About John C. Saylor · Florence, Alabama
Business Experience. Legal Judgment. North Alabama Roots.
John C. Saylor is a Florence-based Alabama attorney whose practice brings together business law, estate planning, probate, real estate and civil litigation. Before entering law, he spent more than two decades in manufacturing, management, purchasing, sales, business development and executive leadership—experience that still shapes the way he evaluates legal problems and advises clients today.
About the Attorney
More Than a Legal Task. A Practical Advisor for the Decisions Around It.
John founded John C. Saylor, LLC after a career that had already placed him inside the day-to-day realities of manufacturing, business management, purchasing, sales, growth and executive decision-making. That background gives him a different frame of reference when legal issues involve money, people, property, family dynamics or long-term planning.
John C. Saylor
Trusted Advice.
Straightforward Conversations.
John began practicing law in Florence in 2015 after more than two decades in business, manufacturing, sales, purchasing, management and executive leadership. His legal practice now concentrates on the areas where those experiences often overlap: business law, litigation, real estate, estate planning and probate.
For many clients, John is not simply retained to complete one legal task. He becomes an ongoing legal advisor, business strategist and estate-planning partner who understands both the legal position and the practical realities surrounding it.
For many clients, John is not simply retained to complete one legal task. He becomes an ongoing legal advisor, business strategist and estate-planning partner who understands both the legal position and the practical realities surrounding it.
✓ Alabama attorney since 2015
✓ U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
✓ Former senior executive
✓ Estate planning & probate
✓ Civil & commercial litigation
✓ Florence, Alabama office
20+
Years in Business Before Law
Manufacturing, engineering, steel, sales, purchasing, business development and management.
2015
Alabama Admission
Admitted to practice in Alabama on September 29, 2015.
J.D.
Summa Cum Laude
Birmingham School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2015.
UA
University of Alabama
B.A. in Communication, 1992.
Before the Law
A Career Built Inside Real Businesses.
Before becoming an attorney, John worked across manufacturing, engineering, steel, media, sales and business development. He managed people, vendors, customers, purchasing, operations and growth initiatives. He worked with entrepreneurs, closely held companies, and small and mid-sized businesses long before he began advising them as a lawyer.
01
2009–2014
Forsythe and Long Engineering, Inc.
Director of Purchasing and Business Development. Design/build engineering serving industrial and manufacturing facilities, metal-stamping facilities, chemical-processing facilities, and fertilizer-processing and coating facilities.
02
1999–2009
E.S. Robbins Corporation
Senior Vice President / Business Manager, Business Unit Manager, and Inside Sales & Customer Service Manager in polymer manufacturing and consumer and industrial products.
03
1996–1999
Gerrard Steel & Tube
Customer Service / Inside Sales Manager, Tubular Products Sales Manager, and Slit Coil Territory Manager in the steel service-center and manufacturing industry.
04
Earlier
Sales, Media & Marketing
Professional experience with WAAY-TV in Huntsville, WVNA Radio in Tuscumbia and Image Marketing in Huntsville.
Practice Experience
Legal Problems Rarely Stay in One Box.
A business dispute can become a real-estate issue. A probate matter may involve ownership, fiduciary conduct or litigation. An estate plan may need to account for a closely held company. John’s practice is built around that overlap—and around the judgment required when legal, financial and personal issues collide.
01
Estate Law
Planning, Probate & Estate Disputes
Estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, probate administration, contested estates, fiduciary disputes and inherited-property issues.
Explore Estate Law →02
Business & Corporate Law
Businesses, Owners & Transactions
Business formation, contracts, acquisitions and sales, governance, succession, closely held business matters and owner disputes.
Explore Business Law →03
Litigation & Real Estate
Disputes That Need Strategy
Commercial litigation, contract disputes, shareholder and member disputes, real-estate matters, construction issues, collections and equitable relief.
Explore Practice Areas →Practical Judgment
Understanding the Law Is Only Part of Understanding the Problem.
John’s pre-law business and management experience affects how he evaluates litigation and advisory matters. He looks beyond the legal theory to the economics, personalities, leverage, motivations and likely next moves that can determine how a dispute actually develops.
01
Legal Position
What the law, documents, facts and procedure actually support.
02
Economics
What the dispute costs, what is truly at stake and what outcome makes practical sense.
03
People & Leverage
How personalities, incentives, relationships and internal dynamics affect the matter.
04
Likely Next Moves
Where the matter appears to be heading and how to keep the client from losing control of it.
Education, Admissions & Memberships
Credentials That Are Easy to Verify.
John’s professional background includes Alabama and federal court admissions, academic distinction and active participation in the Alabama State Bar.
01
AL
Courts of the State of Alabama
Admitted September 29, 2015.
02
FED
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Admitted to practice in federal court.
03
J.D.
Birmingham School of Law
Juris Doctor, 2015 — Summa Cum Laude.
04
B.A.
The University of Alabama
Bachelor of Arts in Communication, 1992.
05
BAR
Alabama State Bar
Member in good standing. Section memberships include Solo & Small Firm, Litigation and Business Law.
North Alabama Roots
Local Is More Than a Tagline.
John was raised in Arab, Alabama, and his professional life has been tied to Huntsville, Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, Florence, The Shoals and North Alabama. His pre-law career also took him through approximately 45 states and internationally across North America, Europe and Australia. After seeing and working in many other places, he deliberately chose Northwest Alabama as home.
“
The Shoals and the Singing River chose me.
For John, “Your Local Lawyer” is more than branding. Northwest Alabama is where he chose to live, work, raise a family, build a business, practice law and serve clients.
01
Highland Baptist Church
Member since 2003, ordained deacon, small-group leader and teacher, with long-standing involvement in the church community.
02
Northwest Alabama Toys for Tots
Board of Directors service supporting a long-running regional program that helps children and families across Northwest Alabama.
03
Community Education
Provides estate-planning overviews and practical presentations to local organizations and community groups when invited to speak.
04
Continuing Legal Education
Recurring CLE focus on estate planning, probate, business law, civil litigation, tort law, construction law and professional ethics.
Estate Planning & Probate
Planning That Goes Beyond Preparing Documents.
Estate planning and probate have been regular and substantial parts of John’s practice since he began practicing law. His work includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, probate administration, contested probate matters, fiduciary issues, estate-related real estate, trust disputes and planning for business owners.
01
Family Structure
Planning around spouses, children, beneficiaries, incapacity and family dynamics.
02
Business Ownership
Connecting estate planning with succession, governance and closely held business interests.
03
Real Estate
Addressing property ownership, inherited real estate and estate-related title questions.
04
Ongoing Counsel
For many clients, John becomes an ongoing estate-planning partner rather than simply the lawyer who prepares a will or trust.
Author & Educator
Years of Practical Legal and Business Commentary.
John has regularly written original legal and business commentary through his business Facebook page and the firm’s News archive. Those subjects reflect the same areas he handles in practice and provide a strong foundation for a dedicated Articles / Insights library.
01
Estate Planning
Trusts Are Not for Everyone
Practical commentary on when a trust serves a real planning purpose and when added complexity may not help the client.
View Articles →02
Family & Finance
The First National Bank of Mom and Dad
Family lending, applicable federal rates, imputed interest and the planning issues behind informal financial arrangements.
View Articles →03
Business Planning
Year-End Business Checklist
Recurring guidance on governance, compliance, risk management, continuity and year-end planning for business owners.
View Articles →What Clients Can Expect
A Long-Term Advisor, Not Just a Transaction.
The common thread across John’s practice is practical judgment: understanding the client’s legal issue, the business or family context around it, and the decisions that may matter after the immediate task is complete.
01
Direct
Clients work directly with the attorney responsible for the matter.
02
Practical
Advice considers legal rights alongside cost, risk, relationships and long-term consequences.
03
Strategic
Litigation and business matters are evaluated with attention to leverage, motivations and likely next moves.
04
Ongoing
Many relationships continue across business, estate-planning and other legal needs as circumstances change.
Talk With John C. Saylor
Bring the Legal Question. Expect a Broader Conversation.
Whether the issue involves a business, an estate, real property, litigation or long-term planning, John’s role is to understand the legal problem and the practical decisions surrounding it.
Contact John Saylor Law