Arthur Teele takes over as Alabaster’s Director of Courts
By Barry Wise Smith
In May 2025, Arthur Teele left a long court career in the city of Birmingham to take over as Alabaster’s new Director of Courts and Court Clerk. “I couldn’t ask for a better team,” Teele says. And while Alabaster is smaller than Birmingham, and the pace isn’t quite the same, Teele says, “It feels like family.”
And speaking of family, Teele grew up in a family that valued success. Teele’s father was a lawyer and politician in South Florida, and his mother was an 
anesthesiologist in Birmingham. After graduating from Homewood High School in 1996, Teele went on to Florida A&M in Tallahassee and majored in political science and English, with a plan “to go into some form of law enforcement,” Teele says. “That was a big passion of mine.”
After graduating in 2001, Teele came back to Birmingham to care for his mother, who had cancer and was undergoing treatment. After deciding to go to law school and getting accepted to Florida State, Teele changed his plan and applied to Miles College Law School in order to care for his mom.
Teele started law school in 2003, and his mother passed away in 2005. Miles is a three-year program in the evenings to accommodate working professionals, so after his mom passed away, during his last year of law school, Teele went to work in the Birmingham City Attorney’s office—under the supervision of Tamara Johnson—processing claims and serving as a paralegal. “Mrs. Johnson was always a mentor to me,” Teele says. “I learned so much from her. That’s really where I got my start in public service.”
After working in the City Attorney’s office, a magistrate position became available, and Teele jumped on it. “This was a dream job,” Teele recalls. Having graduated from law school in 2006, Teele stayed in the role of magistrate until 2013 and says, “We made a big difference in the lives of the people of Birmingham.”
In 2013, the chief magistrate position became available, and Teele applied for and got the job. Teele supervised a staff of 20 magistrates who ran a 24-hour court. During his tenure, Teele convinced the presiding judge, Judge Andre Sparks, that there was not a need for a 24-hour court. Court hours were changed to 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Teele stayed in the role until June 2015 when he left for the job as Director of Courts in Tuscaloosa.
Missing home, after two years Teele returned to Birmingham as the chief magistrate in 2017. “I hit the ground running when I got back,” he says. Teele remained the chief magistrate until leaving to come to Alabaster in May.
Since coming to Alabaster, Teele has focused on making the court more efficient while also being intentional about team building. “We’re really busy on Wednesdays,” Teele says. “I want to value the citizens’ time and be responsible and respectful of that.” Teele’s goals now are to investigate new court management software “so we want to stay on top” and to continue building a good court culture “to reward and retain good employees.”
Teele is thrilled to be in Alabaster. “My plan is to retire here, he says. “Everyone has been so supportive, and they’ve given me so many resources to be successful.
Teele married Destini Teele, Birmingham’s assistant city attorney and senior prosecutor, in 2020 and has a 15-year-old son William. Teele is also a motorcycle enthusiast who is part of the Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club in Birmingham.