Roderick K. Nelson, a partner with Spain & Gillon, has extensive experience in civil litigation, with primary emphasis on insurance law, insurance coverage analysis, extra-contractual damage claims, bad faith, fraud, defense of first-party punitive damage claims against insurance carriers, mediation and arbitration of all types of insurance disputes. Mr. Nelson has specialized training in arson and fraud civil litigation. He has defended numerous personal injury, products liability and wrongful death claims. His trial experience includes defending employment cases involving Title VII, sexual and racial discrimination and municipalities in 1983 actions. He is admitted to practice in all state courts of Alabama and has argued cases before the Alabama Court of Appeals; the Alabama Supreme Court; the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of the United States District Court; and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Nelson attended the University of Alabama and earned a football scholarship, where he played under the legendary Coach Paul Bear Bryant. He holds a bachelor�s degree and master�s degree from the University of Alabama. He received his Juris Doctor from Birmingham School of Law and was licensed in 1983, and has been actively engaged in practice since that time. He served as law clerk to the Honorable James Garrett, Circuit Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit. He was a deputy district attorney for three years and a special prosecutor for fraud and arson for six years. He is a member of Birmingham Bar Association, Alabama State Bar, American Bar Association, Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute, and Alabama Association of Arson Investigators.