Gilbert Porterfield Self

This is part two of a three part series on the nominees to succeed Lauderdale Circuit Court Judge Mike Suttle.

Gilbert P. Self is a Florence attorney and senior partner in the firm of Self, Smith, and Burdine. Born in Florence on January 25, 1963, Self is the younger brother of Florence attorney Henry Self Jr. and the son of the late Henry Harold Self, former UNA athletic director and one-time member of the Florence City Commission, and his wife Shirley.

Self graduated from Auburn with a B.S. in 1985 and obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1988 from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham. Self specializes in personal injury and other civil cases and is noted as a long distance runner. He and his wife Cheri live in Florence.

It's been reported that Gil Self was the first attorney to actively seek this appointment. Martindale ranks him 18 out of 113 in its visibility rankings.

Correction: Willson Jenkins represented Ann P. Varner, not Keith, in their 1994 divorce trial.

Addendum: We have received an extremely cordial e-mail from Mr. Jenkins. He would like for us to add that he did not actually represent Jimmy Neese in a law suit concerning the non-payment of loans to the City of Florence, since these loans were non-recourse in type and a lawsuit could not have been filed legally. I will also inject that Mr. Jenkins both lives and practices within the city limits of Florence, so he is also a victim of this default.


Tomorrow: James Hall II