Alabama Law Welcomes the Class of 2028
Alabama Law is proud to welcome the Class of 2028 into the Law School community. Drawn from a competitive pool of approximately 1,750 applicants, this incoming class consists of 140 students who represent 21 states and have studied at 49 different colleges and universities. Classes officially began on August 18, but these 1Ls got a head-start during a week-long orientation beginning on August 11.
During orientation, they heard presentations from faculty, the Student Bar Association, and other members of the Alabama Law community; had time to socialize and get to know each other; took a trip to Montgomery to visit the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum; and completed a one-credit-hour introductory class that prepared them to hit the ground running at the start of the semester.
Alabama Law Alumni Awards
This summer, the Law School hosted receptions in Opelika, Knoxville, Birmingham, and Mobile to honor the recipients of the 2025 Alabama Law Alumni Awards: Jerry W. Powell (‘75), Professor Pamela Bucy Pierson, Hon. Jeff Sessions (‘73), Hon. C.C. “Bo” Torbert Jr. (‘54), Tommy Wells Jr. (‘75) and Hon. Zachary R. Walden (‘16). Thank you to all who came out to join us in celebrating the achievements of these outstanding alumni and faculty! Visit the Law School’s Flickr page to view and download photos from each event.
Now that we have wrapped up the 2025 award season, the Alabama Law Alumni Society and Board of Governors are accepting nominations for the 2026 Alumni Awards! Click here to learn more about the criteria for each award and to nominate an alumnus/ae.
Welcome New Faculty!
This semester, Alabama Law is excited to welcome six distinguished legal academics to its faculty: Dr. S. Sean Tu, Professor of Law; Grant T. Christensen, Associate Professor of Law; Tomer S. Stein, Associate Professor of Law; Jeffrey R. Baker, Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and Clinical Professor of Law; Jennifer Mart-Rice, Associate Dean of Legal Information Sciences and Associate Professor of Law in Residence; and Anne Miles Golson, Assistant Professor of Legal Writing.
Click here to learn more about each of these new faculty members.
1995 & 2000 Class Reunions
Did you graduate from Alabama Law in 1995 or 2000? If so, you should plan on attending the class reunions in September! The Class of 1995 reunion is on September 20 from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at The Club in Birmingham, and the Class of 2000 reunion will be held from September 19-20 in Tuscaloosa. Be on the lookout for emails with more details for each event, and click the buttons below to RSVP by September 5!
Gifts
Recognition of gifts of $5,000+ over the summer
David Moody contributed $5,000 to the Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. Memorial Endowed Lecture on Constitutional Rights and Liberties.
Camille Wright Brannon (‘86) and Wade Brannon made significant contributions to name the Judge George Searcy Wright Stage in the Path Makers Legacy Plaza, to create the Judge George Searcy Wright Endowed Memorial Scholarship, and to endow Reuben H. Wright Memorial Endowed Scholarship fund.
The following alumni and friends (not mentioned above) either made or renewed an annual giving contribution to the Alabama Law Alumni Society this summer. Visit www.give.ua.edu to make or renew your contribution.
Hon. Cynthia L. Almond (‘90)
John M. Baker (‘67)
J. Alan Bannister (‘88)
Preston B. Barnett Sr. (‘73)
Travis M. Bedsole Jr. (‘74)
Hon. Jody W. Bishop (‘92)
Amy Vibbart Bowman (‘92)
David A. Boyett III (‘84)
Dr. David G. Bronner (‘72)
Richard E. Broughton (‘81)
Hon. Howard F. Bryan IV (‘72)
Hon. Liles C. Burke (‘94)
Russell K. Burnette (‘09)
Bennie D. Butler Jr. (‘92)
Hon. John F. Butler (‘73)
Hon. Jack Caddell (‘70)
John C. Calame (‘78)
Hon. Karen H. Carr (‘87)
Nancy Carr
Allan J. Chappelle (‘75)
William R. Christopher (‘82)
John W. Clark IV (‘05)
Stephen E. Clements (‘82)
Kaylin P. Cook (‘17)
William J.N. Coxwell (‘05)
Allison Crawford (‘94)
Laura L. Crum (‘82)
Dr. Sandra B. Dockery (‘84)
Jim K. Duncan (‘73)
Allyson L. Edwards (‘92)
Bruce Ely (‘80)
Hon. John H. England Jr. (‘74)
William J. Gamble (‘67)
John W. Gant Jr. (‘80)
George C. Garikes (‘82)
Broox G. Garrett Jr. (‘73)
T. Michael Goodrich (‘71)
Vincent J. Graffeo (‘03)
Mac B. Greaves Sr. (‘75)
John C. Gullahorn (‘86)
Sidney J. Hardy (‘80)
Ben H. Harris Jr. (‘62)
T. Bowen Hill (‘53)
William G. Hooks Jr. (‘84)
W. Mike House (‘71)
Hon. R. Austin Huffaker Jr. (‘99)
Patrick P. Hughes (‘78)
John H. Jackson Jr. (‘66)
William P. Jackson Jr. (‘63)
Hon. J. Elizabeth Kellum (‘84)
Goodman G. Ledyard (‘81)
Curtis O. Liles III (‘73)
Jon N. Loupe (‘05)
Hon. Champ Lyons Jr. (‘65)
Debra L. Mackey (‘82)
Matthew C. McDonald (‘85)
R. Kevin McHugh (‘62)
William Mills (‘77)
Col. Richard D. Mink (‘88)
Dwight L. Mixson Jr. (‘82)
Susan B. Molen (‘79)
C. Richard Moore Jr. (‘76)
H. Lawrence Perry (‘91)
Thomas K. Pobgee (‘86)
James W. Rodgers (‘17)
Phyllis H. Scutchfield (‘80)
Hon. Jeff Sessions (‘73)
Elizabeth K. Shaw (‘78)
Robert H. Shaw Jr. (‘84)
William A. Short Jr. (‘69)
Larry U. Sims (‘65)
Thomas H. Siniard (‘80)
Michael A. Smith (‘87)
Kelsie Mattox Speight (‘17)
John S. Steiner (‘00)
Joseph G. Stewart (‘66)
Hon. C. Michael Stilson (‘74)
Norman M. Stockman (‘99)
William R. Stokes Jr. (‘80)
E. Tatum Turner (‘88)
Jennifer Valdez
Gregory E. Vaughan (‘03)
James A. Walters (‘16)
Karen C. Welborn (‘85)
Jeff A. Wells (‘06)
Jennifer Butler Wells (‘06)
James H. White Jr. (‘80)
James B. Wiley (‘80)
V. Lynne Windham (‘96)
Class Notes
Stephanie R. Allen (‘10) celebrated 15 years in business at AirWorks Solutions in Camarillo, California.
Rep. Cynthia Almond (‘90) was appointed President of the Alabama Public Service Commission by Governor Kay Ivey.
Anita L. Archie (‘91) was named deputy director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).
Hansen Babington (‘14) joined Morrison Avenue Capital Partners as managing director in Tampa, Florida.
Thanne A. Berg (‘97) was appointed deputy director of the Site Mitigation and Restoration Program for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control by Governor Gavin Newsom.
D. Marcel Black (‘75) received the 2025 William D. “Bill” Scruggs Jr. Service to the Bar Award from the Alabama State Bar.
Mark Boardman (‘89) began his tenure as parliamentarian of the Alabama State Bar.
Jeffrey Bowling (‘92) began his tenure as vice president of the Alabama State Bar.
Senator Katie Britt (‘13) was named Metro Alabama’s Crime Stopper of the Year.
Jennifer M. Buettner-Bates (‘99) will receive the Odessa Woofolk Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Birmingham Business Journal Women’s Summit in September.
Kane Burnette (‘09) joined Maynard Nexsen’s public finance practice as a shareholder in Birmingham.
Aubrey Coleman (‘14) joined Rivian Automotive as senior state policy advisor.
Joel Connally (‘98) began his tenure as a member of the executive council of the Alabama State Bar.
William J. Coxwell (‘05) was elected to the Darlington School Alumni Council in Rome, Georgia.
Christina D. Crow (‘97) was elected as second vice president of the Alabama Association for Justice for the 2025-26 term.
John Daniel (‘94) was named chief legal officer for the University of Alabama System.
Charles L. Denaburg (‘56) received the Mediator Pro Bono Award from the Pro Bono Section of the Alabama State Bar.
Halle Diaz (‘22) joined Husch Blackwell’s healthcare practice as an associate in Nashville.
Taylor Eckenrode (‘23) joined Pond Lehocky as an attorney in central Pennsylvania.
Rep. Shomari C. Figures (‘10) was named to Business Alabama’s Spotlight on Mobile County: Movers & Shapers list.
Fournier J. “Boots” Gale III (‘69) will be inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame during its annual ceremony in November.
W. Lee Gresham III (‘88) was named managing partner of Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC in Birmingham.
Anna M. Grizzle (‘98) was appointed to Lipscomb University’s Board of Trustees in Nashville.
Nathan Harris (‘10) was elected treasurer of the Alabama Association for Justice for the 2025-26 term.
Tom Heflin (‘79) received the Michael D. Ermert Award of Merit from the Alabama State Bar.
Fred G. Helmsing Jr. (‘96) was sworn in as the 150th president of the Alabama State Bar.
Johnjerica Hodge (‘13) joined Moog as associate general counsel in Elma, New York.
Sam Irby (‘70) and Taze Shepard (‘79) (posthumously) received the inaugural Jesse Price Evans III Award from the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Alabama State Bar.
Jennifer D. Jackson (‘05) joined The Drake Group, a nonprofit seeking to reform collegiate athletics.
Franklin Johnson (‘11) was named chief of the Alabama Department of Workforce’s Workforce Pathways Division.
Kevin R. Johnson (‘11) was elevated to acting deputy director in the the National Credit Union Administration’s office of consumer financial protection in Washington, D.C.
Brock Jones (‘89) was named 2025 Exchangite of the Year by the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa.
Ben Kearns (‘17) joined Outside Chief Legal as a litigator and executive in Mobile.
George R. Kolb Jr. (‘93) joined the Office of the Attorney General of Guam as an assistant U.S. attorney.
Will L. Lee IV (‘98) began his tenure as a member of the executive council of the Alabama State Bar.
Hon. Ricky J. McKinney (‘86) served as a grand marshal for the annual Juneteenth parade in Tuscaloosa.
Hon. C. Myron Milford Jr. (‘88) retired after 20 years on the bench as district judge in Chambers County, Alabama.
Derrick Mills (‘03) was elected as first vice president of the Alabama Association for Justice for the 2025-26 term.
Hon. Robert L. Minor (‘94) received the 2025 Judicial Award of Merit from the Alabama State Bar.
Mitchell Moorer (‘14) joined Michigan State University Athletics as executive senior associate athletics director for student-athlete management and administration.
Harold D. Mooty III (‘08) was nominated for a federal judgeship for the Northern District of Alabama by President Donald Trump.
Clint Mountain (‘03) was elected as president of the Alabama Association for Justice for the 2025-26 term.
Nathaniel Oehl (‘23) joined Burr & Forman’s financial services litigation practice group as an associate in Birmingham.
Wendy A. Padilla-Madden (‘04) was named to Birmingham Business Journal’s 2025 Top Birmingham Women list.
Daniel Perkins (‘24) joined Dentons Sirote’s trusts, estates, and wealth preservation practice as an associate in Birmingham.
Sherrie L. Phillips (‘96) received the Susan B. Livingston Award from the Women’s Section of the Alabama State Bar.
Robert J. Riccio (‘07) joined Outside Chief Legal as an officer in Mobile.
Nathan Smart (‘14) was named to UA’s Leadership U Class of 2025-26.
Wesley Smithart (‘20) was named Rookie of the Year by the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association’s Women in the Law Committee.
Danica R. Suedekum (‘17) joined Burr & Forman’s construction and project development practice group as a partner in Nashville.
H. Jerome Thompson (‘86) received the 2025 Commissioners’ Award from the Alabama State Bar.
Connie Walker (‘86) joined the Montgomery County Commission as county attorney in Montgomery.
Hays Webb (‘97) was named to the 2025-26 class of Leadership Tuscaloosa.
Sydney “Callen” Woodard (‘25) was named to Chi Omega’s 2025 30 Under 30 list.
The following alumni were named to Greenville (South Carolina) Business Magazine’s 2025 Legal Elite:
Jordan S. Goewey (‘19)
Marina L. Goewey (‘19)
David A. Thompson (‘21)
The following alumni were named in Leadership Alabama’s Class of 2025-26:
Rochelle A. Conley (‘06)
Kendall C. Dunson (‘96)
Stephen S. Gidiere III (‘96)
Edward “Luckett” Robinson II (‘94)
The following alumni were elected to the board of directors of the Alabama Association for Justice for the 2025-26 term:
Drew Barnett (‘12)
Greg Brockwell (‘02)
David Brown (‘01)
Ben Ford (‘14)
David Hodge (‘00)
Andrew Moak (‘02)
The following alumni were elected as fellows of the American Bar Foundation:
David S. Cain Jr. (‘03)
Jane L. Calamusa (‘00)
Lisa D. Cooper (‘99)
Sarah S. Johnston (‘00)
Faculty Notes
Professor Yonathan Arbel was interviewed on FOX News 10 in Mobile about a case in which an attorney cited cases that had been hallucinated by AI in court. He also participated in a live conversation on Broadband Breakfast about AI regulation.
Professors Jeff Baker and Cassandra Adams presented a CLE, Lawyers are Set Apart for Leadership: Ethical & Professional Responsibilities During Unprecedented Times, at the Alabama State Bar annual meeting. The presentation focused on lawyers’ ethical duties to defend professional independence, especially from government interference.
Professor Grant Christensen’s article, The Right to Protest in Indian Country, was published in Columbia Law Review, and Tribal Courts Are Courts of General Jurisdiction was published in Florida Law Review. The Return to Autochthonous Law, a book review of Indigenous Governance by David Wilkins, was accepted for publication in the University of Chicago Law Review.
Christensen also presented his work-in-progress, Tribal Court Judgments, at the 2nd Annual Conflict of Laws Workshop at the University of Oklahoma and at the 10th Annual Civil Procedure Workshop at the University of Richmond.
Professor Bryan Fair was named interim director and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Professor Russell Gold presented his work-in-progress, Fiscally Restraining Criminal Lawmaking, at CrimFest, the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) annual meeting, and the Criminal Law Works-in-Progress Workshop. At the SEALS annual meeting, he presented his forthcoming article, Look What You Made Me Do, was a panelist for Becoming a Productive and Fulfilled Scholar and Students for Fair Admission, and moderated the Your Next Article panel for SEALS’ New Scholars Program. He also taught a webinar on conducting classes for AALS and criminal law and procedure as part of the Law School’s Summer Scholars Program.
Professor Susan Pace Hamill’s chapter, Evangelicals and Other Contemporary Protestant Denominations in the United States, was published in Christian Perspectives on the Role of the State, Justice, and Taxation (Robert F. van Brederode ed., Springer). This book will be highlighted at a conference at Georgia State College of Law in October, where she will present her chapter, lead a small group discussion, and participate in a plenary session.
Hamill also gave several media interviews, including for an AL.com article about the Alabama laws that dictate whether or not police share body cam footage. Then, due to her expertise in Alabama’s 1901 Constitution, AL.com interviewed her about the complex reasons why efforts to reform Alabama’s constitution have consistently failed and why Alabama’s constitution continues to block achieving better public policy in the state. Finally, she was interviewed by WBEZ (Chicago’s NPR station) for an ongoing investigative story about the prevalence of LLCs in the rental real estate market.
Dean Anita Kay Head was a panelist on Grading, Feedback, and Rubrics in LRW for the Legal Writing Institute’s Boot Camp for New Teachers.
Professor Ron Krotoszynski presented his chapter, Regulating Private Social Media Platforms in the Shadow of the First Amendment: Some Comparative Law Observations and Lessons, from the forthcoming book, Social Media Platform Regulation and the Freedom of Expression in the United States and European Union: Across the Great Divide (András Koltay, Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr., Emily Laidlaw & Bernát Török eds., Oxford University Press forthcoming 2027) at the Society of Internet Platforms at Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, Hungary.
Professor Krotoszynski’s article, Reconsidering the Nondelegation Doctrine: Universal Service, the Power to Tax, and the Ratification Doctrine (80 Ind. L.J. (2005)) was cited in Justice Neil Gorsuch’s dissent in Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research, which was decided by the Supreme Court in June after being granted on writs of certiorari to the U.S. Court Of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Justice Gorsuch was joined by Justices Thomas and Alito in his dissent.
Dean Jennifer Mart-Rice presented three talks at the American Association of Law Libraries conference: Selector School Next Gen: Building & Curating Your Library’s Future Collection; Wait, What?: Intergenerational Communication in the Workplace; and Documentation December: Boldly Go Where Few Have Gone Before.
Vice Dean Joel Nichols presented at the NCBE’s (National Conference of Bar Examiners) Annual Bar Admissions Conference in Seattle in May and at the ABA Associate Deans Conference in Salt Lake City in June. At the NCBE Conference, he presented on character and fitness issues in law schools and licensure. At the ABA Conference, he served as a co-chair, led a “Day in the Life” discussion, hosted the plenary session, Disruption in Legal Education, and co-hosted Practical Strategies for Working with General Counsel.
Professor Shalini Bhargava Ray wrote commentary for Verfassungsblog on ICE’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) recent practice of arresting noncitizens at immigration court.
Professor Clare Ryan presented her work on Social Media Child Labor at the 2025 Law & Society Annual Meeting, the Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference, and the Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting.
Professor Tobie Smith presented his article, Calling Balls and Three Strikes, at CrimFest at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The article has been accepted for publication in San Diego Law Review.
Professor Sean Tu received AcademyHealth’s 2025 Publication of the Year Award for his co-authored article, Differential Legal Protections for Biologics vs Small-Molecule Drugs in the U.S.
He also published several articles: Prescription Drug Method-of-Use Patent Protection, 1991-2018 in Journal of General Internal Medicine (with Doni Bloomfield, Theodore W. Teng and Aaron S. Kesselheim), a response to a letter to the editor in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) regarding his previously-published article, Drug Versioning and Legal Accountability for Preventable Product Harms (with Timothy Bonis), Combating Pharmaceutical Patent Thickets in the Trump Administration in Health Affairs Forefront (with Aaron S. Kesselheim and William B. Feldman), a response to a letter to the editor in Nature Biotechnology regarding his previously-published article, The Puzzle of Biologics Manufacturing Platform Patents (with Osmat Azzam Jefferson, W. Nicholson Price II, Saurabh Vishnubhakat, and Arti K. Rai), The Strength and Importance of Government-Funded Patents for Approved Drugs in Nature Biotechnology (with Sarah M.E. Gabriele, Matthew J. Martin, and Aaron S. Kesselheim), Revenues, Patents, and New Generic Competition for Prescription Drugs in Journal of General Internal Medicine (with Aaron S. Kesselheim, Joseph S. Ross, and Ravi Gupta), and Certification Marks for Supporting Generic Drug Quality in Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (with Lars Lindgren and Aaron S. Kesselheim).
Tu offered news commentary for several articles: About 2.5% of All Drug Patents Cite Government Funding, New Study Finds for Endpoint News, How Regeneron, Maker of a Best-Selling Eye Drug, is Using Patent Tactics to Try to Thwart Competition for STAT News, Liquidia Drug Approved as Rival United Throws Hail Mary to Delay Actual Launch for Hunterbrook Media, Accelerated Cancer Drugs Face Delayed Reckonings for the American Association for Cancer Research, PBM Private Labeling Boosts Biosimilar Adoption, Raises Anticompetitive Concerns for Medscape, and on West Virginia Public Broadcasting about the Fourth Circuit decision upholding West Virginia’s ban on the sale of Mifepristone.
Professor Joyce Vance’s Substack post, Is Public Health Dead?, was featured on One Health Initiative’s website. Her book tour for Giving Up is Unforgivable will begin in Birmingham in October at Little Professor Book Shop with a Q&A with former Senator Doug Jones.
Professor Fred Vars published an op-ed in The LA Times about the lasting effects of mass shootings on bystanders, friends, and family members of victims – namely, mental health crises and suicide attempts – and Voluntary Do-Not-Sell proposals. The governor of Colorado recently signed a bill implementing Voluntary Do-Not-Sell lists, joining Delaware, Utah, Virginia, and Washington in passing Donna’s Law. Colorado is raising funds to create an electronic registration for the list – making it more accessible for people to voluntarily add and remove themselves from the list.
Vars also published another op-ed with The LA Times, Executive Order to Institutionalize Homeless People Defies Data, about President Trump’s executive order issued to combat homelessness in Washington, D.C.