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Ernest Cory

Co-founder at Cory Watson Attorneys
Memphis, TN40 years experience

About Ernest Cory

Ernest 'Ernie' Cory (1955-2025) was the Co-founder of Cory Watson Attorneys in Birmingham, Alabama. He practiced law for more than 40 years with a focus on dangerous drugs, defective medical devices, products liability, mass torts, and class actions.

Cory earned his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and his Bachelor's degree summa cum laude from the University of Alabama. He grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Vestavia Hills High School. He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar.

Cory founded his firm more than two decades ago. Under his leadership, Cory Watson served more than 150,000 families and recovered more than $4 billion in settlements and verdicts. His honors include Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year in Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (2018), Best Lawyers in America (2014-2026), Mid-South Super Lawyer (2008-2025), and AV Preeminent peer review rating.

Practice areas

Education

University of Alabama
Undergraduate

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of Alabama
American Association for Justice
Birmingham Bar Association
Birmingham Bar Foundation (Life Fellow)
Alabama Civil Justice Foundation (Charter member)

Awards & recognition

Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year - Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (2018)
Best Lawyers in America (2014-2026)
Mid-South Super Lawyer (2008-2025)
America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators
AV Preeminent (Martindale-Hubbell)
Top 50 Alabama Attorneys - Super Lawyers

Other attorneys at Cory Watson Attorneys

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Proven verdicts and settlements from other Memphis firms

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$4.9 million · $4.9 Million Settlement: Shelby County Jail Inmates Held Past Release Dates After Odyssey Software Rollout
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$38.8 million · Memphis Jury Awards $38.8 Million in Regional One Birth Injury Case
Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi, PLC
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$50,000 · Tennessee Court of Appeals Affirms $50,000 Crash and Loss-of-Consortium Verdict for Shelby County Couple
NST Law Injury Attorneys
NST Law Injury Attorneys
Tennessee Supreme Court Upholds Full Medical Bills for Injury Plaintiffs in Dedmon v. Steelman