Category Archives: Southern Company

Balch & Bingham’s “Owed No Duty” Goes Contrary to Southern Company’s Values

North Birmingham Bribery Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

Southern Company has released its annual corporate responsibility report and they list their values including: Unquestionable Trust Honesty, respect, fairness and integrity drive our behavior. We keep our promises, and ethical behavior is our standard. As we approach more publicly-traded companies about the controversies surrounding Balch & Bingham, Balch’s alleged dishonesty, disrespect, unfairness, and lack … Continue reading Balch & Bingham’s “Owed No Duty” Goes Contrary to Southern Company’s Values →

Southern Company and Balch’s Third-Party Risk

North Birmingham Bribery Case, Southern Company

[This post was originally published last year on April 30, 2018. Today is the annual shareholders meeting of Southern Company. With a federal probe emanating from Mississippi, cost overruns at a nuclear power plant in Georgia, and Balch & Bingham’s alleged shenanigans in Alabama, Southern Company has many issues to confront; however, CEO Tom Fanning … Continue reading Southern Company and Balch’s Third-Party Risk →

Update: Two Balch & Bingham Women, Two Races, Two Outcomes

Newsome Conspiracy Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

The two Balch & Bingham female attorneys assigned as lead attorneys to the Newsome Conspiracy Case that left in the last month appear to have had different outcomes. According to our sources at Alabama Power, Katie C. Hill has joined Southern Nuclear as the Director of Compliance and Concerns. She will work most likely under … Continue reading Update: Two Balch & Bingham Women, Two Races, Two Outcomes →

Third Party Risk and “Balch Owed No Duty”

Drummond, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

In a week, one of Balch & Bingham’s top clients, Southern Company (parent of Alabama Power), will be hosting its annual shareholders meeting at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Southern Company’s CEO Tom Fanning has quietly, but brilliantly, distanced the company from Balch & Bingham.  Southern Company has not used Balch for lobbying efforts in Washington, … Continue reading Third Party Risk and “Balch Owed No Duty” →

Do Black Women Need Not Apply at Balch & Bingham?

Newsome Conspiracy Case, North Birmingham Bribery Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

Of the 203 attorneys, staff, and partners we counted on Balch & Bingham’s webpage, only three are African-American women. Scattered each in a different regional office, none are located in Balch’s principal office in Birmingham. Kimberly Bell appears to have been the only African-American female attorney in Balch’s central office in Birmingham. No more we … Continue reading Do Black Women Need Not Apply at Balch & Bingham? →

Two Attorneys at Balch & Bingham Out; Both Women Worked on Newsome Conspiracy Case

Newsome Conspiracy Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

[New update on bottom]. Our sources at Alabama Power gave us a tip that Balch & Bingham Attorney Katie C. Hill has left Balch & Bingham, and we also learned separately that another top attorney at Balch, Kimberly Bell, has also left the embattled firm. Both women worked as lead attorneys on the controversial Newsome Conspiracy … Continue reading Two Attorneys at Balch & Bingham Out; Both Women Worked on Newsome Conspiracy Case →

Southern Company Under DOJ Investigation in Mississippi

Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

Breaking News from the Atlanta Journal Constitution: Atlanta-based Southern Company disclosed it is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice over a power plant that already has caused the company years of heartburn and billions of dollars. Southern said it learned of the probe by the DOJ’s Civil Division on Monday and that it … Continue reading Southern Company Under DOJ Investigation in Mississippi →

Anti-Muslim Post Stings Alabama Power

Newsome Conspiracy Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

Tens of thousands of social media readers in the past 48 hours have read about the cop son of a now retired Alabama Power executive and the cop’s Anti-Muslim post. The cop, Jeffrey Bowers of the Columbiana, Alabama Police Department,  allegedly was involved in a “staged arrest” of Burt Newsome, who was allegedly targeted by Alabama Power’s … Continue reading Anti-Muslim Post Stings Alabama Power →

Could a “Staged Arrest” Kill Alabama Power’s White Elephant?

Newsome Conspiracy Case, RICO, Southern Company

Alabama Power and the embattled law firm Balch & Bingham are called “sister-wives.” Almost a century ago, the brother of Alabama Power’s president started the firm. Mark A. Crosswhite, a former Balch & Bingham partner, is the CEO of Alabama Power, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company,  and considered one of the most powerful executives … Continue reading Could a “Staged Arrest” Kill Alabama Power’s White Elephant? →

More Clients Flee Balch & Bingham; JeffCo Sheriff’s Office Terminates Balch

Newsome Conspiracy Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

According to Politico.com, Balch & Bingham has been terminated by two lobbying clients in D.C. this past week. H.H. Technologies out of Cullman County dumped the firm Tuesday, according to Politico. A smaller client, H.H. paid Balch $50,000 in 2012 and 2013 according to the Center for Responsive Politics. But more damaging, the Jefferson County, … Continue reading More Clients Flee Balch & Bingham; JeffCo Sheriff’s Office Terminates Balch →

Alabama Power Overheats on Ronnlund Connection

Newsome Conspiracy Case, RICO, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

Our sources at Southern Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Alabama Power tell us that Robert Ronnlund, the attorney accused of engaging in alleged obstruction of justice and the alteration of evidence in the Newsome Conspiracy Case, caused a flurry of activity at the utility yesterday afternoon. Ronnlund’s wife, Millicent, serves as General Counsel of Southern Nuclear, another … Continue reading Alabama Power Overheats on Ronnlund Connection →

Crosswhite and the Culture of Hate

Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham

With Alabama Power’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Crosswhite under fire for his steadfast support of his former employer, the embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, the Culture of Hate surrounding Alabama Power is indeed raising distress and concern inside the utility, according to our sources. Southern Company, Alabama Power’s parent company, has been under intense … Continue reading Crosswhite and the Culture of Hate →