Sharon Donaldson Stuart, a partner at Christian & Small LLP, received the 2025 Tony McLain Professionalism Award during the Grand Convocation at its 148th Annual Meeting, held July 19 at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear.
The award, presented by ASB President Tom Perry, recognizes outstanding, long-term service in the advancement of professionalism by a living member of the Alabama State Bar.
“Sharon Stuart represents the gold standard of professionalism in our legal community,” said Perry. “She leads with integrity, mentors with generosity, and serves both her clients and her colleagues with a deep sense of purpose. We are proud to recognize her exceptional contributions to the profession and to the state of Alabama.”
A native of Alabama and the daughter of a Cumberland School of Law professor, Sharon’s passion for the law began at a young age. After earning her degrees from Samford University and Cumberland School of Law, she practiced in Texas before returning home to clerk for U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn.
Sharon joined Rives & Peterson in 1993, later becoming a founding partner at Christian & Small LLP in 2000. Her litigation practice focuses on insurance, business, and class action matters. In 2019, she became President and Claims Counsel of Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South (AIM), where she had previously served on the board since 2001.
Her leadership roles include serving as past president of both the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and the Birmingham Bar Association. She currently chairs the Alabama Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure and serves on the Alabama State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. She is also a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation and a Life Fellow of both the Birmingham Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation.
Beyond her professional roles, Sharon is known for her generosity of time and talent. She is a Samford University trustee, a former board member of MPower Ministries, and an active mentor to emerging lawyers. In the past year alone, she has presented more than 27 hours of CLE programming, and she teaches an adult Sunday School class at Dawson Baptist Church.
“Sharon is the kind of lawyer and leader that inspires confidence and respect in everyone around her,” said Perry. “Her professionalism is matched only by her humility and her service-minded heart.”
Sharon and her husband, Tom, have two children, Gracie and Matt, both of whom are engineers.
The Tony McLain Professionalism Award is named in memory of former Alabama State Bar General Counsel Tony McLain and is among the Bar’s most prestigious honors.