knowledgeable about VA benefits and has successfully helped many families obtain benefits and develop life care plans that enable the families to care for their loved ones for the remainder of their lives.
AWARDS (2016-2021)
Ten Best Customer Satisfaction – Elder Law Division | American Institute of Legal Counsel | 2019 |
Top Attorneys in Birmingham | Birmingham Bar Association & Birmingham Magazine | 2019 |
Top Flight Attorney | B-Metro Magazine | 2019 |
Top Elder Law Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2018 |
Top Trust Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2017 |
10 Best Elder Law Attorneys | American Institute of Legal Counsel | 2017 |
Top Elder Law Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2016 |
Top Trust Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2016 |
Melanie B. Holliman (formerly Melanie B. Bradford) enjoys solving problems for people and helping them reach their goals during her seventeen years of legal experience in Alabama and Tennessee. She listens, learns your circumstances, helps you plan, and find solutions tailored to your specific situation. These solutions become a course of action that produces a brighter tomorrow for you and your loved ones.
Melanie has become especially knowledgeable in the field of special needs planning and has set up numerous special needs trusts throughout Alabama, in addition to providing advice to clients, attorneys, and other professionals on establishing special needs trusts and properly administering them. As a result, Melanie is a frequent guest speaker at local events.
Please visit the Events page to see what free law seminars and workshops are planned for the near future.
With offices in Pelham and Scottsboro, Melanie B. Holliman serves Jefferson, Shelby, Jackson, Madison, Marshall and DeKalb Counties.
AWARDS (2016-2021)
2023 People’s Choice for Best Attorney in Jackson County | 2024 | |
Ten Best Customer Satisfaction – Elder Law Division | American Institute of Legal Counsel | 2019 |
Top Attorneys in Birmingham | Birmingham Bar Association and Birmingham Magazine | 2019 |
Top Flight Attorney | B-Metro Magazine | 2019 |
Top 100 – Wills, Estates, Trusts & Probate | The National Advocates | 2019 |
Women Attorneys to Watch | B-Metro Magazine | 2018 |
Top Elder Law Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2018 |
Top Flight Attorney | B-Metro Magazine | 2018 |
Attorneys to Watch in 2018
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Attorney At Law Magazine – North Alabama edition | 2018 |
Top Women Attorneys | B-Metro Magazine | 2017 |
Top Lawyer: Stars of the Bar | B-Metro Magazine | 2017 |
Top Probate Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2017 |
Top Elder Law Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2017 |
10 Best Elder Law Attorneys | American Institute of Legal Counsel | 2017 |
Top Elder Law Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2016 |
Top Trust Attorney | Birmingham Magazine | 2016 |
Top Lawyer: Stars of the Bar | B-Metro Magazine | 2016 |
Representative Articles
- 2019 Special Needs Trusts: What You Need to Know to Help Your Clients and Avoid Client Complaints
Article in The Alabama Lawyer, September 2019 issue, Vol. 80. No 5. Overview of government benefits and the importance of special needs trusts. Emphasis on malpractice issues in cases where special needs trust options were not presented to clients.
Representative Lectures
Melanie speaks frequently to local groups and to attorneys for CLE conferences. The following is a sample of the presentations she has given:
- 2021 Using Settlement Trusts
CLE Alabama - 2020 Basic Government Benefits and Planning Tools for GALs and Probate Attorneys
CLE Alabama - 2019 The “New POMS” Common Special Needs Trust Administration Issues and Ethical Considerations
CLE Alabama - 2019 Alabama Medicaid Notice Statute – Alabama Act 2019-489
Alabama Probate Judges Conference - 2019 Alabama Medicaid’s New Probate Notice Law and Update on Social Security POMS
CLE Alabama