J. Mason "Mason" Davis, Jr.

J.Mason Davis is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office. After graduating with his JD from The State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1959, he returned to Birmingham to start his own law practice, initially specializing in civil rights cases. From the day he returned to Birmingham, Mason has remained a dedicated and inspirational leader in the Civil Rights Movement and a leader in support of health and human service charities.

Mason is deeply committed to the promotion of religious and racial tolerance in our community. He was involved in some of the most significant controversies in the civil rights struggle. As the attorney for a number of students who participated in the widely publicized Huntsville lunch counter sit-ins in 1961 and 1962, Davis played a key role in the desegregation of Alabama. In recognition of his conspicuous contributions in advancing racial reconciliation, his family was pictured on Time magazine's cover in 1974. Because of his extensive advocacy in the Civil Rights movement, Mason was also featured in the 2016 PBS documentary Stand! Untold Stories from the Civil Rights Movement.

It's not surprising that J. Mason Davis has made significant opportunities possible for minorities, considering his family's heritage: The family business, Davenport and Harris Funeral Home, is the oldest African American family-owned business in Alabama. In 1984, Davis joined Dentons Sirote, formerly Sirote & Permutt, PC, as the first African American attorney to be hired by a major Alabama law firm as a partner. At Dentons Sirote, Davis has a long, distinguished career representing clients in business, antitrust, securities, and product liability litigation, as well as life, health, and surety company defense. He also has extensive experience before Insurance Regulatory Departments and Commissions and has participated in numerous trials in both state and federal courts. His appellate practice includes matters before the Supreme Court of Alabama and the 5th and 11th Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Mason’s prize accomplishments have been being elected president of the Birmingham Bar Association, bar commissioner of the Alabama State Bar, and chairman of both the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Central Alabama, in addition to being an elected member of three boards of directors of corporations whose stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.