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August 2023

News

Alabama Law Welcomes the Class of 2026

Alabama Law Class of 2026 poses for a group photo on the first day of 1L orientation.

As a new school year begins, Alabama Law is proud to welcome the Class of 2026. This year’s 1L Class consists of 128 students-drawn from a competitive pool of over 1,600 applicants. Read more about the incoming class online.

Tailgate on the Quad with Alabama Law this Fall

Alabama Law will be tailgating on the Quad on September 23 and October 21 (2023) football games.

This season, Alabama Law will be tailgating on the Quad ahead of the Ole Miss (September 23) and Tennessee (October 21) games. Learn more and RSVP today.

Save the Date: Homecoming Tailgate October 14

2021 Homecoming Tailgate at The University of Alabama School of Law

In addition to the tailgates listed above, the Law School and the Alabama Law Alumni Society will be hosting the annual Homecoming Tailgate on the Law Center Front Lawn on October 14, three hours before kickoff against Arkansas. A shuttle will be provided to the stadium ahead of the game. Keep an eye out for an email that will include additional details and the RSVP signup in the coming weeks.

Last Call: Alumni Award Nominations Close September 1

Alabama Law Alumni Society banquet photos from 2023

Nominations for the Alabama Law Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award, Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor, and the Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award are open until September 1. The winners of these awards will be honored at the annual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet in early 2024. Learn about each award and submit a nomination here.

Become an Alabama Law Alumni Society Class Chair!

Alumni gather at the 2021 homecoming event at the University of Alabama School of Law

To reconnect Alabama Law alums with each other and the School of Law, Dean Brewbaker is kicking off a new class chair program housed within the Alabama Law Alumni Society. The Society is seeking Class Co-chairs who will (1) facilitate communications between the Law School and their class (2) connect with class members to keep them updated and apprised of what each other is doing, and (3) help increase participation in the Alabama Law Alumni Society’s annual giving program.

Learn more about this program and how to become a class chair here.

Class Notes

Bryan O. Babcock (’14) was spotlighted by the Mercer University publication The Den.

Brannon Buck (’97) was installed as the 148th president of the Alabama State Bar.

Graham Burgess (’04) joined Maynard Nexsen at the Huntsville office and has been named shareholder.

Christy D. Crow (’97) was named treasurer of the Alabama Association for Justice for 2023.

Emily Bonds Davey (’90) was selected as the Director of Clinics, Externship and Public Interest at Samford University Cumberland School of Law.

Paul DeMarco (’93) was selected by the National Grocer Association to receive the Spirit of America Award.

Andrew R. Dolan (’15) was announced as the new CEO of 68 Ventures.

Retired Judge John H. England Jr. (’74) was awarded the Rev. T.Y. Rogers Jr. Trail Blazer Award.

Scott W. Faulkner (’01) joined Maynard Nexsen as a shareholder at the Huntsville office.

Asher Fried (’15) joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s firm in Houston, Texas as senior counsel in the tax controversy & litigation practice.

Austin Hagood (’17) joined Maynard Nexsen at the Huntsville office and has been named of counsel.

Paula W. Hinton (’79) was a participant in the American Law Institute’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Wesley L. Laird (’86) was named president of the Alabama Association for Justice for 2023.

Logan D. Manthey (’15) joined Huie, Fernambucq, & Stewart, LLP as an associate in Birmingham.

Robert L. McCurley, Jr. (’66) was a participant in the American Law Institute’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Derrick Mills (’03) was named Secretary of the Alabama Association for Justice for 2023.

Henry T. Morrissette (’91) was elected a member of the 2023-2024 International Association of Defense Counsel Board of Directors.

Clint Mountain (’03) was named 1st vice president of the Alabama Association for Justice for 2023.

Brad Neighbors (’06) was named partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Birmingham.

Adam W. Overstreet (’01) was selected as vice president of legal affairs and chief compliance officer at Austal USA.

Ethan Picone (’15) joined Lane Powell as an associate in Seattle.

Richard J.R. Raleigh (’95) was a participant in the American Law Institute’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Amanda T. Rainey (’99) was appointed as chancellor for the 12th Chancery Court District, Place 2, in Clarke and Lauderdale counties.

Edward S. Sledge IV (’03) received the Richard L. Neumeier Excellence in Service Award from the International Association of Defense Counsel.

Larry D. Smith (’84) was named among the Orlando Business Journal’s Diversity in Business awardees, recognized by the Florida Bar as a “face of change” for pioneering inclusivity in the state, and was granted the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Diversity Award.

Ronald W. Smith (’00) was appointed to Madison County Alabama District Judge by Governor Kay Ivey.

Felecia R. Tucker (’11) was named KPMG’s new managing partner at the Long Island office.

Kimberly R. Ward (’01) has joined Litter’s Birmingham office as special counsel.

Erica L. Webb (’22) was promoted to deputy public defender at the Clark County Public Defender’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Harley Yancey (’18) was named to the United Community Bank board of directors in Rome, Georgia. He was also named the 14th congressional district representative on the Georgia Board of Natural Resources.

Gifts

A recognition of gifts of $5,000+ over the summer months

Alabama Power Foundation Inc. pledged $2,500,000 to create The Mark (’87) and Jane Emily Crosswhite Endowed Law Scholarship.

Thomas W. Bowron II (’83) contributed $50,000 to establish the Justice T. Eric Embry Endowed Law Scholarship.

Dean William S. Brewbaker III contributed $5,000 to the Alabama Law Alumni Society.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP contributed $13,000 to the Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Endowed Scholarship.

Dr. Jonathan J. Davies (’80) contributed $6,500 to the Alabama Law Alumni Society.

J. Leigh Davis (’97) pledged $50,000 to create the Leigh Davis Family Endowed Law Scholarship.

The Scholarship Foundation, Inc., facilitated by H. Thomas Heflin, Jr. (’79), contributed $5,000 to the Howell T. Heflin Fund.

Mr. and Mrs. Fournier J. Gale III (’69) contributed $100,000 to the Fournier J. “Boots” Bale III Endowed Scholarship.

Albert G. Rives Charitable Trust contributed $11,000 to the Albert G. (1924) and Hester Rives Fund.

Thomas J. Scott, Jr. contributed $5,000 to the Judge Irene Feagin Scott (’36) Tax Library Collection Fund.

The University of Alabama Federal Tax Clinic donated $30,000 to The University of Alabama Federal Tax Clinic Scholarship.

An anonymous gift of $92,424.02 was contributed to the Law School Foundation Unrestricted Fund.

The following alumni and friends (not mentioned above) either made or renewed an annual giving contribution to the Alabama Law Alumni Society in July or August.

Eric J. Artrip Gregory A. Brockwell Davis B. Butler Jr. Jasper Knight Champion III William R. Corbett Kevin B. Cronin Laura L. Crum Brad A. Green Joseph R. Latham (’19) Derrick W. Lefler (’91) Jon N. Loupe (’05) Susan B. Molen (’79) James B. Owens III (’79) Wilmer Parker III (’75) Adam W. Pittman (’11) Eric L. Pruitt (’98) Kelsie M. Speight (’17) James A. Walters (’16) Anonymous

Faculty Notes

Professor Yonathan Arbel’s coauthored paper Generative Interpretation (with David Hoffman), was recently accepted to the NYU Law Review. It received a strong review by legal commentator Lawrence Solum of UVA. He also had an article titled On the Scales of Private Law: Nano Contracts accepted to the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology and an article titled A Status Theory of Defamation Law accepted to the UC Irvine Law Review. In addition, Professor Arbel was featured in the Taboo Trades podcast discussing truth bounties as a market solution for fake news-an idea he explores in a forthcoming article that will be published in the North Carolina Law Review.

Professor Russell Gold presented his forthcoming article The Public Voice of the Defender, 75 Ala. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2023) (co-authored with Kay Levine, Emory Law School), at the Law & Society Association Annual Meeting and presented other scholarly works in progress at CrimFest and the Criminal Justice Ethics Schmooze. He published articles in The Hill and The Conversation explaining how Donald Trump is receiving special treatment as a criminal defendant and how that treatment might provide a model of how to better treat all criminal defendants. Gold was quoted in the media several times, including in discussions about criminal law reform in the 2023 Alabama legislative session and a proposed new bill adding a felony offense for faking a kidnapping. He was interviewed on the Public Defenseless podcast about his forthcoming article The Public Voice of the Defender. He also spoke on a panel for early career scholars regarding developing a scholarly agenda at the SEALS Annual Meeting.

Professor Susan Pace Hamill was quoted in the Pittsburg-Post Gazette in an article titled Homes in the shadows: Out-of-state LLCs often conceal ownership of Allegheny County’s dangerous and decaying homes. She was also quoted in AL.com in an article titled Inside the Birmingham kickback scheme that took down a legislator.

Professor Amy Kimpel published Alienating Criminal Procedure, 37 Geo. Immigr. L. J.237 (2023). Professor Kimpel presented her work-in-progress, Lone Star Lessons, at CrimFest at Brooklyn Law School on July 18, 2023. Professor Kimpel also moderated a panel the Southeastern Association of Law Schools conference in Boca Raton, Florida on July 23, 2023, entitled “The Role of LGBTQ Law Professors and Allies in the South.”

Professor Shalini Ray was selected to serve as a consultant to the Administrative Conference of the United States for a project on individualized guidance in the federal bureaucracy.

This summer, Professor Clare Ryan presented her article, Are Children’s Rights Enough? (Forthcoming, American University Law Review) at the International Society of Family Law Golden Jubilee Conference in Antwerp, Belgium. Her article was also featured on the American Law Institute’s website the ALI Adviser. In addition, Professor Ryan presented her new work-in-progress, The Public/Private Home, at the Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference in Boston, MA. She also served as the Alabama Law delegate to the SEALS annual meeting in Boca Raton, FL.

Professor Fredrick Vars and Ian Ayres (Yale) have filed a series of amicus briefs in federal courts of appeals defending statutes in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware that Vars and Ayres’ proposal to forbid carrying a gun on the private property of another person without that person’s consent.