Elisabeth French

Elisabeth French was raised by a single mother school teacher. Her mother made sacrifices, and Elisabeth was able to obtain a full athletic scholarship in volleyball at The University of Montevallo. She received her B.A. Degree with a double major in Political Science and Spanish. While Judge French grew up after the Civil Rights Movement and schools were integrated, she still had the frequent experience of being in the minority and sometimes being different from everyone in the room. Elisabeth’s mother supported and encouraged her. She welcomed the challenges that came, and felt that her upbringing and athletic experience made her a fighter, but she has always valued compassion.

She worked as a litigator for 14 years before coming a judge. She primarily handled medical malpractice cases and mass tort pharmaceutical litigation including diet drug litigation, hormone therapy cases, Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra cases. That courtroom experience prepared her to be a trial court judge. Her civic experience includes serving as President of the Alabama Lawyers Association Judicial Council; serving on the Board of the Birmingham Bar Women Lawyers Section and the UAB Minority Health Advisory Board; The University of Montevallo’s Foundation Board; volunteering in Birmingham City School’s after-school program; Children’s Dance Foundation Board, Mock Trials (providing field trips), and Living Stones Church. Despite her busy career, she and her husband Attorney G. Courtney French, are raising three children also to be able to handle any challenge. She encourages them to do well in school and to participate in sports but wants to make sure that they too learn to overcome adversity. In other words, French knows that her challenges and struggles made her the person she is today.