Copeland Franco Screws & Gill

Copeland Franco Screws and Gill is one of the more established law firms in Montgomery, with a practice spanning personal injury, real estate law, and tax law. The firm's real estate and tax attorneys work with property owners on assessment disputes, title matters, and the legal issues that come up when you own, transfer, or develop real property in Alabama. Their size means they can put more resources behind complex matters while still handling individual property owners' concerns. The firm has been part of the Montgomery legal community long enough to understand how local government agencies operate and how disputes get resolved at the county level. For clients whose property tax issue is part of a larger real estate transaction or dispute, having an attorney who can handle multiple connected legal issues under one roof is a practical advantage.

Copeland Franco's property tax work fits within their broader real estate practice. Their attorneys handle assessment appeals for residential, commercial, and industrial properties in Montgomery County and surrounding areas. When a property's assessment seems out of step with the market or doesn't account for the property's actual condition, they can build the documentation and legal argument needed for an appeal. The firm handles both the informal county appeal process and formal hearings before the Alabama Board of Equalization. For larger commercial properties, they can also pursue circuit court litigation if administrative remedies don't produce a fair result. Their real estate law background is useful in property tax cases where valuation is complicated by factors like environmental issues, easements, pending development, or unusual ownership structures. These are situations where a straight comparable-sales argument isn't enough and you need attorneys who understand the full legal picture around a piece of property. They also assist with current use valuation applications for qualifying agricultural and undeveloped land, property tax exemption applications, and back-assessment disputes where unexpected tax bills arrive after a classification or ownership error is discovered.

Copeland Franco's process starts with a case assessment. One of their property tax attorneys will review your assessment notice, the county's valuation data, and any relevant facts about the property. They'll give you a practical analysis of whether the assessment has meaningful errors and whether an appeal is worth pursuing. If you move forward, the attorneys prepare a formal written case for the informal appeal to the county assessor's office. That submission typically includes comparable sales data, evidence about the property's condition, and any legal arguments about valuation methodology that apply to your situation. If the informal process doesn't resolve the dispute, they'll escalate to the Board of Equalization. These hearings require more structured legal argument and documentation, and the firm's litigation experience is an asset here. The attorneys keep clients updated throughout and explain what's happening at each stage without burying them in unnecessary legal detail.

Copeland Franco Screws and Gill serves clients across central Alabama, with a primary focus on Montgomery County. They also handle matters in Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Butler, and Crenshaw counties. Their real estate and tax attorneys regularly work with clients on properties throughout Alabama when complex legal matters warrant it. The firm can coordinate multi-county appeals for clients with properties in multiple jurisdictions, managing separate deadlines and procedures across each county's administrative process.