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DALE SEGREST
General practice lawyer in Tallassee, AL

Dale Segrest's distinguished legal career spans more than 40 years.  Born in Shorter, Alabama, he has practiced law in the state since 1967 and served as judge of the Alabama Fifth Circuit Court for 18 years.  He founded the general practice Segrest Law Firm in 2001, the day after he left the bench.  His Tallassee, Alabama offices are presently in a renovated historic structure built to quarter Confederate officers in charge of the Tallassee armory.  Previously, he did a historic restoration of the John Massey House in Tuskegee, which served as the firm's original office.  The law firm now serves Tallassee, Tuskegee, Dadeville, Alex City, Wetumpka, Auburn, and the surrounding areas.

A member of the bar since 1967, Dale Segrest was elected circuit judge in Alabama's Fifth Judicial Circuit, where he served Macon, Tallapoosa, Chambers, and Randolph counties for 18 years.  So, Judge Segrest understands from his own experience how other lawyers and judges think. As a circuit judge, he dealt with every type of case presented in a court of general jurisdiction in rural Alabama. He can draw on this deep well of knowledge to help his clients prevail in legal matters of all kinds.  He believes that a commitment to truth is a centerpiece in problem solving and professionalism.
Judge Segrest has also been active in the legal community:

  • Taught court skills to law students
  • Taught basic skills to new judges
  • Promoted judicial education
  • Lectured extensively Wrote on a wide array of legal, philosophical, religious, and cultural issues

His holistic understanding of the law creates a solid groundwork for all his cases.  His commitment to his legal career, the community, and the field pay off for his clients in his determination to obtain justice for their claims and solutions to their problems. 

Community values are the key
Nearly 20 years ago Judge Segrest pioneered the concept of probation sponsorship to provide people convicted of crimes the opportunity to avoid incarceration by enlisting a community support group to promote good behavior and appropriate moral formation.  Read more about Judge Segrest's publications and legal philosophy.

Legal advice based in study and creative analysis
Judge Segrest has always been keenly interested in legal ideas and philosophy, particularly:

  • The role of law in society
  • The role of the legal profession
  • The role of the court


Conscience and Command, published in 1994, developed the idea of a basis of law in human motivation.  In Conscience and Command, Dale describes the origins of his ideas and summarizes the theory.  He argues that while law is difficult to define and understand as a metaphysical concept, we can readily understand why people do the things they do that create a system of laws. Law is obviously energized by human motivational force. As people seek to satisfy their own needs for security, they create a system and contribute the energy that enforces the system. The system depends upon a shared system of beliefs. The collective energy enforces norms.

Areas of practice
Alabama attorney Dale Segrest has successfully represented clients in a wide range of areas including:

  • Choosing a business organization
  • Divorce
  • Elder care
  • Estate planning
  • Personal injury
  • Real estate
  • Trusts and wills
  • Will contests
  • Fraud
  • Civil Litigation

As a general practice lawyer and divorce attorney serving Tallassee, Tuskegee, Dadeville, Alex City, Wetumpka, Auburn and the surrounding areas, Dale Segrest firmly believes that a fundamental role of his practice is to diagnose the nature of your legal problem correctly.  Often, your problem may not fit neatly into one of the specific practice areas named above.  Even so, Dale Segrest can see through the legal maze to determine whether the Segrest Law Firm or another attorney or professional can assist you most effectively. 

Education
After completing undergraduate studies at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Dale Segrest earned his law degree at the University of Alabama School of Law and a Master of Judicial Studies degree from theUniversity of Nevada at Reno, where he completed his thesis on Punitive Damages in Alabama.  He studied to be both a mediator and an arbitrator and is listed on the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution's rosters. He is also qualified as a Private Judge, an innovative new concept to actually hear and decide certain cases, if lawyers choose to have a private judge. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, Huntingdon College.

Thought leadership

Deeply interested in legal philosophy, Judge Segrest is the author of articles and books including Conscience and Command, which explores law as a product of the force of human motives coupled with shared beliefs. He has taught both lawyers and judges, and developed an innovative course on the relationship of jurisprudence to literature. Foundations in Pluralism used a study of writings of significant black authors as a basis for discussions by a diverse group of judges. During his tenure as a judge, he pioneered the model of probation sponsorship. Now he is working on a new concept of implementing best practices to revitalize commerce, industry, and quality of life in Tallassee—a former textile mill town. The concept is embedded in a campaign initiated by the Greater Tallassee Area Chamber of Commerce called "TALLASSEE NOW!"

Community service
Since his days as president of the Student Government Association in college, Judge Segrest has remained active there and was named to the Huntingdon Board of Directors in 1982 where he served until 2004 serving as Chari of the Board from 1995-1999.  He has served as conference lay leader of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, and is very interested in the interface of religion and law.  He served the Greater Tallassee Area Chamber of Commerce. He was instrumental in organizing the Tallassee Redevelopment Authority, a statute municipal corporation charged with revitalization of Tallassee's business district. He also organized Tallassee Community Development Corporation, a non-profit public foundation that works for improvement of quality of life in the expanded community of Tallassee.




TALLASSEE ALABAMA

301 King Street
Phone: 334.252.0036
Fax: 334.252.0037

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