Dentons Sirote is pleased to announce that on Friday, December 10, 2021, shareholder J. Mason Davis was honored by the Birmingham Bar Association with the L. Burton Barnes III Public Service Award. Davis received the award for his distinguished service in the field of law.

Alongside Davis, retired Jefferson County Judge Houston L. Brown received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In the 1970s and 1980s, Davis and Judge Brown practiced together at Davis & Brown in downtown Birmingham. Davis began his career at Dentons Sirote (formerly Sirote & Permutt) in 1984 and was the first African American lawyer to become a partner at a major Alabama law firm.

Davis has always been deeply committed to the promotion of racial and religious tolerance. He played a key role in desegregating public accommodations in Alabama and primarily took on civil rights cases. Notably, he was involved in some of the most significant struggles—and victories—of the civil rights movement. Davis acted as the lawyer for a number of students who participated in the widely publicized Huntsville lunch counter sit-ins in 1961 and 1962.

Davis has faithfully served the Birmingham community during his storied career. He was the first African American lawyer to serve as president of the Birmingham Bar Association. He also served on the board of bar commissioners for the Alabama State Bar. He has served as chairman of the board of United Way of Central Alabama and was the first African American to hold that position. In 2019, United Way of Central Alabama announced the launch of the J. Mason Davis Leadership Society to bring together African Americans who are striving to positively impact the community through a shared affinity for philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. In 2020, he was inducted into the Magic City Bar Association's Hall of Fame and presented with the Medallion of Merit Award. Davis has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and was honored as a recipient of the Alabama Democratic Party's Hall of Fame Award. He was inducted into the Alabama Lawyers Association (ALA) Hall of Fame and the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame,  and he was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award in Human and Civil Rights from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 2013.