Robert Leslie Palmer
Robert Leslie Palmer (born 1957) is a science fiction author and former attorney.
Palmer earned his bachelor of arts in political science at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana (1979) and his juris doctorate at the Georgetown University Law Center (1982). He joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps in 1983. During service with the 8th Army in Seoul, South Korea and the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, he attained the rank of Captain before leaving to pursue private practice in 1987. He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar on September 28 of that year.
Palmer joined the firm of Lewis, Martin, Burnett & Dunkle that year, and remained for eight years, during which time the firm became Martin, Drummond, Woosley & Palmer. In 1995 he left to join the Environmental Litigation Group, eventually becoming a shareholder. While there he founded the Alabama Legal Reform Foundation, which worked to overturn Alabama's statute of limitations on toxic exposure complaints. For his efforts he was given the Champion of Justice award from the Alabama Association for Justice in November 2007 and the Access to Justice Award from the Public Justice Foundation in 2008. He sold his interest in the firm in late 2009 to pursue writing full-time.
For more than 20 years, Palmer has authored guest columns for numerous newspapers, most frequently the Birmingham News and Anniston Star.
Palmer is a former chair of the Board of Directors for the Jimmie Hale Mission, a former Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 532 in Helena, and former president of the Birmingham chapter of the Christian Legal Society. He is a member of the Birmingham Art Association and the Birmingham Historical Society.
On November 23, 2010, Palmer's first novel, Archibald Zwick and the Eight Towers was published. By February 2011, the book had appeared as high as number one on the Barnes and Nobles fantasy and science fiction bestsellers list, and was 13th overall for fiction. The book is a geared towards teens, and includes moral lessons for the 16-year-old protagonist in the former of Christian allegory. Palmer followed up with a non-fiction companion book, Truth in the Eight Towers, which highlights the scriptural basis for the fantasy novel.
References
- Velasco, Eric & Spencer, Thomas (January 29, 2008) "New timetable set for lawsuits over toxic ills." The Birmingham News
- Walton, Val (June 26, 2008) "Birmingham lawyer recognized nationally for his court work for victims of hazardous chemical exposure." The Birmingham News
- Garrison, Greg (February 6, 2011) "Crusading lawyer preaches in prose." The Birmingham News
External links
- Robert Leslie Palmer website