Counsel for land, estates, and the people who hold them.
Traylor Law Firm serves clients throughout Alabama, concentrating on property law and probate: clearing title, settling estates, and protecting the land families have held for generations. The firm also serves individuals, businesses, and nonprofits, drawing on more than twenty years of in-house, federal government, and general counsel work and over thirty years of business, administration, and finance experience.
Property Law & Probate
Property Law
- DeedsWarranty, quitclaim, and heirship deeds drafted and recorded.
- Title defects & fraudulent deedsChallenges to forged, mistaken, or improperly executed conveyances.
- Quiet titleCourt actions to settle ownership, including claims against unknown owners.
- Adverse possession & boundariesClaims and defenses based on long-term possession, fences, and survey lines.
- Easements & accessDriveways, rights-of-way, and landlocked parcels.
- Ejectment & tax-sale propertyRecovering possession and resolving tax-sale purchases and redemptions.
- Eminent domainOwners' rights when land is taken or burdened for public use.
Probate & Heirs' Property
- Estate administrationOpening the estate in probate court and guiding the personal representative through each duty.
- Small estatesSummary distribution where Alabama law allows a shorter process.
- Petitions to sellCourt approval to sell estate land and divide the proceeds among heirs.
- Heirs' propertyHeirship affidavits and deeds when land passed without a will.
- Closing the estateFinal accounting, distribution, and discharge.
How an estate moves through probate
- Petition filed in the county probate court
- Court issues letters to the personal representative
- Notice to heirs and creditors
- Inventory, debts paid, property sold if needed
- Distribution to heirs and final settlement
Additional Practice Areas
Deeds, title, eminent domain, and probate are covered under Property Law & Probate.
Leasing & Real Estate Transactions
Commercial Leases
Review and negotiation of commercial leases for tenants and property owners, and resolution of disputes over rent, repairs, renewals, and defaults.
Landlord–Tenant & Lease Matters
Lease disputes, habitability issues, holdover tenancies, and move-out settlements for tenants and property owners.
Lending Documents
Drafting and review of mortgages, promissory notes, security agreements, and UCC filings, with attention to lien priority and enforceability.
Construction & Contractor Disputes
Overdue or abandoned projects, payment disputes, and mechanics' and materialmen's liens, for owners, organizations, and contractors.
Business & Organizations
Outside General Counsel
Ongoing legal counsel for businesses and nonprofits that need a lawyer on call without a full in-house department, including contract drafting, interpretation, and administration, governance, and day-to-day questions.
Compliance & Risk Management
Compliance policies, internal controls, and codes of conduct sized to the organization, plus insurance procurement and risk-transfer planning.
Internal Investigations & Legal Audits
Confidential reviews of employment, governance, and financial-control concerns, and audits of contract, real estate, and regulatory obligations, with written findings.
Nonprofit & Faith-Based Organizations
Board governance, fiduciary duties, nonprofit finance and compliance, property holdings, and crisis response for churches and multi-entity nonprofits.
Disputes & Individual Rights
Consumer & Credit Reporting
Disputes over debts, credit reporting, financing disclosures, and product warranties under federal and Alabama consumer law.
Debt Litigation
Collection lawsuits brought by creditors and debt buyers, including challenges to the documentation and amount claimed, negotiated resolutions, and motions to set aside default judgments.
Service Members' Rights
Help for active-duty service members and veterans: protection under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, including property sold or repossessed during deployment; security clearance issues; and military discharge upgrades.
Civil Litigation
Cases in all Alabama and Michigan state courts, and in the federal district and bankruptcy courts where the firm is admitted.
How the Firm Works
Review
Deeds, contracts, and court files are reviewed at the start, so advice rests on what the documents actually say.
Analyze
Clients receive written analysis they can share with family, a board, or a lender, with the options and their costs laid out plainly.
Resolve
Demand letters, negotiated settlements, and corrective instruments often end a dispute. When they don't, the file is ready for court.
About James O. Traylor
James O. Traylor founded Traylor Law Firm to give families, property owners, and organizations a lawyer to whom they can relate.
James believes everyone deserves competent legal representation and considers good judgment the most important quality a lawyer can offer. He approaches every matter practically, weighing each strategy and decision against its cost, its timeline, and the client's goals.
His legal career has been shaped by practice in multiple areas of law. He began as a legal services law clerk assisting attorneys with family law, landlord-tenant, and debt-related cases, then interned with a Michigan firm focused on corporate, tax, and real estate law and continued there after graduating from law school. As general counsel to a large nonprofit with real estate, aviation, and financial operations, he was responsible for its legal and compliance affairs. He also completed a post-graduate externship as an attorney in the U.S. corporate law office of a multi-billion-dollar international auto parts supplier.
As a federal attorney advisor, he reviewed the collateral, liens, and loan documents behind federal disaster loans across the country and U.S. territories. He performed collateral reviews where the agency placed liens on borrowers' assets under the Uniform Commercial Code, identifying the title defects and state-law conflicts that could impair a loan's enforceability.
James has drawn on this varied experience to give clients thorough and effective advice. Years of reviewing titles, liens, and loan documents strengthen his work on quiet title actions, disputed and defective deeds, heirs' property, and estate administration in Alabama's probate courts. His time in corporate law offices and as general counsel shapes the practical guidance he gives businesses, churches, and nonprofits on contracts, governance, and compliance.
James combines extensive knowledge of business, finance, and law to solve difficult and complex issues. He is a strong communicator, skilled in negotiation and dispute resolution, and a highly organized, creative multitasker.
He holds a Master of Laws in corporate law and finance in addition to his law degree. A veteran of the U.S. Army and the Alabama Army National Guard, he brings that experience to his work for service members and veterans. He is admitted to practice in all Alabama and Michigan state courts, in the federal district and bankruptcy courts in both states, and in the United States Tax Court.
James grew up in Lincoln, Alabama, in Talladega County. He is married to Dr. Regina L. Traylor, and they have four children, ranging from middle school to college.
Bar & Court Admissions
- Alabama State BarAll Alabama state courts
- State Bar of MichiganAll Michigan state courts
- U.S. District CourtMiddle District of Alabama
- U.S. Bankruptcy CourtMiddle District of Alabama
- U.S. District CourtsEastern and Western Districts of Michigan
- U.S. Bankruptcy CourtsEastern and Western Districts of Michigan
- United States Tax Court
Education
- Master of Laws (LL.M.), Corporate Law & FinanceWestern Michigan University Cooley Law School
- Juris Doctor (J.D.)Thomas M. Cooley Law School
- B.A., Political Science & HistoryUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
Service & Affiliations
- VeteranUnited States Army and Alabama Army National Guard
- MemberAlpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Request a Consultation
Call or email with a short description of your matter and any deadline you are facing. The firm will reply to schedule a consultation.
What to have ready
- Deeds, surveys, tax notices, or title reports for any property involved
- Contracts, invoices, liens, or leases in dispute
- Court papers you have received, with the dates you received them
- For an estate: the death certificate, any will, and a list of heirs
- Names of the other people or companies involved
Please do not send confidential documents until the firm confirms it can take your matter.