Dean’s Message

Since March, I’ve found myself concluding conversations and correspondence with the words “be well.”  They aren’t a command, of course.  But they are a fervent wish, combined with a bit of encouragement, to act for one’s own sake and for the sake of others.

Wellbeing takes many forms: physical health, to be sure, but also psychological security, a sense of place and purpose, and habits of belonging and connection to others.  In the past year, we’ve experienced profound challenges on each of these fronts, as we’ve wrestled with pandemic, the continuing struggle for racial justice, and deep social and political cleavages among the people of our nation.

The weight of these challenges has taken its toll on all of us and has required of our students no small amount of sacrifice.  I can say with pride, however, that our students have displayed the kind of flexibility, resilience, and determination that demonstrate why Alabama Law is such a special place.  And you, our alumni, have stepped up in significant ways to support our mission to provide the very best education for the next generation of members of a great profession.

The Law School, too, has been strong and resilient.  We continue to press forward to ensure that students enjoy instruction from excellent teachers.  To that end, we welcomed four new members to the faculty in the fall of 2020.  And we are now in the initial phase of searches that I hope will grow our faculty again in the next two years.

The strategic planning process, which we paused in the spring, is now moving forward.  We are focusing on enduring themes: enriching academic programs and curriculum; cultivating a cadre of top-flight teachers, mentors, and scholars; enhancing our physical facilities; ensuring that students and faculty of all backgrounds can flourish in the Law School; providing students and graduates with meaningful opportunities for careers that reach as far as ambition and talent can take them; and ensuring that the pursuit of those opportunities is not hobbled by debt.

Even in difficult times, I see reasons for optimism.  New technologies are providing ways to gather safely for classes and activities.  Talented students still want to study at the School of Law.  Our alumni continue to engage in acts of overwhelming kindness, support, and generosity.  Students work daily to make the Law School a better place for one and all.

I am moved by these shining examples of resilience.  I look forward to even brighter days to come.

Be well,
Mark E. Brandon
Dean, The University of Alabama School of Law

Briefcase

Justice Harwood Receives the 2020 Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award

The School of Law honored Justice R. Bernard Harwood, Jr. (’63) with the 2020 Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet on February 21, 2020.

The Law School Foundation gives the award to an outstanding alumnus who has distinguished himself or herself through service to the bar, The University of Alabama, and the School of Law. The award is named for the late Samuel Wesley Pipes (’38), who was a partner in the Mobile law firm of Lyons, Pipes & Cook until his death in 1982.

After Justice Harwood graduated in 1963, he had many occasions to encounter Mr. Pipes in Mobile.  “I really enjoyed those opportunities,” Justice Harwood said, “so it is doubly meaningful to me to think that I have some connection with his legacy by virtue of this honor you’re giving me tonight.”

In 1967, Justice Harwood joined with Gordon Rosen to form the law firm of Rosen Harwood in Tuscaloosa. During his career, he served in many roles, including Deputy City Judge of Tuscaloosa, Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alabama, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge, Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and Lecturer in Law at the Law School. For more than 40 years, Justice Harwood has taught courses as an adjunct professor at Alabama Law, teaching trial advocacy, evidence, and advanced evidence.

Justice Harwood said that he was grateful to have attended the School of Law and that it shaped his life.

“I really am so happy to have an opportunity to be of service to the Law School in the various ways that I have,” Justice Harwood said.

BLSA Mock Trial and Moot Court Teams Advance to National Tournament

On January 30 through February 1. 2020, two groups of students traveled to their respective regional BLSA  mock trial and moot court competitions, returning with numerous individual wins and a place in each competition’s national tournament held in Cincinnati, Ohio in March.

Maya Hoyt (’20), Alex Williams (’20), Chenelle Jones (’21) and Gavin Baum-Blake (’21), represented Alabama Law in the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Southern Regional Competition during the Southern Regional Black Law Students’ Association’s Convention held in Charleston, South Carolina.  Due to their incredible efforts, and with the guidance of coach Justin Jones (’12), the team took second-place in the regional round, securing a trip to the national competition.

Karmen Gaines (’20) and Stephanie Avant (’20) also traveled to Charleston with coaches Anil Mujumdar (’00) and Anita Kay Head (’06) for the BLSA Southern Regional Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. Gaines and Avant won an award for the Best Petitioner Brief and placed second overall, also scoring a trip to nationals.

This is the second consecutive trip the mock trial team has made to the national competition, due in no small part to the efforts of veteran team members and co-captains Hoyt and Williams.

The moot court team made an excellent showing during their national rounds, winning 4th place overall.

Victor Methos Wins 2020 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

Victor Methos, author of The Hallows, received The University of Alabama School of Law’s 2020 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction during a virtual ceremony at the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival in September 2020.

“It is such a privilege to receive this award,” Methos said. “Every criminal lawyer will tell you the same thing: Atticus Finch was our earliest inspiration. I first read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was 13, and to this day, when the injustices of our legal system discourage me, it is that book I turn to for inspiration. To think the committee saw something of it in my own work humbles me, and I will always be grateful.”

Ten years ago, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, and to honor the former Alabama Law student and author, the School of Law created the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.

The Hallows tells the story of Tatum Graham, a Miami defense attorney who re-examines his life after he helps a guilty client walk free. Graham moves back home for a simpler life, but he soon joins the county attorney’s office as a prosecutor, where he finds redemption.

“In this tightly focused and masterful thriller, we watch Tatum Graham come to terms with the profound personal failures associated with his professional successes,” said James Crank, University of Alabama Associate Professor of English and Prize Selection Committee member.  “His redemption comes in the form of a dogged pursuit of justice, even though it means waging war on the very people and institutions that created him. In The Hallows, Victor Methos channels the very best of Harper Lee’s prose.”

Fellow Selection Committee member and 2018 Prize winner C.E. Tobisman agreed.  “Written with panache and humor, this book features deep, believable character relationships and a satisfying David versus Goliath courtroom battle,” she said.

Professor Elliott Wins Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award

Brilliant. Approachable. Great. Dedicated. Caring.

When you ask Alabama Law students about Professor Heather Elliott, these are words you hear repeated often.  Achieving well-deserved recognition, Elliott received The University of Alabama’s Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award at the 2020 Virtual Campus Assembly on October 12, 2020.

Second-year student Tucker Crain has Elliott as his academic advisor.  “Interacting with Professor Elliott outside of class is awesome,” he says.  “She’s one of the smartest people ever, but she’s super approachable and always willing to help with any issue.”

Elliott teaches civil procedure, land use law and planning, water law, legislation and regulation, and professional responsibility, and conducts research and scholarship in the areas of Alabama water law and policy and the role of courts and agencies in a democratic society.  Having joined the faculty in 2008, she is the Alumni, Class of ’36 Professor of Law.

“Not only has she done terrific scholarship in areas as diverse as environmental law, federalism, administrative law, and the constitutional doctrines of standing, but she has also built a record as a spectacular teacher,” said Mark Brandon, Dean and Thomas E. McMillan Professor of Law.

The Outstanding Commitment to Teaching award was created in 1976 by the University of Alabama National Alumni Association.  The award recognizes four faculty members annually, based on the faculty members’ commitment to teaching and the impact they have had on students through the teaching and learning process.

Yusef Salaam, Member of Exonerated Five, Speaks at Alabama Law

Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, discussed his legal case on January 27 with Judge John H. England, Jr. (’74)  in the Bedsole Moot Court Room.

On April 19, 1989, a young woman was raped and left for dead in New York City’s Central Park. Five teenagers — four Black and one Latino — were tried and convicted of the crime.  They became known collectively as the Central Park Five.

Looking back on the case, Salaam said the evidence didn’t point to the five boys. “I think — and I truly think — they knew that they had the wrong people. And I don’t think it mattered,” he said. He added that prosecutors and others were trying to quickly ensure the public that the city was safe, a move that also worked toward protecting their careers.

The five convictions were vacated in 2002 after another man, who was in prison for similar crimes, confessed to the attack. That man’s DNA matched evidence from the crime scene. The exonerated men served between seven and 13 years for crimes they did not commit. In 2003, they sued the city for their wrongful convictions. In 2014, the city settled the case and agreed to pay them a total of $41 million.

Since his release, Salaam has been committed to advocating for and educating people on the issues of false confessions, police brutality and misconduct, press ethics and bias, race and law, and the disparities in America’s criminal justice system.

Alabama Law Enrolls Three PLUS Participants in Class of 2023

When the University of Alabama School of Law welcomed the Class of 2023, Layne Lightfoot, Roxana Ramos and Courtney Zotaj had already walked the halls of the building as members of the inaugural class of the Alabama Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars Program (PLUS).

Funded by a grant from the Law School Admission Council, the PLUS program attracts promising students from groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession, students who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as students facing other significant barriers to entering the legal profession.

In just a few years, PLUS has grown into a pipeline program for Alabama Law. “The program gives participants the skills necessary to be competitive law school applicants,” said Joshua Porter, Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Law in Residence.

“PLUS is an essential program to develop the core competencies necessary for success in the legal profession,” he said. “In order to create a diverse and inclusive legal community, it’s imperative that programs like PLUS continue to thrive.”

“From our resume and professional skills workshops to panels on career paths in the law, the PLUS Program solidified my decision to apply to law school and gave me the tools I would not have had otherwise to navigate the application process,” Zotaj, of Huntsville, said.

During the program, the participants received an introduction to the law, including legal writing and analysis and legal ethics. Students also received professional development training and advice on how to become competitive law school applicants, and were introduced to different legal practice areas.

“It gave me the opportunity to network with professors, practicing attorneys, and judicial representatives,” said Ramos, who is from Crossville, Alabama.  “I was able to build a strong network of friends to assist me in my journey to law school,” Lightfoot, an Atlanta native, added.

Two at Alabama Law Win Pro Bono Awards

During the October 2020 celebration of Pro Bono Month, the Alabama State Bar highlighted recipients of the Pro Bono Awards, including two members of the Alabama Law community.  Susan Donovan, the director of the Mediation Law Clinic, won the Mediator Award, and Mindy Kidd, third-year student, won the Law Student Award.

“Volunteer work led me to law school,” said Kidd in a video created by the State Bar.  “After several years volunteering in that capacity, it seemed like the next logical step was to attend law school.”

Donovan highlighted the impact of pro bono legal work in her video interview.  “There are a lot of people in our state that can’t afford lawyers and yet they need legal services; so in some small way, I like to give back.”

Of the relationship between pro bono service and the legal skills and training she is receiving at The University of Alabama School of Law, Kidd said, “[it] made me see the value of what my education can do for not just my own benefit but hopefully for those around me, too.”

The Alabama State Bar Pro Bono Awards are given annually, recognizing students, mediators, attorneys and firms.

Class Notes

Carl W. Bentzel (‘89) was sworn in to serve as a Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission. His term expires on June 30, 2024.

LaBarron Boone (’95) of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, PC in Montgomery, AL, has been selected to serve on the Executive Committee for The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyers group.

Katie Boyd Britt (’13) has been named as a member of the Board of Trustees at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Myla Calhoun (‘85) has been named Vice President of the Birmingham Division of Alabama Power.

Florence M. Cauthen (’79) has been named County Administrator for the Montgomery County Commission.

Aubrey Coleman (‘14) received the Up & Comers Award from the American Bar Association. The award is presented to a young practitioner who is 36 or younger, and who, through their efforts and accomplishments, shows great promise to continue these contributions for future achievements.

Prim F. Escalona (’08) has been appointed Interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.

Kevin D. Finley (’15) has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles.

Larry Golston (‘98) was sworn in as President of the Montgomery County Bar Association.

Roger Guilian (’98), General Counsel, Vice President, and Corporate Secretary for Volkert, Inc. in Mobile, AL, accepted membership in the International Association of Defense Counsel.

Alan Goodwin (‘98) was appointed as a Judge to the Pima County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona.

Michael Kirtland (LL.M. ‘99) published “Getting Started with Advance Directives,” along with Donna Jackson. The book, published by the American Bar Association, was a joint project of the Senior Lawyers Division and the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section.

Robert Landry (‘94) has been appointed by the American Business Law Journal to its six-member editorial board.

Justin Ladner (‘10) has been named President of Illinois American Water.

Katharyn I. Christian McGee (’08), pro bono counsel at Duane Morris, has been recognized with a Next Generation Leader Award by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. Kat was also named to The Legal Intelligencer’s 2020 Pennsylvania Lawyers on the Fast Track list.

Marie Brady Mott (’95) has been named the Health Officer and Administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County.

Laterrica Shelton (‘14) has been named Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

John M. Shoemaker (’14 LL.M.) has been elected to the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Singapore Branch Committee for 2020-2021.

Allison O. Skinner (’94) has been named the 2020 Award of Merit recipient by the Alabama State Bar. The award is the highest honor given by the Alabama State Bar to an individual attorney and serves to recognize outstanding service in the legal profession.

Matthew Slaughter (’15) earned the Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2020 Pro Bono Publico Award.

Navan Ward, Jr. (’02) has been selected to serve as President-Elect of the American Association for Justice. This will be Ward’s fifth consecutive year serving on the Executive Committee of AAJ.

Law School Foundation Board of Governors and Alumni Society Leadership Council Announce New Annual Awards

Designed to recognize the outstanding achievements of those affiliated with the Law School, the Board of Governors created the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor.  Criteria for the award include making significant and extended contributions to the life of the Law School, having a distinguished career, and sustaining involvement in service activities.

The Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award was created by the Alabama Law Alumni Society to recognize one or more young alumni who have made outstanding contributions benefiting the profession, community and The University of Alabama School of Law.  To receive the award, an individual must be a graduate of the last 10 years who shows significant leadership and service within the profession, community and Law School.  Additionally, the recipient must be engaged in supporting the development of peers in the early stages of their legal careers.

All alumni are welcome to submit nominations through the Law School’s website (www.law.ua.edu/alumni/awards) or by contacting the Advancement Office.  The first recipients for these awards are being chosen now and will be announced at a virtual ceremony in February 2021.

New faculty

Kara Deal Gamble joins the Law School as an Assistant Professor of Legal Writing.  She brings experience from private practice, and from appeals courts in Florida and Alabama.  While teaching Legal Writing to first-year students, she will also continue to engage in service through the Bar, including as an officer in the Women’s Section of the Birmingham Bar Association.

Russell Gold joins the faculty as an Associate Professor of Law.  His scholarship, comparatively examining civil and criminal procedure, considers insights that each system can learn from the other.  An award-winning professor with a commendable scholarly record, he also possesses a background in class action and appellate matters.  Professor Gold’s role will include service as Faculty Advisor to the Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review.

Tara Leigh Grove joins the faculty as the Charles E. Tweedy, Jr. Endowed Chairholder in Law.  She is a preeminent scholar whose research focuses on the federal judiciary and problems of constitutional law, including especially the separation of powers. With extensive publications in leading journals, she has received awards for both her research and her teaching. Professor Grove will also serve as Director of a new Program in Constitutional Studies.

Joshua Porter joins the Law School as Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Law in Residence. He has experience both in the public sector and in public interest law.  Professor Porter will teach courses in education law.  His background as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Education’s, Office for Civil Rights and as a teacher in a Title I high school will be an invaluable asset to our students.

The Fragility of Judicial Independence

Tara Leigh Grove

What is Judicial Independence?

Let me take you back to a moment from just a few years ago.  On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, which is now often referred to as the first “travel ban.”  The order suspended the entry of individuals from seven named countries, all with predominantly Muslim populations.  Almost immediately, chaos broke out at airports throughout the United States.  Many individuals, including green card holders and college students, were stranded at airports or sent back to their countries of origin.

Several individuals and state attorneys general filed suit, challenging the executive order on constitutional and statutory grounds.  And on February 3, 2017, just six days after President Trump signed the order, a single federal district court judge in Washington issued a nationwide injunction against the travel ban.  The President was not pleased by this judicial interference.  He dismissed the member of the Article III judiciary as a “so-called judge” and denounced the judicial decision as “ridiculous.”  And the Department of Justice questioned whether the court had the power to issue an injunction that applied throughout the country.

Nevertheless, as soon as that federal judge issued the nationwide injunction, everything stopped.  The chaos at the airports, the stranding of individuals—all of it came to a close.  The Department of Homeland Security complied with the federal court order.  With the stroke of a pen, and in defiance of a President, a single federal court judge stopped the federal government in its tracks.  That is judicial independence.

Much of my academic work traces the legal rules and norms that protect judicial independence in the United States.  I want to focus here on two such norms: the norm of complying with federal court orders (illustrated by the travel ban episode) and the norm against “packing” the Supreme Court.  I have uncovered a few things that seem especially relevant to current debates over judicial independence.  First, these norms are of relatively recent vintage; they developed only in the mid-twentieth century.  That fact alone underscores the fragility of these norms.  Second, these norms depend heavily on the way that political leaders and other actors talk about the federal judiciary.  Accordingly, as the discourse changes, so may the protections for the federal courts.

Obeying the Courts

Let’s start with the norm regarding compliance with federal court orders.  In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was no such strong bipartisan norm.  When political actors disobeyed the federal judiciary, they were often cheered on by their political supporters.  For example, in the 1830s, many Democrats praised the governor of Georgia, when he openly defied two Supreme Court decisions involving the interests of Native Americans.  Along the same lines, in the 1860s, many Republicans defended President Abraham Lincoln when his administration declined to release a prisoner—despite a habeas corpus order by a federal judge.

This trend continued into the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.  Following the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, prominent political leaders in the South resisted federal court orders.  Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, for example, in 1957 obstructed a federal desegregation decree when he directed state troops to prevent black students from entering Little Rock High School. And in 1962, Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett violated a federal court order by blocking the admission of James Meredith, who was about to become the University of Mississippi’s first black student.

The norm requiring compliance with federal court orders was not established until after the civil rights movement.  Indeed, I have argued that the norm arose in large part because of the civil rights movement.  In subsequent decades, the massive resistance to Brown became the paradigmatic example of defiance of the federal courts.  And as Brown became canonical (that is, one of the most respected and admired decisions in Supreme Court history), the resistance to the decision was viewed as one of the most disgraceful moments in American history.  Subsequent political actors did not want to be equated with the segregationists who sought to obstruct Brown.

Court Packing

Now let’s turn to the norm surrounding “court packing”—that is, efforts to alter the size of the Supreme Court in order to influence the future course of judicial decisions.  There was no strong bipartisan norm against court packing for much of our history.  At various times in the nineteenth century, political actors changed the size of the Supreme Court—and often did so in part for partisan reasons.  Following the election of 1800 (when Thomas Jefferson’s Republicans soundly defeated John Adams’ Federalists), the outgoing Federalist Party decreased the size of the Supreme Court from six to five members.  One goal was to deprive incoming President Jefferson of an opportunity to fill a Supreme Court seat.  The Jeffersonian Republicans then swiftly undid that change and returned the Court to six members.

In the 1860s, Congress made a number of changes to the size of the Supreme Court—in part to influence future decisions.   During the Civil War, the Republican Congress increased the Court’s size to ten members, so that President Lincoln could appoint Justices who favored the Republicans’ antislavery agenda.  But in 1866, after Democratic President Andrew Johnson took office, Congress reduced the Court’s future membership to seven.  The Republicans who controlled Congress in the post-Civil War era apparently did not trust Johnson to nominate Justices sympathetic to the reconstruction efforts in the South.  By contrast, in 1869, the Republicans were happy to push the number of Justices back to nine—once fellow Republican (and former Union army general) President Ulysses S. Grant was in charge.

The most famous (or infamous) attempt to alter the size of the Supreme Court occurred in 1937, when President Franklin Roosevelt sought to expand the Supreme Court from nine to fifteen members.  There is an oft-told story that Roosevelt’s proposal was swiftly rejected, as even his fellow Democrats were appalled by this Court-packing plan.  But in fact, although some legislators (including some prominent Democrats) did oppose the plan, many supported it—as did many members of the public.  Roosevelt’s Court-packing plan came close to passage.

The strong norm against court packing did not develop until later.  As I have detailed in my scholarship, the norm emerged in large part because of the bipartisan discourse of political actors.  Beginning in the 1950s, when lawmakers opposed any judicial reform, they described it as equivalent to “court packing.”  That was true, even when the reform had nothing to do with the size of any federal court.  If legislators disliked an effort to restrict federal jurisdiction, they called it “court packing.”  If lawmakers objected to any judicial nominee, they accused the President of attempting to “pack” a court with ideologues.  For example, after President Ronald Reagan offered Robert Bork for a Supreme Court vacancy, then-Senator Joe Biden declared: “[T]oday, 50 years after Roosevelt failed, … we are once again confronted with a popular President’s determined attempt to bend the Supreme Court to his political ends.”  And when President Obama sought to fill three open seats on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Republican Senator John Cornyn charged that Democrats were “attempting to pack the court … in order to stack it in the administration’s favor.”  In this way, “court packing” became a political epithet in our constitutional discourse.

Today, there are signs of a change in that discourse.  In the past few years, in the wake of bitter partisan contests over Supreme Court nominees, there have been growing concerns about the legitimacy of the Court.  And since around fall 2018, there have been growing calls to “pack” the Supreme Court with additional members.  Court packing went from a political epithet—something deemed for decades to be the worst possible kind of judicial reform—to a serious proposal almost overnight.

The Fragility of the Norms

Judicial independence is fragile.  So far, these norms have held.  But if observers question the legitimacy of the federal judiciary, how much longer will those observers be willing to obey rulings that they dislike?  Relatedly, would rulings from a “packed” Supreme Court command the respect of Court rulings today?  Five years ago, no one would have asked such questions.  But today, many aspects of judicial reform seem to be on the table.  It is a fragile independence indeed.

Occupational Licensing and the Opioid Crisis

Benjamin J. McMichael

Everyone gets sick from time to time, and in the age of COVID-19, sickness or the threat thereof seems to be an ever-present companion. The last time you “went to the doctor” because you had a runny nose, sore throat, cough, or COVID exposure, did you actually see a doctor?  Or did you see a nurse practitioner?  Especially if you visited an urgent care center, I would not be surprised if you never saw a physician.

Nurse practitioners are highly trained nurses—they must complete a master’s degree and many have doctorates—who provide many of the healthcare services traditionally provided by physicians. They successfully treat millions of patients across the country every day. Though they do not provide all of the services offered by physicians—they cannot perform surgery for example—they provide primary care in every state, and they are the sole source of care in many communities. Indeed, many policymakers see the increased use of nurse practitioners as an effective solution to the ongoing healthcare access problem in the United States.

What good is insurance without access to healthcare?

Before looking at this potential solution, however, it is useful to correctly frame the problem. Increasing access to healthcare has dominated healthcare law and policy debates for decades. Unfortunately, this debate has become somewhat confused as many researchers and policymakers treat access to healthcare as co-extensive with access to health insurance. Treating healthcare access in this way often hides the more fundamental problem of lacking access to healthcare providers. To put it bluntly, the quality or even existence of one’s health insurance is meaningless without healthcare providers to deliver the needed care.

Nurse practitioners can solve this more fundamental access problem because they are easier (and cost less) to train than physicians and are willing to provide care to historically underserved populations, e.g., rural communities. State laws, however, often prevent them from doing so. Specifically, state scope-of-practice laws inhibit the ability of nurse practitioners to provide care by restricting the services they can provide and requiring physician supervision of their practices. These supervision requirements prevent nurse practitioners from providing care in certain locations, i.e., those without physicians, and impose costs in the form of supervision fees.

Many states have removed these restrictions. For example, Florida passed a law last year allowing nurse practitioners to practice independently of physicians, and California passed a law in August eliminating physician supervision requirements. On the other hand, many states, including Alabama and most other southern states, maintain restrictive scope-of-practice laws, preventing nurse practitioners from providing care to the full extent of their training and ability. These states generally do so for the stated reasons of promoting patient safety and preventing the delivery of low-quality care.

The biggest proponents of these patient-safety and quality-of-care arguments are often medical associations, which frequently contend that nurse practitioners complete less education than physicians and therefore cannot deliver high-quality care without physician supervision. Groups in favor of removing restrictive laws regularly respond that medical associations are simply trying to protect their legally conferred monopoly power within healthcare services markets. Without restrictive scope-of-practice laws, nurse practitioners can better compete with physicians, which hurts the latter’s bottom line.

Kill-o-grams

To evaluate the various claims surrounding patient safety and quality of care that states rely upon in continuing their restrictive scope-of-practice laws, I recently conducted an empirical analysis. In doing so, I examined a context where patient safety concerns have been front and center—the opioid crisis. In fact, some of the claims made by physician organizations opposing the recent California bill eliminating physician supervision requirements specifically address the concern that, without physician supervision, nurse practitioners would overprescribe opioids and deepen the opioid crisis.

The dataset I analyzed included approximately 1.5 billion opioid prescriptions, which represented approximately 90% of all opioid prescriptions filled at outpatient pharmacies in the United States between 2011 and 2018. With such granular information on opioid prescriptions, I was able to generate specific measures of opioid prescribing, including the total morphine milligram equivalents prescribed, which offer a more accurate measure of opioid prescriptions than simply counting prescriptions.

Overall, the analysis revealed that, contrary to the claims made by some groups, relaxing scope-of-practice laws for nurse practitioners decreased opioid prescriptions. For example, allowing nurse practitioners to practice independently reduced total annual morphine milligram equivalents across all physicians and nurse practitioners by approximately 4.4 percent. To place this effect into perspective, a state with 10,000 nurse practitioners and physicians could expect to see the equivalent of 31.5 fewer kilograms of morphine prescribed to patients each year by allowing nurse practitioners to practice independently.

Prescribing policy-based relief

The results of the analysis support the decisions recently reached by the Florida and California legislatures in eliminating restrictive scope-of-practice laws and allowing nurse practitioners to practice without physician supervision. The results also cast doubt on the more general claims that such laws are necessary for the protection of safety or the delivery of high-quality care. If granting nurse practitioners independence improves, not harms, patient safety in the context of the opioid epidemic, one of the worst patient safety crises in history, then granting these providers more autonomy is not likely to undermine patient safety in other contexts.

That grants of independence to nurse practitioners tend to improve access to care without harming patients is further evidenced by recent responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. As states began to struggle with lack of access to care, many waived physician supervision requirements through executive orders or other administrative action. States should strongly consider making these changes permanent to improve access to care for underserved communities.

While states have historically maintained responsibility for regulating healthcare providers, the benefits of expanded access through increased nurse practitioner autonomy warrant federal action if states refuse to change their laws. The federal government already exercises authority over many aspects of the healthcare system, and without additional state action to remove scope-of-practice barriers, it may be time for policymakers to consider federal action. Such action may come in the form of direct federal intervention, or Congress may elect to leverage its control over Medicare and other programs to encourage states to relax their scope-of-practice laws. The specific form that federal legislation takes will be subject to both legal and policy debates, but given the benefits at stake, it is time to start those debates.

Clinic Thrives During Pandemic

The University of Alabama School of Law’s Criminal Defense Clinic has been operating for more than 25 years.  And despite changes in laws, changes in clinic directors, and even paradigm-shifting changes in technology, perhaps no change has been as big as the change brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The spring was difficult,” said Amy Kimpel, Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Instruction and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic. “The students had four misdemeanor trials set for March and April and then courts closed due to the pandemic.”  The trials were postponed and the students enrolled in the spring 2020 Clinic course graduated before new trial dates were set.

But neither the court closings nor the University of Alabama’s move to virtual instruction stopped the Clinic’s work.  Kimpel quickly re-thought the rest of the semester, remaining committed to providing students opportunities that would help build their skills and serve Clinic clients.  “The Clinic students pivoted to working on template motions to reconsider sentences and bail in light of the coronavirus and started working more on post-conviction relief cases,” she said.

“I feel like working in the Clinic during the pandemic gave me a glimpse of the future of law practice—digital files, digital communications, digital meetings, and even a digital workroom,” said Allen Slater, a third-year student.  “It gave me some ideas about how I might like to run a practice of my own in the future.”

In preparing for the fall 2020 semester, Kimpel knew her students would be back in the courtroom and would need to build skill-sets that no faculty member had ever taught before.  “I added pieces to the curriculum about client counseling on Zoom, communicating with clients effectively in masks, and trial practice during the time of COVID-19,” she said.

“We’ve also used the increased familiarity with Zoom to host panels with public defenders and prosecutors all over the country.”  Panelists logged in from as far away as New York and California and even included a member of the Law School’s class of 2020 and an alumna of the Criminal Defense Clinic.

“It was an incredible experience. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to speak with and learn from them,” Slater said.

When they aren’t in court representing their clients this semester, Criminal Defense Clinic students are honing their skills with highly realistic practice sessions.  Recently, Northport Municipal Judge Paul Patterson (‘98) hosted Clinic students for a mock suppression hearing.  At the mock hearing, with facts based on an actual past case, students also had the opportunity to examine new officers with the Northport Police Department, who participated as witnesses.

“The main goal is for us to get simulated exercise on what a suppression hearing looks like,” third-year student Reave Shewmake said. “And also the officers getting practice on being cross examined by different attorneys.”

Speaking about the value of applying the skills she teaches, Kimpel said, “Students had to think through, on their own, the interactions between officer and client, and had an opportunity to cross-examine an actual police officer.”

“It was just a collaborative effort from all of us here trying to give back to the community to help law enforcement and the law school,” Patterson said.

Ultimately, the Clinic is designed to help students apply what they are learning in the classroom to real-world legal problems.  Of the students, Kimpel says, “Many are going right from campus to picking up hefty caseloads. Experiences like these help develop confidence to practice right after the bar. The clinic is a bridge between those experiences.”

Justice Sotomayor Delivers 2020 Albritton Lecture

The University of Alabama School of Law hosted Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, for the Albritton Lecture on Nov. 10.  The Lecture, held virtually, was moderated by W. Harold Albritton, Senior District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, and Mark Brandon, Dean and Thomas E. McMillan Professor of Law.

In the question-and-answer format event, Justice Sotomayor spoke to students, faculty and invited guests on a wide range of topics from collegiality on the Court and its public image to advice for current law students.

“I really do believe that the law can help society, and I hope all of you will maintain that in your work and in your ambitions in what you do as lawyers,” she challenged the students in attendance.  “Will you take pride in being a lawyer? Will you do it with a sense of pride and honor and decency and commitment to working as hard as you can to protect your clients and advise the people who depend on you? That’s what I expect. That’s what I hope.”

“It was an honor to welcome Justice Sotomayor to the School of Law.  The fact that this year’s lecture was held virtually didn’t dampen excitement within the Law School community,” said Brandon. “The Justice’s talk was informative, insightful, engaged, and even joyful,” he added.

Wading into the question of public perception of the Court, Justice Sotomayor remarked, “Are we suffering from a crisis of legitimacy? I can say to you that we are.”  She added, “That is very, very concerning to all of us.”  She discussed her view of how political groups have taken terminology and discussion from the academic sphere and used it to try to predict how judges would rule. “They have created, I think, in the public perception, a sense that judges are political because politicians tell you how they’re going to rule from their philosophy,” she said. “I do fear that our legitimacy crisis has been created by the political branches, using judges and their appointment and the discussions as political weapons rather than the academic and philosophical underpinnings that were originally intended.”

In this time of deep division in our country, Justice Sotomayor praised her colleagues on the Court for their ability to passionately disagree and yet maintain caring friendships.  “It’s an example I wish more of the country would follow,” she said.  “You can disagree but still be agreeable to each other as human beings.”

Justice Sotomayor also spoke about oral argument and opinion-writing.  She acknowledged that in some cases, she enters oral argument unsure about what the outcome should be, and is influenced by the arguments.  She also said she finds some arguments useful in informing her reasoning as she is writing.  But citing the extensive work of the lower courts and the briefs they receive when grappling with a case she said, “In a good majority of the cases, argument doesn’t change our mind because we’ve heard or read the counter[arguments] before.”

When describing the difference between writing an opinion of the Court and writing a dissenting opinion, Justice Sotomayor pointed to the importance of the authorial voice.  When writing an opinion of the Court, “you’re writing for the voice of the Court and so you have to write with more care and more narrowly to say only as much as necessary to resolve the issue in front of you.” She went on to say, “When you’re a dissenter, however, it’s your own voice.”

“My Court right now is stagnant in its professional experiences,” Justice Sotomayor said of the Court’s lack of breadth in background of practice among the Justices. “I think that’s very, very dangerous,” she added. Citing as examples civil rights, immigration, environmental and criminal defense law, she talked about the importance of lived experiences as the Court makes decisions having an impact on individuals.

“Take work that you find exciting. Do it well,” Justice Sotomayor told students, concluded her remarks. “It’s been a real pleasure to be with you,” she added.

“This was a treat, and we are grateful that Justice Sotomayor was willing to carve out time from a very busy schedule to talk with us,” Brandon said of the event.

Justice Sotomayor is the 12th United States Supreme Court Justice to deliver the Albritton Lecture. The Albritton Lecture Series was established by Judge Albritton, a 1960 graduate of Alabama Law.  It is supported by The Albritton Fund, created by the Albritton family of Andalusia, Alabama, a family that includes four generations of Alabama Law graduates.

Funding & Contributions

The Law School Foundation Board of Governors

2020-2021

PRESIDENT

Michael House

VICE PRESIDENT

Susan Doss

SECRETARY

Laura L. Crum

TREASURER

Fournier J. Gale III

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Percy Badham III

Alan Bannister

Travis M. Bedsole, Jr.

Hon. Sonja Bivins

Andrew P. Campbell

Samuel N. Crosby

Mark Crosswhite

Anthony Davis III

Richard T. Dorman

Hon. John England III

Michael D. Ermert

Judy Whalen Evans

Paula Hinton

Elizabeth H. Huntley

Curtis O. Liles III

Dale Marsh

James H. Miller III

Jerry F. Perkins, Jr.

James M. Pool

Jerry W. Powell

Richard J.R. Raleigh, Jr.

Julia Smeds Roth

John D. Saxon

Alfred Franklin Smith

John A. Smyth III

Chad Tindol

Michael D. Waters

EMERITUS

Hon. W. Harold Albritton III

Hon. Milton E. Belcher

William N. Clark

John D. Clements

Brittin T. Coleman

Lee Cooper

Gregory S. Cusimano

Thomas R. Elliott, Jr.

L.B. Feld

Dean Charles W. Gamble

Gene Hamby, Jr.

Ben H. Harris, Jr.

James F. Hughey, Jr.

William P. Jackson, Jr.

Frank S. James III

Paul Jones, Jr.

Stephen D. Kane

Byrd R. Latham

Jack Livingston

William D. Melton

Larry W. Morris

Maurice Rogers

Sydney S. Smith

Lowell Womack

EX-OFFICIO

Dean Mark E. Brandon

Robert C. Brock

Hon. John H. England, Jr.

Jini Koh

Vanessa Leonard

Davis Malone III

Evelyn VanSant Mauldin

Scott M. Phelps

Stancil Starnes

Finis E. St. John IV

The Alabama Law Alumni Society Leadership Council 2020-2021

CHAIR

Jini Koh

VICE CHAIR

Kimberly K. Rucker

SECRETARY / TREASURER

Edward S. Reisinger

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Hampton Baxley

Jenna M. Bedsole

Stanley Blackmon

Katie Boyd Britt

Richard Brock

Ellen I. Brooks

Kitty Rogers Brown

Brannon J. Buck

Mary Margaret Carroll

1. Sydney Cook III

Ashley W. Davis

Derin B. Dickerson

Prim F. Escalona

Christian A. Fuller

John Kirkman Garrett

Charles Goodrich

Vincent J. Graffeo

Mac B. Greaves

William B. Hairston III

Ruth Ann Hall

Christopher B. Harmon

Thomas Heflin, Jr.

Bradford Boyd Hicks

Perry G. Jackson

David F. Lasseter

Deborah J. Long

Marcus M. Maples

Appie Owens Millsaps

Clark Morris

Clinton D. Mountain, Jr.

Anil A. Mujumdar

Frances K. Quick

James H. Richardson

Nicholas B. Roth

Yvonne A.H. Saxon

Bruce B. Siegal

Brad J. Sklar

John W. Smith T

John Q. Somerville

Harold Stephens

Michael S. Stutts

Anne Stone Sumblin

Jefferson Utsey

Kevin Vincent

Thomas Wells, Jr.

India Williams

EMERITUS

Hon. Joe Basenberg

Mark S. Boardman

J.R. Brooks, Jr.

Stanley D. Bynum

Charles F. Carr

Frank J. Daily

Mason Davis, Jr.

Clausen Ely, Jr.

Henry I. Frohsin

Hon. R. Bernard Harwood, Jr.

Richard S. Jaffe

Colonel Earle F. Lasseter

Douglas McElvy

Mac M. Moorer

Delaine Mountain, Sr.

Leroy D. Nix

John A. Owens

Anita Perkins Roberson

Stephen W. Still, Sr.

Tedford Taylor, Sr.

Hon. J. Edward Tease

James C. Walsh

Gifts to the Alabama Law Alumni Society

Formerly the Farrah Law Alumni Society

July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020

Dr. Charles E. Abney

Bryan C. Adams

James M. Adams Jr.

William H. Albritton IV

Frederick W. Allen

Cynthia L. Almond

Anonymous

Anonymous

Knox Argo

Ansley L. Armagost

Eric J. Artrip

Braxton W. Ashe

Stewart G. Austin Jr.

Jason Avery

Evan P. Baggett

Henry C. Barnett III

Preston B. Barnett

Harry E. Barr

David M. Bastiaans

William J. Baxley II

Hampton Baxley

Jere L. Beasley Sr.

George L. Beck Jr.

Travis M. Bedsole Jr.

Hon. Milton E. Belcher

John C. Bell

Keith T. Belt Jr.

Hon. Sonja F. Bivins

Stanley E. Blackmon

Paul H. Blackwell Jr.

Rebecca L. Bockmann

Spencer A. Bomar

Cortlin L. Bond

Mark W. Bond

Lindsey C. Boney IV

Brandy A. Boone

Amy V. Bowman

Thomas W. Bowron II

David R. Boyd

David A. Boyett III

James A. Bradford

Dean Mark E. Brandon

Daniel Britton

Richard G. Brock

Eleanor I. Brooks

Colonel Todd A. Brown

Alexander J. Bruening

Hon. Howard F. Bryan IV

Chad W. Bryan

George P. Bryson

Brannon J. Buck

Russell C. Buffkin

Gregory Burgess

Hon. Liles C. Burke

Russell K. Burnette

Mary S. Burrell

Hon. John F. Butler

Julian D. Butler

Philip H. Butler

Thomas J. Butler

Hon. Jack Caddell

Thomas A. Caddell

John C. Calame

Lieutenant Colonel John H. Camp Jr.

Andrew Patrick Campbell

Andrew P. Campbell

Hon. Hope T. Cannon

Nathaniel M. Cartmell IV

Zachary H. Champion

Martha A. Chapman

Allan J. Chappelle

Cole Chessar

John R. Chiles

Thomas H. Christopher

William R. Christopher

Yun-Sung Chuang

Edward M. Ciesla

John W. Clark IV

William N. Clark Sr.

John D. Clements

Stephen E. Clements

Caitlin E. Cobb

Hon. Sue Bell Cobb

Callie M. Cochran

Brittin T. Coleman

Hon. Joseph A. Colquitt

Paul S. Conger Jr.

Jennifer D. Cote

Kate G. Courtney

Keith Covington

John H. Cox

Stewart M. Cox

Timothy O. Coyle

Hon. David W. Crosland III

Mark A. Crosswhite

Laura L. Crum

Daniel S. Culpepper

Edwin J. Curran Jr.

Gregory S. Cusimano

Joseph M. D’Amato

Michael A. Dasinger III

Dr. Jonathan J. Davies

Mason Davis

Michael T. Dawkins

Christopher T. Dawson

John F. DeBuys Jr.

Morris S. Dees Jr.

Charles L. Denaburg

Hon. Raymond T. Derrick

Richard E. Dick

Dr. Sandra B. Dockery

Timothy D. Dockery

Shirley C. Dorrough

Susan Doss

Boozer Downs Jr.

Matthew T. Dukes

Scott Dulaney

Jim K. Duncan

Anne Dutia

Hallman B. Eady

Joe D. Edge

Allyson L. Edwards

Michael L. Edwards

William L. Elebash

Heather Elliott

Emily C. Ellis

Bruce P. Ely

Patricia F. Emens

Steven C. Emens

Jon Emmanual

Frederick T. Enslen Jr.

Ericsson, Inc

Joseph Espy III

Judy W. Evans

Deborah Fisher

Charles M. Fleischmann

Matthew T. Franklin

Ross Frazer

Sherri T. Freeman

Henry I. Frohsin

Noah Funderburg

Lucas B. Gambino

Harry W. Gamble Jr.

William J. Gamble

John W. Gant Jr.

George C. Garikes

John K. Garrett

Hon. D. Gregory Geary

Edgar C. Gentle III

James W. Gewin

Wesley B. Gilchrist

Zachery L. Gillespie

Perry Given Jr.

Chris Glenos

Charles D. Goodrich

Anthony Graffeo

Vincent J. Graffeo

James C. Gray III

Brad Green

Christopher B. Greene

Frank Greenleaf

Stanley Gregory

Parker Griffin Jr.

Martha M. Griffith

Juan C. Guerrero

John C. Gullahorn

Virginia W. Haas

Hon. Steven E. Haddock

Austin M. Hagood

Kristi D. Hagood

Billy G. Hall

Ruth A. Hall

Stephen H. Hall

Todd N. Hamilton

Ashley H. Hamlett

Stephen V. Hammond

Reginald T. Hamner

Nathaniel F. Hansford

Hon. Eddie Hardaway Jr.

Hon. George N. Hardesty Jr.

Sidney J. Hardy

Charles R. Hare Jr.

Christopher B. Harmon

Larry W. Harper

Ben H. Harris Jr.

James S. Harvey

Hon. Robert B. Harwood Jr.

Judd A. Harwood

Kathryn M. Harwood

Jason Head

Oliver P. Head

Frances  Heidt

Wood Herren

Carolyne B. Hess

Helene Warner Hibbard

Ann P. Hill

Jonathan C. Hill

Joyce Hobbs

Hon. Truman M. Hobbs Jr.

Hon. Robert L. Hodges

Pruitt K. Holcombe

Heath S. Holden

Lyman F. Holland Jr.

Broox G. Holmes

Angela Holt

David W. Holt

Ralph E. Holt

Emily H. Hornsby

Hon. Ernest C. Hornsby

Ernie H. Hornsby

Mike House

Gary L. Howard

Austin Huffaker Jr.

Patrick P. Hughes

James F. Hughey Jr.

Hon. Harold V. Hughston Jr.

Christopher G. Hume III

Robert P. Hunter Jr.

Mary S. Hunter

Rosland T. Hurley

David G. Hymer

John F. Ingram Jr.

John Hollis Jackson, Jr.

William P. Jackson Jr.

Natasha W. Jackson

Terre Su L. Jackson

Frank S. James III

Thomas E. James

John Jascob

Norman J. Jetmundsen Jr.

Neil C. Johnston Sr.

Derrick A. Jones

Warren Josephson

William Just

Terri C. Justice

Maxwell G. Kahn

Stephen D. Kaufmann

Thomas H. Keene

Collin M. Keller

Christopher R. Kelley

Dr. Christina C. Kentros

Jonathan R. Key

Hon. David A. Kimberley

Hon. Hardie B. Kimbrough

Atley L. Kitchings

Colonel Lawrence H. Kloess Jr.

Jini Koh

William R. Lane Jr.

Van W. Lane

Hon. Charles B. Langham

Byrd R. Latham

Robin G. Laurie

Kenneth J. Lay

Derrick W. Lefler

Keith Lichtman

Curtis O. Liles III

William D. Little III

Clare N. Long

Jimmy Long

Roy E. Long

William B. Long

Victor H. Lott Jr.

Jon N. Loupe

Ralph Loveless

Elena A. Lovoy

Pamela L. Mable

John P. Mabry

Debra L. Mackey

Debjani G. Maken

Peter A. Malanchuk

Michel M. Marcoux

Dale Marsh

Frank D. Marsh

Kimberly B. Martin

Charles J. Mataya

Alan D. Mathis

Robert C. Matthews

Evelyn V. Mauldin

Joseph B. Mays Jr.

Stephen W. Mazza

Sid McAnnally

Robert L. McCurley Jr.

Edward B. McDonough Jr.

Douglas McElvy

Hon. Harris E. McFerrin

Elizabeth D. McGiffert

Kevin B. McKie

Melissa McKie

Andrew R. McKinney

Hon. Philip B. McLauchlin Jr.

Glory R. McLaughlin

Michael S. McNair Sr.

Jeffrey J. Meek

William D. Melton

Kimberly H. Memmesheimer

William L. Middleton

James H. Miller III

Derrick A. Mills

Michael R. Mills

Colonel Richard D. Mink

Joy J. Minner

Susan Blair Molen

Carol T. Montgomery

Donald R. Moody

Yancey A. Moore III

Richard Moore Jr.

Carol G. Moore

Jamie L. Moore

Marie A. Moore

Clark Morris

DeWayne N. Morris

Larry W. Morris

Chadwick Morriss

David W. Morton

William A. Moseley

Brock G. Murphy

Steven A. Murray

Amy K. Myers

Steven E. Myers

Martin A. Nalbandian

Hon. Claud D. Neilson

Charles L. Newton II

Steven L. Nicholas

Hugh P. Nicholson

Andrew S. Nix

Andrew J. Noble III

Isabel L. Nogues

Major General Robert W. Norris

Henry M. Nowlin III

Patrick M. O’Connor

David O’Dell

Daniel P. Ogle

John P. Oliver II

Olaoluwaposi O. Oshinowo

Hon. Charles W. Owen

David W. Owen

Owens Corning

Jack A. Owens Jr.

Paul D. Owens Jr.

Jennie J. Owens

Herman D. Padgett Jr.

Jessica M. Pagano

Hon. Ali B. Paksoy Jr.

Christopher P. Palmer

George R. Parker

Janice H. Parker

Wilmer Parker III

Robert E. Parsons

Hon. Deborah B. Paseur

Virginia C. Patterson

Hon. Paul W. Patterson II

Dr. Richard J. Pearson Jr.

B. Peebles III

David R. Peeler

Michael K. Perrett

Lawrence Perry

Sarah W. Perry

Sherrie L. Phillips

Kandice E. Pickett

Dorothy M. Pilcher

Gregory B. Pipes

Leslie H. Pitman

Nancy S. Pitman

Robert C. Pitman

Leanna B. Pittard

Thomas K. Pobgee

James M. Pool

LeeAnn M. Pounds

Fred Powell

Jeffrey T. Powell

Ryan R. Priddy

Thomas B. Proctor

Dr. Paul M. Pruitt Jr.

Stephen K. Pudner

Natalie L. Pugh

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Frances K. Quick

Richard J. Raleigh

Preston Y. Register

Edward S. Reisinger

Robert P. Reynolds

Donald R. Rhea, Esquire

Michael W. Rich

Holly C. Richardson

Morris W. Richardson

Hon. F. Timothy Riley

David B. Ringelstein II

Candice R. Robbins

Martin E. Roberts

Ryan P. Robichaux

Laura L. Robinson

Laura S. Robinson

Stanley Rodgers

Hon. John M. Rogers

Sarah R. Rosenthal

Julia S. Roth

Nicholas B. Roth

Gaines E. Rowe

Stephen A. Rowe

David W. Ruggles

Emily M. Ruzic

Frank P. Samford III

Maddie Sanders

Rance M. Sanders

Woody Sanderson

Jesse A. Sasser Jr.

Harry V. Satterwhite Sr.

John D. Saxon

Angela M. Schaeffer

Albert J. Schibani

Howard M. Schramm Jr.

Shane T. Sears

Philip D. Segrest

Jack W. Selden

Hon. Jeff Sessions III

Lesley S. Shamblin

Philip T. Shanks III

Cooper Shattuck

Elizabeth K. Shaw

Clement H. Shugerman

Bruce B. Siegal

Richard A. Silfen

Christopher S. Simmons

Larry U. Sims

Thomas H. Siniard

Edward S. Sledge IV

James J. Sledge

John W. Smith T

Carol A. Smith

Davis H. Smith

Frederic L. Smith Jr.

George A. Smith II

Kyle T. Smith

Hon. Thomas M. Smith

Hon. L. Bernard Smithart

Elizabeth C. Smithart

Margaret Wesley Smithart

Carol Sommers

Jilli Sparks

Jeffrey W. Speegle

John J. St. John

Donald E. Stanley

Phillip E. Stano

Linda M. Steele

John S. Steiner

Anna-Drake Stephens

Arthur M. Stephens

Harold Stephens

Jack P. Stephenson Jr.

Joseph G. Stewart

Patricia C. Stewart

Norman M. Stockman

Samuel L. Stockman

William R. Stokes Jr.

Dale B. Stone

Ronald H. Strawbridge Sr.

Caroline J. Strawbridge

Hon. Jacquelyn L. Stuart

Michael S. Stutts

Thomas C. Sullivan

Edgar C. Summerford

Jon M. Sundock

John B. Tally Jr.

Will H. Tankersley Jr.

James H. Tarbox

Bert P. Taylor

David K. Taylor

Michael S. Teal

Hon. James E. Tease

Marianne W. Terry

The Morrison & Foerster Foundation

Braxton S. Thrash

Claire B. Tisdal

Madison E. Tucker

Andrew B. Tuggle

Tatum Turner

Halron W. Turner

Kevin L. Turner

Kenneth M. Turnipseed

Hugh W. Underwood III

Michael A. Vercher

Hon. Jill L. Vincent

Laurence D. Vinson Jr.

Brooke B. Vinson

Lawrence B. Voit

Vulcan Materials Company Foundation

Caroline M. Walker

Megan H. Walsh

James A. Walters

Raymond E. Ward

Hon. W. Keith Watkins

John D. Watson III

William T. Watson

Michael L. Weathers

Elizabeth S. Webb

Kendrick E. Webb

Gay M. Weber

Bruce C. Webster

Joshua M. Wehunt

Kenneth C. Weil

David B. Welborn

Karen C. Welborn

Thomas Wells Jr.

Jennifer B. Wells

Jeff A. Wells

James H. Wettermark

Brooke A. Whaley

Joe R. Whatley Jr.

David Whetstone

Richard R. Whidden Jr.

James H. White Jr.

Bennett White

Hon. Jerry M. White

James B. Wiley

Richard Wilkins

Vaneta L. Windham

Rosalind G. Wolf

Lowell A. Womack

Paul O. Woodall

Elizabeth C. Woodard

Robert V. Wooldridge III

David M. Wooldridge

Christopher L. Yeilding

Gregory M. Zarzaur

Gifts to the Order of the Coif

July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020

Lt. Col. Bryan C. Adams

Amy Davis Adams

Shawn T. Alves

Noel G. Amason

Knox Argo

Scott Arnston

Grover E. Asmus, II

Catherine McCord Bailey

Jere Locke Beasley

Tara L. Blake

Melvin S. Blanton

Hon. Benjamin M. Bowden

Chad Wesley Bryan

John T. Bryan, Jr.

Brannon Jeffrey Buck

Jennifer Marie Buettner

Glenda G. Bugg

Carolyn R. Calhoun

Allan J. Chappelle

Edward R. Christian

Thomas H. Christopher

Evelyn Hagerty Coats

Brittin T. Coleman

Kathleen A. Collier

Steven Christopher Corhern

Hon. Emmett R. Cox

Roy J. Crawford

Mark A. Crosswhite

Donna M. Crowe

Margaret H. Dabbs

Woodford W.  Dinning, Jr.

Richard T. Dorman

Shirley Crawford Dorrough

Susan Doss

Clausen Ely, Jr.

Rebecca Crawford Eubanks

Sherri Tucker Freeman

Harry W. Gamble, Jr.

James W. Gewin

John Mark Graham

Christopher B. Harmon

Hon. R. Bernard Harwood, Jr.

Carleta R. Hawley

Marland Hayes

Jack E. Held

William Inge Hill, Jr.

Hon. J. Gorman Houston, Jr.

John M. Hundscheid

Norman Jetmundsen, Jr.

Kyle Johnson

Gilbert E. Johnston, Jr.

Hon. Hardie B. Kimbrough

Peyton Lacy, Jr.

Leah P. Ladd

Robin G. Laurie

William L. Lee III

James C. Lester

Curtis O. Liles III

Matthew Todd Lowther

Michael R. Lunsford

Michele Polk Marron

David P. Martin

Terence William McCarthy

Carol A. McCoy

Patricia Powell McCurdy

Robert L. McCurley, Jr.

Matthew C. McDonald

John P. McKleroy, Jr.

Paul Messner

Boyd Miller

Shannon Miller

Lt. Col. Richard D. Mink

Charles R. Mixon, Jr.

Dwight L. Mixson, Jr.

Elliott Britton Monroe

Henry T. Morrissette

Hon. Claud D. Neilson

Edward Asbury O’Neal VI

Janice H. Parker

Virginia C. Patterson

David R. Peeler

Edward James Peterson III

Thomas Forrest Phillips

James M. Pool

LeeAnn M. Pounds

Glenn Powell

Dena D. Prince

Frances King Quick

Clay Rankin III

Archie T. Reeves, IV

Fred M. Richardson

Morris W. Richardson

Stanley Rodgers

Mark W. Sabel

Trent Scofield

Robert D. Segall

Hon. Philip Dale Segrest

Henry F. Sherrod III

Henry F. Sherrod, Jr.

Larry U. Sims

David C. Skinner

Dwight Sloan

William A. Smith

Thomas A. Smith, Jr.

Jack P. Stephenson, Jr.

Prof. Gary E. Sullivan

Anne Stone Sumblin

Hon. H. Randall Thomas

Braxton Scott Thrash

Andrew Mark Townsley

Kenneth M. Turnipseed

Arnold W. Umbach III

Laurence D. Vinson, Jr.

Carey Tynes Wahlheim

Elizabeth Smith Webb

Jennifer Butler Wells

Thomas Wells, Jr.

Richard R. Whidden, Jr.

Nick C. Whitehead

Misha Mullins Whitman

India D. Williams

Paul O. Woodall

Paul O. Woodall, Jr.

Hon. Joseph A. Woodruff

Robert Von Wooldridge III

Kenneth T. Wyatt

Laura L. Youngpeter

Hon. Michael A. Youngpeter

2019 New Scholarships & Funds

The Carol Andrews Moot Court Endowed Support Fund

Friends and former students of Professor Carol Andrews contributed gifts of $25,000 to establish The Carol Andrews Moot Court Endowed Support Fund. The endowed fund will be used to support the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Team.

The Nathaniel Hansford and Frances Fincher Hansford Endowed Scholarship

Former Alabama Law Dean Nathaniel Hansford and Frances Hansford established The Nathaniel Hansford and Frances Fincher Hansford Endowed Scholarship.

The Francis (Brother) Hare Award For Excellence in Civil Trial Advocacy

The annual award funded by the Attorneys Information Exchange Group will be given to a second year or third year student who has excelled in the art of Trial Advocacy, demonstrating an excellent understanding, grasp and appreciation for Civil Litigation via legal research, legal writing and Pre-Trial Advocacy.  Or the award be given to a member of the Trial Advocacy Competition Team that exemplifies the most outstanding grasp of the skills of a civil litigator.

The Jerry and Suzanne Perkins Endowed Scholarship Fund

Jerry and Suzanne Perkins of Mountain Brook, Alabama established the Jerry and Suzanne Perkins Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Jerry W. Powell and Carolyn W. Powell Professor of Practice for Law and Business

Jerry and Carolyn Powell of Mountain Brook, Alabama established the Jerry W. Powell and Carolyn W. Powell Professor of Practice for Law and Business. The endowment will be used to attract and/or retain nationally recognized scholars or experts in law, who will make a difference in the quality of teaching and research in Business Law.

Gifts to the Law School Foundation

Gifts to the Law School Foundation may be designated to a variety of funds. Throughout the year, the Foundation receives generous contributions from individuals and corporations to support the Law School’s programs and scholarships. The following individuals and corporations made gifts to the designated funds from July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020.

Testamentary and Deferred Gifts

Individuals listed below have designated the Law School of the Law School Foundation as a beneficiary of a testamentary or other deferred gift and given permission to publicize their gifts.

Travis M. Bedsole Jr.

Travis M. Bedsole, Jr. Scholarship Fund

George A. Blinn*

(Patricia Thuss Blinn)

Richard* and Anita Bounds

James E. Bridges III

H.R.* and Phyllis Campbell

The Phyllis and H.R. Campbell Endowed Support Fund

William D. Coleman

Coy Mark Collinsworth

Scholarship Support Fund

Judge Joseph Colquitt

Joseph A. Colquitt Scholarship Fund

Camille Wright Cook*

Ruben H. Wright Scholarship Fund

Camille Wright Cook Scholarship Fund

Dixie Cooper

George P. Crews Jr.

Robert P. Denniston

Thomas E. and Christine Drake*

Tom and Jan Elliott

Elliott Law School Fund

Joseph G. Gamble Jr.*

John Gamble Family Scholarship Fund

Gene Hamby

Gene Hamby Endowed Scholarship Fund

Edward L. Hardin Jr.

Edward L. Hardin, Jr. Scholarship Fund

Paula W. Hinton

Paula W. Hinton (1979) and James F. Hinton (1948) Scholarship Fund

James C.* and Joan Inzer

James C. Inzer, Jr. and Joan C. Inzer Endowed Law Scholarship Fund

William P. Jackson Jr. and Barbara Seignious Jackson

William P. Jackson, Jr. and Barbara Seignious Jackson Endowed Scholarship Fund

Frank and Jothany James

Judge Virgil Pittman Endowed Scholarship Fund

1. S. Johnson*Mineral Trust

Stephen Douglas Kane

Unrestricted Endowment Fund

Alva M. Lambert

George C. Wallace Endowment Fund

Curtis O. Liles III

Curtis O. Liles III Endowed Professorship in Tax Law

George A. McCain Jr.*

William D. Melton

Kathryn Miree

Thomas W. Mitchell

Thomas and Betty Mitchell Scholarship Fund

Alex W. Newton*

Alex W. Newton Scholarship Fund

James L.* and Lettie Lane North

Albert Gordon Rives*

Albert G. and Hester Rives Fund

John B. Sandage

Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. & Mrs. Ruth Jenkins Johnson Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Louis Salmon*

(Elisabeth Salmon Whitten)

Louis Salmon Fund

Robert H. Shaw Jr.

Elizabeth Kirksey Shaw and Robert H. Shaw, Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund

Stephen Wesley Shaw

Lanny Vines

Judge Cecil M. Deason Professorship

Judge E.C. Watson Professorship

Judge Russell McElroy Professorship

*Deceased

Planned Giving Options

When it comes to making a long-term impact at The University of Alabama, there are many giving options to choose from. For more information about these or other gift planning options, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at (205) 348-0999, toll free at (888) 875-4438, or email at plannedgiving@advance.ua.edu

Will or Living Trust

A gift through a will or living trust is one of the easiest gifts you can make, and it can create a lasting impact on the future of The University of Alabama.  Your estate planning attorney can include a provision in your will that could list a specific asset, a dollar amount, or a percentage of your estate.  A bequest could also be made from the residual of your estate after all gifts have been made to your heirs.

Beneficiary Designation

One of the simplest long-range gift arrangements is to designate the School of Law as beneficiary of all or a portion of your IRA, other retirement account, or life insurance policy.  Changing a beneficiary is usually quite simple and can be handled through your retirement plan administrator or your life insurance company.

Charitable Gift Annuity

A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and the Capstone Foundation at The University of Alabama. You make a gift of cash or securities, and in return the University agrees to pay you and/or another person a specific amount for the rest of your life or lives.  You may direct the remainder of your gift to support the program(s) in the School of Law that you specify.

Summary of Law School Funds as of June 30, 2020

This summary of funds includes corpus accounts in excess of $5,000, as of June 30, 2020.

Endowed funds reflect market value and unendowed funds reflect book value.

ACADEMIC CHAIRS

Endowed:

Tom Bevill Chair of Law                                                                           $1,811,761

Francis H. Hare Chair of Law                                                                   $1,410,912

Robert W. Hodgkins Chair of Law                                                             $2,118,531

Paul Jones, Jr. & Charlene Angelich Jones Endowed Chair of Law $1,537,388

Jerry W. & Carolyn W. Powell Professor of Practice for Law & Business          $93,793.68

Frank E. Spain Chair of Law                                                                    $1,248,829

John J. Sparkman Chair of Law                                                                $2,314,639

John S. Stone Chair of Law                                                                      $1,938,709

Charles E. Tweedy, Jr. Chair of Law                                                         $3,474,207

FACULTY SUPPORT FUNDS

Endowed:

Class of 1936 Professorship                                                                    $214,857

Douglas Arant Professorship                                                                    $118,389

Frank Bainbridge – Walter L. Mims Professorship                                      $423,050

Jere L. Beasley, Sr. Professorship                                                            $121,147

Edgar L. Clarkson Professorship                                                              $222,348

Marc Ray Clement Professorship                                                             $95,901

John D. and Janis P. Clements Research Fund                                         $40,083

Alton C. and Cecile Cunningham Craig Professorship                               $184,153

Lyman F. Holland, Jr. and Leannah P. Holland

Endowed Visiting Assistant Professorship                                       $241,617

James M. Kidd, Sr. Professorship                                                             $392,557

Marcus McConnell Faculty Friends and Benefactors Enhancement Fund          $178,856

Thomas E. McMillan Professorship                                                           $208,561

Joseph D. Peeler Professorship                                                               $254,716

Ira Drayton Pruitt, Sr. Professorship                                                         $194,258

Drew Redden Endowed Fund $132,054

Drew Redden Endowed Faculty Support $244,620

William Alfred Rose Professorship                                                            $268,514

Gordon Rosen Professorship                                                                   $232,550

Sadler Support Fund                                                                               $110,791

Yetta G. Samford, Jr. Professorship                                                         $669,358

John W. Sharbrough III Professorship                                                      $57,066

Irving Silver & Frances Grodsky Silver Faculty Scholar Endowment           $243,879

Henry Upson Sims Professorship                                                             $356,894

Thomas E. Skinner Professorship                                                             $110,217

Elton B. Stephens Professorship                                                              $192,822

Bruce C. Strother Memorial Fund                                                             $24,193

University Research Professorship                                                           $191,312

Judge Robert S. Vance Professorship                                                      $128,091

Herbert D. Warner Professorship                                                              $122,100

Wiggins, Childs, Quinn & Pantazis Professorship                                      $233,016

* Perpetual trusts with a market value of $1,238,142.68 benefit this fund.

III. SCHOLARSHIPS

Endowed:

Lillian Duffee Adair                                                                                  $46,108

Ralph Wyatt Adams                                                                                 $99,256

Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions/William Sullivan                                    $123,004

Gary Aldridge Memorial                                                                           $32,252

Captain Howard R. Andrews, Jr.                                                              $320,580

Kathryn Whittingham Baker – Schuyler A. Baker                                        $127,700

Balch & Bingham – John F. Mandt                                                            $146,441

James C. Baldone, Sr.                                                                             $27,137

Massey Bedsole $101,869

Judge Travis Jesse Bedsole Memorial                                                      $56,980

Travis Massey Bedsole, Jr.                                                                      $97,841

Robert Kirk Bell Memorial                                                                        $197,113

Charlotte Pool Bennett Memorial                                                              $54,285

Maurice F. Bishop                                                                                   $60,081

Judge John G. Bookout Memorial                                                             $48,551

Donald Richard Bounds, Jr. Memorial                                                       $334,782

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings                                                                $237,886

Verne Bradley                                                                                         $699,180

Dean Mark E. Brandon                                                                            $46,228

Doreen S. Brogden                                                                                  $23,395

James Douglas Brown                                                                             $50,673

Burr & Forman                                                                                        $170,365

Samuel H. Burr                                                                                       $27,701

David C. Byrd                                                                                          $13,701

Artemas Killian Callahan, Sr.                                                                    $15,992

Capell & Howard                                                                                     $54,785

Charles F. Carr                                                                                       $112,924

Cecil G. Chason                                                                                      $11,888

Carey J. Chitwood                                                                                   $869,798

Raynold Chiz Memorial                                                                            $69,153

Samuel Clabaugh                                                                                    $22,587

James E. “Red” Clark                                                                              $46,781

Class of 1979 In Memoriam                                                                     $129,830

Class of 1982 Scholarship                                                                        $54,602

Clayton-Hopper Memorial                                                                        $459,470

Harwell E. Coale, Jr.                                                                                $20,797

Judge Stephen B. Coleman                                                                     $13,772

Camille Wright Cook                                                                                $38,395

Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Cooper                                                                $46,448

Lee and Joy Cooper                                                                                $215,817

Albert W. Copeland                                                                                 $73,433

Allen Cox $95,997

John H. and Lola B. Curry                                                                        $38,252

Gregory S. Cusimano                                                                              $50,135

Delony Family                                                                                         $2,550,332

Dominic DeSimone Memorial Endowed Book                                            $59,069

Dean’s Discretionary                                                                                $55,557

Judge W. Aubrey Dominick                                                                      $18,957

Susan Doss $57,128

Susan Doss Prize, Endowed by Harper Lee $42,494

Chester Ellingson                                                                                    $520,317

Mike and Lori Ermert                                                                               $90,999

Robert Foster “Buck” Etheredge Memorial                                                $55,419

John C. and Charles H. Eyster                                                                 $67,507

Edward W. Faith and Lyman F. Holland                                                    $61,844

Michael A. Figures                                                                                  $172,392

Anna C. Fitts                                                                                           $29,887

McDavid and Jeanie Flowers                                                                   $103,651

Walter Flowers Memorial                                                                         $18,006

John S. Foster                                                                                        $128,862

James Timothy Francis                                                                            $82,171

Abraham Franco Memorial                                                                       $43,116

Michael D. Freeman Memorial                                                                 $12,711

General E. M. Friend, Jr. Scholarship presented by Sirote & Permutt          $100,271

Kenneth T. Fuller and Byron D. Boyett                                                      $45,334

Ralph Gaines, Jr.                                                                                    $64,920

William and Virginia Gaines                                                                     $37,537

Fournier J. “Boots” Gale III                                                                       $517,169

Charles W. Gamble                                                                                 $71,418

William C. Gamble, Jr.                                                                             $13,454

Lucian D. Gardner                                                                                   $77,364

Edgar C. Gentle III                                                                                  $41,274

Judge Walter P. Gewin                                                                            $20,348

W. Godbey                   $55,346

Edwin L. and Julia T. Goodhue                                                                $13,904

Gene M. Hamby, Jr.                                                                                $50,426

Claude E. Hamilton, Sr. and Family                                                          $305,779

Powell A. and Magaria Simpson Hamner                                                  $60,098

Sam Harvey Hamner Memorial                                                                $80,656

Nathaniel Hansford and Frances Fincher Hansford                                   $47,431.90

Ed and Lila Hardin                                                                                   $112,253

Estes H. and Florence Parker Hargis                                                        $141,516

Larry W. and Nancy L. Harper                                                                  $19,381

Claude Harris, Jr.                                                                                    $64,904

Judge Robert B. Harwood Memorial                                                         $98,367

Edwin I. Hatch                                                                                         $23,644

James Luther Hearn                                                                                $218,932

Helmsing, Leach, Herlong, Newman & Rouse                                           $52,969

Thomas Henry Henderson, Jr.                                                                 $145,492

Julius W. Hicks                                                                                        $26,889

Judge Patrick Higginbotham                                                                    $41,399

Page Higginbotham $18,712

Thomas Bowen Hill, Jr. Memorial                                                             $46,792

Paula W. Hinton (1979) and James F. Hinton, Sr. (1948)                           $70,886

Dexter C. Hobbs Memorial                                                                       $217,228

Judge Robert E. Hodnette                                                                       $80,638

Judge Hugh Edwin Holladay                                                                    $12,259

Perry Hubbard                                                                                         $31,493

James F. Hughey, Jr.                                                                              $47,061

John Evans Jackson                                                                                $40,972

William P., Jr. and Barbara Seignious Jackson                                          $232,903

Paul W. Jevne                                                                                         $226,694

Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. and Ruth Jenkins Johnson Memorial             $136,001

Johnstone, Adams, Bailey, Gordon & Harris                                              $65,499

Devane King Jones Memorial                                                                   $83,514

Thomas Goode Jones                                                                             $928,418

Thomas L. Jones Fund                                                                            $104,409

Jones Walker, LLP                                                                                  $18,552

Stephen Douglas Kane in honor of former Dean Kenneth C. Randall          $113,295

Nicholas DeB. Katzenbach Civil Rights                                                     $178,859

Judge Robert G. Kendall                                                                          $163,469

Judge Robert E. L. Key                                                                            $16,791

Judge Hardie B. Kimbrough                                                                     $98,632

James C. “Jimmy” King                                                                            $92,903

Douglas Lanford                                                                                      $55,064

Law Minority                                                                                            $16,056

Judge Thomas W. Lawson                                                                       $39,964

Blake Lazenby Memorial                                                                          $47,129

The Alice Finch Lee Memorial                                                                  $94,535

James G. Lee Memorial                                                                           $26,812

George A. LeMaistre                                                                               $70,176

William T. Lewis                                                                                      $380,642

Lightfoot, Franklin & White                                                                       $30,234

Curtis O. Liles III Endowed Scholarship in Tax Law                                   $28,824

Robert J. and Jane K. Lowe                                                                     $176,126

Judge Seybourn H. Lynne                                                                        $1,526,043

Cecil Mackey $329,564

Richard S. Manley                                                                                   $15,880

Frank J. Martin                                                                                        $47,023

Ben May                                                                                                 $56,207

Maynard, Cooper & Gale                                                                         $86,357

George W. McBurney                                                                              $44,581

Judge and Mrs. Leon C. McCord Memorial                                               $47,813

Clinton McGee $12,147

Jan B. McMinn                                                                                        $15,641

Oakley W. Melton, Jr.                                                                              $122,865

William D. Melton                                                                                    $108,995

Walter J. Merrill                                                                                       $33,550

Mavis Clark Metzger                                                                                $88,655

Stanley D. Metzger                                                                                  $457,588

Nina Miglionico                                                                                        $372,268

John C. H. Miller, Jr.                                                                                $48,657

William E. Mitch                                                                                      $46,254

William H. Mitchell, Sr.                                                                             $60,498

Henry H. Mize                                                                                         $187,199

Claude McCain Moncus                                                                           $45,089

Charles Morgan                                                                                      $59,592

Carl A. Morring, Jr.                                                                                  $122,351

Larry W. Morris                                                                                       $132,585

Nathaniel Welch Morrisette, Jr.                                                                $1,254

Jay W. and Alberta Murphy                                                                      $46,885

Bonneau Murray Memorial $211,130

Neal C. Newell                                                                                        $97,143

Alex W. Newton                                                                                      $105,309

Ray O. Noojin                                                                                         $44,120

James L. and Lettie Lane North                                                               $153,609

Lewis G. Odom, Jr.                                                                                  $49,089

Richard F. Ogle Memorial                                                                        $25,875

Camper O’Neal $13,174

Order of the Coif                                                                                     $112,322

T. Ormond $143,744

Prime F. Osborn Fellowships                                                                    $166,716

Craig and Andrea Parker                                                                         $70,290

Judge Eris F. Paul Memorial                                                                    $54,855

John C. Pearson                                                                                     $30,362

John C. Pearson Memorial                                                                       $23,875

Jerry and Suzanne Perkins                                                                      $13,696.65

Phelps Dunbar, LLP (formerly Lyons Pipes & Cook)                                  $87,280

Samuel W. Pipes III Memorial                                                                  $33,336

Pittman Dutton & Hellums                                                                        $108,394

Joe and Angeline Pittman                                                                        $85,425

Judge Virgil Pittman                                                                                 $37,872

Judge Sam C. Pointer                                                                             $209,326

William S. Pritchards                                                                               $206,759

Proctor Family                                                                                         $61,916

Ira Drayton Pruitt, Jr.                                                                               $12,901

Judge John M. Puryear                                                                            $41,932

Drew Redden $25,632

Hugh Reed, Jr. Memorial                                                                         $437,707

Judge Ben Reeves                                                                                  $523,654

REUNION!                                                                                              $178,580

Allen Reynolds, Jr. Memorial $118,673

Patrick W. Richardson Memorial                                                              $155,603

Rives and Peterson                                                                                 $57,995

Edward Maurice Rogers                                                                          $473,219

T. Goodloe Rutland $62,048

Leon Y. Sadler, Jr.                                                                                  $25,208

Louis Salmon Fund $13,775

Yetta G. Samford III Memorial                                                                  $397,831

Lucille Tisdale Sauls                                                                                $203,247

Matthew A. Schenck                                                                                $10,200

Charles J. Scott, James M. Scott and Lucy Elizabeth Scott Memorial          $20,960

Elizabeth Kirksey Shaw and Robert H. Shaw, Jr.                                      $50,978

David Walter Shipper Memorial                                                                $46,919

Arthur Davis Shores                                                                                 $77,703

Sirote & Permutt                                                                                     $36,724

Morris K. and Joseph H. Sirote                                                                 $167,001

Angus A. Smith                                                                                       $12,278

General Holland M. Smith                                                                        $44,040

John Q. Somerville                                                                                  $47,982

Spain & Gillon                                                                                         $156,642

Frank E. Spain                                                                                        $14,986

Nettie Edward Spain                                                                                $48,026

Finis E. St. John III Memorial                                                                   $97,097

Stancil R. Starnes                                                                                   $98,908

Cherry and Bart Starr                                                                              $81,293

Robert E. Steiner, Jr. Memorial Fund                                                        $60,069

Student Alumni Law Society                                                                     $38,568

Eugene Phillip Stutts                                                                               $100,986

David L. Thomas                                                                                     $11,362

James W. Traeger Memorial                                                                    $21,551

Charles Stephen Trimmier, Jr.                                                                 $45,853

Edward P. Turner, Jr. Family                                                                    $51,563

Charles E. Tweedy, Jr.                                                                            $351,422

William L. Utsey                                                                                      $121,618

William L. Utsey, William D. Melton, and E. Tedford Taylor                        $65,834

Vickers, Riis, Murray and Curran, LLC                                                      $52,482

Lanny S. Vines                                                                                        $202,663

George C. Wallace                                                                                  $12,241

Brand Walton, Jr. $55,564

Marvin L. Warner                                                                                    $104,327

Judge Robert J. Wheeler                                                                         $531,071

Jeanne G. Wiggins and Charles Wiggins, Jr.                                            $48,203

Wilmer & Lee, P.A.                                                                                  $56,574

Jerry D. Worthy                                                                                       $8,215

Reuben H. Wright Memorial                                                                     $27,667

Olin W. Zeanah                                                                                       $54,476

Unendowed:

William H. Albritton III Fund                                                                      $8,439

Collegiate License Fund                                                                          $56,025

Annual:

Alabama Federal Tax Clinic                                                                     $30,000

Christian & Small LLP Annual Diversity                                                     $5,000

Order of the Coif                                                                                      $12,000

Porterfield, Harper, Mills, Motlow & Ireland                                                $5,000

PRIZES

Endowed:

Dean T W Christopher Prize                                                                    $8,100

H M Somerville Law Prize Fund                                                               $6,852

UNRESTRICTED FUNDS

Endowed:

George M. and Mary C. Akers                                                                  $54,211

Carol Andrews Moot Court Support Fund                                                  $32,131

Ball Family Endowment                                                                           $39,511

Hugo L. Black Fund                                                                                 $54,251

Cathryn and Mark Boardman Endowed Support Fund                               $18,195

Dancy Law School Fund                                                                          $56,142

Roy M. Greene                                                                                       $63,393

Brooks Hayes $28,766

Howell T. Heflin                                                                                       $400,235

James T. Kirk                                                                                          $69,300

Justice Alva Hugh Maddox Fund                                                              $13,084

Manley Servicemen & Veterans Program Endowed Fund                          $9,110.80

Gessner T. McCorvey                                                                              $14,171

Nina Miglionico Dean’s Discretionary Endowed Fund                                 $490,231

Morris, King & Hodge, P.C. Endowed Support Fund                                  $23,647

Reese Phifer/Special Law School Fund                                                    $12,318

Edward Brett Randolph                                                                            $1,234,521

John D. Rather, Jr.                                                                                  $13,085

* Albert and Hester Rives                                                                         $1,378,185

Charles Oscar Stokes                                                                              $397,986

* A perpetual trust with a market value of $2,675,174.74 benefits this fund.

Unendowed:

Hugo L. Black Fund #2                                                                            $42,009

Lanier Dean’s Discretionary Fund                                                             $158,928

Manley Servicemen & Veterans Program Fund                                         $5,638

Joseph Mosby Dean’s Discretionary Fund                                                $6,250

2010 Class Reunion Project Fund                                                            $5,246

School of Law Naming Opportunities Support Fund                                   $95,765

James E. Smith, Jr. Memorial                                                                   $7,418

Judge C. C. Torbert Jr. Fund                                                                    $9,441

Unrestricted Funds                                                                                  $122,420

Stephen R. Windom Dean’s Enhancement Fund                                       $38,768

RESTRICTED FUNDS

Endowed:

The Albritton Fund                                                                                   $97,791

Ben & Julie Bucy Public Interest Law Fund                                               $72,341

Program for Law and Business                                                                 $71,762

The Crum Family Endowed Lecture for Law and Business                         $266,996

Judge Leon Hopper Academic Award in Bankruptcy Law                           $10,483

Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Endowed Lecture

On Constitutional Rights & Liberties                                               $86,629

The Daniel J. Meador Annual Lecture Fund                                              $226,949

Drew Redden Endowed Alabama Law Review Support $209,224

Dr. Norman J. Singer Endowed Public Interest Law Fund                          $49,540

William Baker Oliver Lectureship                                                              $22,811

Unendowed:

Class Composite Preservation Fund                                                         $21,935

Arthur B. Foster Loan Fund                                                                      $67,129

G. Gaston Loan Fund                                                         $46,195

W. Mosby Loan Fund $20,366

The Jerry Powell Technology Fund                                                           $20,099

Paul E. Skidmore Award                                                                          $32,239

Silver Annual Faculty Scholar Gift Fund                                                    $16,029

VII.  LIBRARY SUPPORT FUNDS

Endowed:

Rufus Bealle $62,592

Robert C. Brickell Memorial                                                                      $44,823

Marion Maxell Caskie, Jr. Memorial                                                          $7,161

The Crosby Support Fund                                                                        $23,615

Barbara H. Hunter Library Endowment                                                     $38,863

Irene Feagin Scott Tax Library Collection                                                  $248,797

Unendowed:

Judge Gordon Kahn Library Fund                                                             $14,891

Thomas G. Mancuso Library Collection for Tax and Corporate Law            $8,291

Francis (Frank) J. Mizell, Jr. Legal History Collection                                 $25,082

VIII.  ADVOCACY SUPPORT FUNDS

Endowed:

Pittman, Dutton, Kirby & Hellums Advocacy                                              $104,145

Neal Pope Trial Advocacy $30,012

George Peach Taylor Trial Advocacy                                                        $26,920

Drew Redden Trial Advocacy $209,224

James A. Yance Trial Advocacy                                                               $81,655

In Memoriam

July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020

Class of 1948

Roscoe O. Roberts

Huntsville, AL

Class of 1949

William J. Sullivan

Birmingham, AL

CLASS OF 1950

Jerry O. Lorant

Birmingham, AL

William S. Pritchard

Birmingham, AL

Class of 1951

Wilbur E. Lewis

Naples. FL

Hon. James E. Loftis

Union, MS

Jimmie R. Meriwether

Chickasaw, AL

Class of 1952

Robert H. Bowron, Jr.

Pelham, AL

Class of 1953

Charles D. Conway

Montevallo, AL

Class of 1954

Hon. Robert L. Bowers

Clanton, AL

Edwin L. Brobston

Bessemer, AL

Donald E. Brutkiewicz

Mobile, AL

William J. Edwards

Point Clear, AL

Harlan H. Grooms, Jr.

Birmingham, AL

Class of 1956

William H. Mills

Birmingham, AL

Charles E. Sharp

Vestavia, AL

Hon. George S. Wright

Tuscaloosa, AL

Class of 1959

Albert N. Hudgens

Dauphin Island, AL

Ralph P. Loveless, Jr.

Pensacola, FL

Clarence W. Scott

Pell City, AL

Class of 1960

William J. Benton, Sr.

Phenix City, AL

Kent Henslee

Gadsden, AL

Borden M. Ray

Tuscaloosa, AL

Class of 1963

Jerry A. McDowell

Fairhope, AL

Philip H. Pitts II

Selma, AL

Gerald S. Topazi

Birmingham, AL

Class of 1967

Jerry R. Barksdale

Athens, AL

Max Olim

Atlanta, GA

John P. Oliver II

Dadeville, AL

Abner R. Powell II

Andalusia, AL

Fred Don Siegal

Miami, FL

Class of 1968

Gary P. Alidor, Sr.

Mobile, AL

Hon. Allwin E. Horn III

Mountain Brook, AL

Joe H. Little, Jr.

Mobile, AL

Hon. Daniel J. Reynolds, Jr.

Hoover, AL

Charles S. Trimmier, Jr.

Mountain Brook, AL

CLASS OF 1969

Steven R. Berger

Aventura, FL

Donald V. Burch

Brandon, MS

Gary M. Kornman

Dallas, TX

Frank P. Samford III

Tucker, GA

Class of 1970

Norman Bradley, Jr.

Huntsville, AL

John C. Falkenberry

Eastpoint, FL

Class of 1971

Paul R. Hartley, Sr.

Greenville, AL

Arnold W. Umbach, Jr.

Auburn, AL

CLASS OF 1972

Booker T. Forte, Jr.

Clinton, AL

Jonathan H. Raffield

Grove Hill, AL

Dr. Kenneth M. Reese

Dahlonega, GA

CLASS OF 1974

James M. Crouch

Birmingham, AL

Charles M. Ferguson

Tallahassee, FL

Paul J. Morrow, Jr.

Nashville, TN

Patricia E. Saik

Bay Saint Louis, MS

Gene R. Smitherman

Atlanta, GA

Class of 1975

Jimmy D. Cantrell

Huntsville, AL

Class of 1976

Ronald W. Self

Columbus, GA

Class of 1977

Marc E. Bradley

Mobile, AL

John M. Burks

Hoover, AL

Class of 1978

Michael R. Farrow

Milton, FL

Winn S. Faulk

Montgomery, AL

Kenneth M. Reese

Dahlonega, GA

Class of 1979

Hon. Joseph L. Boohaker

Hoover, AL

Class of 1981

Mark G. Montiel, Sr.

Montgomery, AL

Class of 1986

Russelle L. Hubbard

Alabaster, AL

James R. McMurry

Athens, AL

Class of 1993

John T. Brooks, Jr.

Montgomery, AL

Thomas M. Little

Vestavia, AL

Class of 1996

Wendell B. Hunt

Maumelle, AR

Class of 2003

David M. Fleming

Birmingham, AL

Class of 2006

Christopher S. Kuffner

Huntsville, AL

Class of 2010

Gloria Y. Son

Birmingham, AL

Class of 2011

Robert L. Rash, Jr.

Montgomery, AL