Gary Hicks is a founding partner of the law firm of Ryan, Hicks, Cumpton & Cumpton, LLP. Mr. Hicks practices in the areas of tax planning, estate planning, wills, trusts and probate.

Mr. Hicks was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1956. In 1978, he received his Bachelor of Arts from Samford University. He attended law school at Cumberland School of Law, and in 1981 he received his Juris Doctorate. While in law school, he served on various Student Bar Association committees.

Mr. Hicks is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Florida State Bar, the Elder Law Section of the Alabama State Bar, and the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Mr. Hicks has co-authored two books on estate planning and tax matters, Using Living Trusts, and The Attorney’s Textbook: RLT Planning. Mr. Hicks previously served as a member of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.

Mr. Hicks is married to Karen Perkins Hicks, and they have two children, Chason and Katherine, and several grandchildren.

Michael L. Cumpton is a founding partner in the law firm of Ryan, Hicks, Cumpton & Cumpton, LLP, where he practices in the areas of complex domestic tax, estate planning, and international tax. He was born in Delhi, Louisiana in 1966.

In 1988, he received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Northeast Louisiana University. In 1992, Mr. Cumpton received his Juris Doctorate (with honors) from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. While in law school, he was a member of the Loyola Law Review, and the Loyola International Moot Court Team. Mr. Cumpton also served as Articles Editor of the American Constitution Journal of Law and Public Policy.

Mr. Cumpton is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the Florida Bar. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar’s Elder Law Section, the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, the Mobile Bar Association, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has served on numerous bar association committees, and he is involved in church and community activities. Mr. Cumpton is the primary author and editor of Using Living Trusts, and The Attorney’s Textbook: RLT Planning. Also, Mr. Cumpton is the primary author of A Detailed Review of the Employment Retention Tax Credit, which is one of the only scholarly works written about the ERC. These publications are used to teach attorneys and other professionals how best to help their clients.

Mr. Cumpton is married to Susan O’Brien Cumpton, who is also a partner in the law firm of Ryan, Hicks, Cumpton & Cumpton, LLP. They have three children, Patrick, Catherine and John-Thomas.

L. Thomas Ryan, Jr. is the firm’s managing partner in Huntsville, Alabama, and he is a founding partner of the firm. Mr. Ryan earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law, where he was the Articles Editor for the Law and Psychology Review. He also completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Mr. Ryan is a member of the American Bar Association, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, and the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.

He is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of Alabama, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Mr. Ryan is a frequent speaker on estate planning topics, and regularly presents educational seminars for public and private audiences.

Mr. Ryan has two sons. He is a former Board member and two-term former President of the Foster Children's Alliance, a non-profit corporation that provides assistance for foster children. His concern for the welfare of children also led him to serve as a board member of the National Children's Advocacy Center. Mr. Ryan served as a Bar Commissioner for the Alabama State Bar, and he is a past president of the Alabama State Bar’s Elder Law Section.

Susan O’Brien Cumpton is a senior partner in the law firm of Ryan Hicks Cumpton & Cumpton, LLP. Ms. Cumpton practices in the fields of complex, international and domestic tax, estate planning and elder law.

Ms. Cumpton was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1967. In 1988, she received her Bachelor of Arts from McNeese State University. While in school, she was involved in a number of academic and social organizations, and she served as president of her sorority.

In 1992, she received her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. While in law school, she served on the Loyola International Moot Court Team, and she was on the staff of the American Constitution Journal of Law and Public Policy.

After graduating from law school, Ms. Cumpton attended the University of Alabama School of Law, where she pursued additional studies in the field of taxation, and she received her Master of Laws in Taxation (L.L.M.) degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Ms. Cumpton is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys. She is married to Michael Cumpton, and they have three children, Patrick, Catherine and John-Thomas. She is also a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and the Elder Law Section of the Alabama State Bar.