Registered Agent for Ups & Downs?

Update: Mr. Jenkins was NOT aware he was listed as agent of record. We dislike this woman now; we've been giving her too much credit.

First and foremost, we do wish to apologize to Mr. Willson Jenkins for any errors in two earlier posts. What is a registered agent? We took this from Wikipedia...which may not be the most reliable source, but our Black's was in the cleaners:

In United States business law, a registered agent, also known as a resident agent[1] or statutory agent,[2] is a business or individual designated to receive service of process (SOP) when a business entity is a party in a legal action such as a lawsuit or summons.[3] The registered agent's address may also be where the state sends the paperwork for the periodic renewal of the business entity's charter (if required). The registered agent for a business entity may be an officer or employee of the company, or a third party, such as the organization's lawyer or a service company. Failure to properly maintain a registered agent can affect a company negatively.[3]

Mr. Jenkins says "inaccurate" blogging led to two people asking that he and the  board be investigated. He is in error here since we have done nothing but stress that the board, with the exception of the manager, has had nothing to do with any possible irregularities.

Mr. Jenkins also feels we were wrong to infer he was paid. We're not sure why it was wrong to infer this. We inferred what he did was work (see above) and one should be paid for work done. For those who don't know, attorneys are expected to do so much pro bono work each year. Most of our attorney friends do this work for animal charities, but perhaps Mr. Jenkins is not one of these. We hope he will reconsider in the future. We've never known any animal to use the bad grammar or faulty logic found in most posts by those attacking this charity.

Mr. Jenkins is no longer agent of record for this charity, and again we apologize. If he has reported this change, it has not shown up on the Secretary of State website as of earlier today. (After rereading his comment, he says "if" he agreed to be registered agent in the first place. If he didn't agree, we've done him a service in bringing this to his attention.)

Now we ask Mr. Jenkins similarly to recant that we have ever said the thrift store manager should not be paid. We certainly have not, and it was implied in his post. Again, see above as to our thoughts on payment. If one works, he/she should be paid. If he wishes those who don't understand this basic principal of being paid to perform permanent work for a charity, he needs to post his comments on one of the three or four sites currently bashing the charity's board without provocation or basis.

In Judge Sandlin's Locker

In a recent blog, we asked what kind of change Judge Jimmy Sandlin had brought to the Lauderdale Circuit Court. We stated that the lives of Judge Sandlin's family have certainly changed since he was elected on the platform of saving marriages. One of Judge Sandlin's children has contacted us to say that he supports his father in all that has happened and has taken part in Sandlin's advertising campaign.

Our statement holds, but we have no desire to hurt Judge Sandlin's family. We have stressed to this young man that he is welcome to write a blog for us and we will be happy to publish it; however, it appears he does not wish to.

How about other change that Sandlin has wrought? Obviously, for every winner in family court, there is a loser, but we have previously been impressed by the work that Patricia Locker has done to bring certain court problems to light.

Patricia has begun a website called In Judge Sandlin's Locker. We invite you to visit this informative site and judge for yourself.

Yes, we support Willson Jenkins, a man we think will make a great judge. If there should be runoff between Sandlin and Billy Jackson, we will support Jackson. Let's bring morality back to the bench.

*****

Shoals Republican Club Hosts

Alabama State Senate Candidates

Jerry Freeman and Angela Laughlin

Thursday, May 27th

The Shoals Republican Club will host Republican Alabama State Senate District #1 candidates Angela Laughlin and Dr. Jerry Freeman on Thursday, May 27th from 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. at Ryan’s Family Steakhouse Restaurant on Cox Creek Parkway in Florence.

Each candidate will be given time to introduce themselves and speak about the important issues facing our state and the Shoals area. Alabama State Senate District #1 encompasses all of Lauderdale County and a portion of Colbert County, including Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield. The Republican Primary for Alabama State Senate District #1 is Tuesday, June 1^st.

The Shoals Republican Club meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month. All meetings of the Shoals Republican Club are open to the public. For more information, contact Shoals Republican Club President William Smith at (256) 767-4529, or ShoalsRepublicanClub@gmail.com.

Shoalanda

Lauderdale Circuit Judge Place 1 - Not a Hard Choice

It is an honor and the fulfillment of a life-long dream to serve as your Family Court Judge. My heart and passion has always been for this Court. It is here that I can best apply my experience and background to make a difference in individual lives. - Jimmy Sandlin


Jimmy Sandlin has certainly changed many lives during his present term as Place 1 Circuit Court Judge in Lauderdale County--just ask his wife and children how their lives have changed. Or perhaps you could ask the taxpayers how they feel concerning those who benefited from the new jobs Sandlin created in the legal and social systems revolving around family court.

Just say no to Jimmy Sandlin, but if not Sandlin, who? Former District Attorney Billy Jackson and Florence attorney Willson Jenkins are opposing Sandlin in the June 1st Democratic primary. Jackson has previously run as a Republican, but now wears the mantle of the Democratic Party--quite a change in political direction. Jackson's website offers little but the basic rhetoric associated with campaigns of this nature, leaving the voter to wonder what Jackson actually brings to the race other than a moral compass not seemingly in Sandlin's possession.

We invite our readers to look closely at Willson Jenkins, a candidate with a vision for Lauderdale County and its courts. No, it's not a hard choice; we're happy to endorse Willson Jenkins for Circuit Court Judge Place 1.

*****

Today is Mother's Day. We know that we have friends who have recently lost their mothers, and even for those whose mothers have been absent for some time, the day is always difficult. If you still have your mother, we hope you will make every day Mother's Day.

*****

We recently added Coffee with Cathy to our blog links. Cathy Wood is a freelance writer for the TotallyDecatur, uh, TimesDaily, and we think you'll enjoy her witty work. Today we're adding a new blog, OB's Corner. OB is responsible for the Shoals Trivia Contest and is also a fixture at many Shoals area forums.


Shoalanda

Jimmy Sandlin to Again Run for Lauderdale Circuit Court

According to yesterday's TimesDaily, Judge Jimmy Sandlin will seek re-election as Lauderdale County Circuit Court Judge Place 1, commonly referred to as Family Court Judge. Sandlin is opposed by Florence attorney Willson Jenkins and presumably Billy Jackson who, if still in the running, is keeping a low profile.

Sandlin came to the judgeship four years ago after defeating Judge Larry Mack Smith. His platform during that campaign was "saving marriages." Since his election, Jimmy Sandlin himself has divorced and been the subject of much speculation concerning his ability to carry out the job to which the people of Lauderdale County elected him.

Almost immediately after the inception of this blog, we were contacted by a Lauderdale County woman who had experienced Sandlin's court firsthand. Now that Sandlin has officially announced his intent to run for a second term, this caring and articulate woman and mother has again contacted us. She will be setting up her own website to oppose Jimmy Sandlin's re-election, using her documented case specifics, as well as other personal information that we choose not to publish at this time.

However, we can publish some of the concerns this woman is seeking to address. Here, in her own words, are her (edited) complaints regarding Judge Jimmy Sandlin which she has included in a mailing to many of his supporters:


---------Sandlin refused to grant my children and me financial support or exclusive use of the home-place from Feb 2005 to Feb 2007, that we owned another home on the same property, that we repeatedly turned to Judge Sandlin for help, that Sandlin was given several opportunities to protect my children, and he refused to help them.

---------copies of 3 motions filed asking for immediate relief from the conditions we were in:

---------the first one coincided with the initial filing for divorce which stated that "the wife does not feel safe if required to reside with the husband", "there have been certain behavioral changes in her husband of late which support and give credence to her fears"...stated that the husband has other places to reside.

---------subsequent motions used the words "openly hostile".... "chronic tension".... "detrimental effects both on the parties and the parties' children"... "significant negative effects on the parties' three girls"... "there is suffering among this family and the brunt of the suffering is unfortunately borne by the parties' children"... "defendant routinely drinks to excess".... "(children) have too much to endure".... "indicative of their (children's) depression"..."he withholds money"..."makes their simple existence almost unbearable"...."deteriorating circumstances in the marital residence"..."increasing air of hostility"...."environment counter-productive and unnecessary"..."afford them the relief to which they are entitled". Strong language, yet Sandlin refused to respond to the numerous requests for relief and deliberately left us in the same house with (husband) for two full years.

---------my testimony that the court damaged my children by making us reside with (husband) under these conditions for 2 years and that Sandlin threatened to make my daughters wards of the state with no justification at all.

---------that it was suggested by legal professionals that the way Sandlin arranged my children's child support is not legal...he awarded them $1934/month and then kicked back to (husband) $734/month as "rent" even though both our homes were paid for. This $734 in rent was not recorded on the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. More than one attorney told me this was not legal.

---------my attorney's affidavit that neither he nor (husband's) attorney received notice of the ruling which cost us our opportunity to appeal Sandlin's decree.

---------a copy of the January, 2007, article from the Times Daily about Sandlin's commitment to mending marriages, the programs that he implemented, the same programs he bypassed when he got his own divorce in another county.

As stated, these comments are highly edited. When the website has been completed, we will be providing a link for those who wish to read the story in its entirety. For further reading, we include links to previous columns concerning Lauderdale County Circuit Court Judgeship Place 1:

Jimmy Sandlin
Willson Jenkins
Billy Jackson

Be a good Alabamian, be an informed Alabamian.

Shoalanda

Billy Jackson Has Grown Donkey Ears

Perhaps we should call him Bottom...it seems the former Republican District Attorney is now sporting long ears and referring to himself as a Democrat. To what end?

From 2002 until 2004, Billy Jackson served as Lauderdale County District Attorney, but lost his appointed position to Democrat Chris Connolly in the next general election. Later, Gov. Bob Riley asked Jackson to consider running as a Republican for State Senate District 1; however, Jackson demurred due to the demands of his private law practice.

Now, Billy Jackson has announced that he, like Willson Jenkins, will seek the position of Family Court judge. Perhaps those who have informed us Jimmy Sandlin will renege on his promise not to seek re-election were mistaken, and Jackson calculates his best chance will be as a Democrat? Perhaps there are other reasons?

If Jimmy Sandlin does run for a second term, the anti-Sandlin vote could be evenly split between Jackson and Jenkins--not a happy prognostication. In any event, Jackson's entry into the fray almost assures a runoff in the Democratic primary. Any Republicans left out there?

Photo by Matt McKean


Will Rogers: "I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."

Shoalanda

Is Willson Jenkins the Next Lauderdale Circuit Judge?

Is Willson Jenkins of Florence destined to be the next Lauderdale County Family Court Judge, or, perhaps more importantly, is he the right man for the job? We think he might be. We also know that whoever succeeds the incumbent will not have an easy task before him or her. As we have stated many times, Family Court has no real winners, and the losers are often not deserving of that status--that's the cost of divorce.

However, we firmly believe that Family Court can be returned to the model of fairness and integrity it was before Jimmy Sandlin took office. We spotlighted Mr. Jenkins in February when he was one of three finalists to replace Circuit Court Judge Mike Suttle. Mr. Jenkins is now associated with the law firm of Bunch and James; we look forward to bringing you more on Willson Jenkins as the campaign progresses.


What's up with this: Interested in the program on Constitutional reform to be presented next Sunday? What, you missed that tidbit? Perhaps the TimesDaily should have placed the announcement in the Forum/Politics section, but then they wouldn't have had room for the articles on Iranian immigrants and squirrel colonies, now would they?

Shoalanda

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

Robert Willson Jenkins Jr.

Today begins a three part series on the nominees to succeed Lauderdale Circuit Court Judge Mike Suttle.

Robert Willson Jenkins Jr. is a personal injury attorney practicing in downtown Florence. A partner in the firm of Jester & Jenkins P.C., Jenkins resides with his wife Bonnie in the Wildwood Park area of North Florence. Jenkins was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 31, 1962, and graduated with a bachelor's degree from Birmingham Southern College in 1985. In 1988, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama.

Besides his law practice, Jenkins is an adjunct at the University of North Alabama where he works with the Paralegal Program. The local attorney is also an avid sailor, serving as the Commodore of the Muscle Shoals Sailing Club and Secretary of the Dixie Inland Yacht Racing Association.

Martindale ranks Jenkins with a visibility factor of 13 out of 113 practicing attorneys in the city of Florence, making him no stranger to high profile cases. In 1994, Jenkins represented local businessman Keith Varner in his divorce from wife and business partner Ann P. Varner (for those interested in this case, it can be easily Googled for more information). In 2007, Jenkins represented real estate developer Jimmy Neese in his effort to secure forgiveness for over $600,000.00 in loans from the city of Florence.

Willson Jenkins is one of three candidates to be chosen from an initial field of seven. Retired Judge Leslie Johnson has assured the public that the vetting process was both strenuous and bipartisan. Every citizen concerned with the future of the court system in Lauderdale County needs to familiarize themselves with these candidates and make their opinions known to Gov. Bob Riley as soon as possible.


Tomorrow: Gilbert Self

Who Were the Other Four?

Retired judge Leslie Johnson has announced his selection committee's choice of three applicants to replace retiring Judge Ned Suttle. The three whose names will be forwarded to Gov. Bob Riley are James Hall II, Willson Jenkins, and Gilbert Self.

The missing pieces of the puzzle are the names of the four applicants that were cast aside. It had been rumored that Billy Jackson, a former Lauderdale District Attorney and a member of the Republican Party, had offered his name for consideration. While Johnson's remarks concerning the bi-partisan selection of the applicants sound noble on the surface, we must remember that party affiliation is hardly a secret here in the Shoals.

Hall is the only one of the three finalists to have judicial experience, something he was quick to point out in a TimesDaily interview. Should Hall be selected over the other two applicants, both known for their work in civil litigation, he will not be the first to use the Florence Municipal judgeship as a stepping stone to Lauderdale Circuit Court.

Obviously one must wonder why the names of the four also-rans are shrouded in secrecy. After all, it was a fair and unbiased decision, wasn't it?


What's up with this: For those who might not remember, Willson Jenkins was one of the attorneys who represented Jimmy Neese in his quest to avoid repayment of loans owed the City of Florence.