The Honorable John England, Jr. received the 2018 Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Farrah Law Alumni Society Banquet in Birmingham.
The award is given to an outstanding alumnus of the University of Alabama School of Law who has distinguished himself or herself through service to the bar, the University of Alabama, and the School of Law.
“I am honored to receive the Pipes Award,” Judge England said. “It humbles me that the Law School would consider me to receive an award that so many people that I have such great respect for have received in the past.”
Drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, Judge England served in the U.S. Army for two years as a military policeman. In 1974, he began his law practice in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he has made his home and has served his community, state, and University for more than 40 years. Elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council in 1985, he served two terms as the Chair of the Finance and Community Development Committee. Governor Jim Folsom appointed England to the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court in 1993, where he became the first African-American Circuit Judge in Tuscaloosa. He was subsequently elected to a full term in 1994, where he served until he was appointed by Governor Don Siegelman to the Alabama Supreme Court in 1999. Judge England served on the Alabama Supreme Court until 2001. After serving on the Supreme Court, he returned to the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, where he continues to serve.
“Judge England has been a trailblazer for his entire adult life,” said Dean Mark E. Brandon. “He was among the very first African American students to attend the University of Alabama School of Law. He flourished as a practicing lawyer and has distinguished himself as both a trial judge and a Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He is the embodiment of public service – to community, state, and nation, not to mention the University of Alabama and the Law School.”
The Law School also celebrated the endowment of the following funds:
Alabama Law hosted 75 undergraduate students from Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi for Discover Law. The annual open house is designed for those who are interested in attending law school.
Dean Mark E. Brandon welcomed the students and challenged them to discover why they would like to attend law school. The students received information about how to apply for law school, attended a mock law class and heard advice from Alabama Law alumni about successful career strategies they can use before, during, and after law school.
Zach Anderson, Richmond Gunter, and Will Menas, all 3Ls, recently competed in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the National Tax Moot Court Competition. They were undefeated in the preliminary rounds, beating teams from Oregon and Liberty University. They received a bye in the quarters, defeated Baltimore in the semis, and lost the final round by one point to Charleston. The U.S. Tax Court judges who judged the final round were impressed by all of Alabama Law’s advocates. Gunter was selected as the best overall advocate in the competition. Clay Staggs (’96) coached and advised the team.
Professor Julie Hill is quoted in Marijuana Business Daily about a Colorado credit union receiving conditional approval from the Federal Reserve to open its doors.
For more, read “Fourth Corner Credit Union Gets Conditional Approval from Federal Reserve for Marijuana-Related Banking.”
The University of Alabama School of Law will host the 12th annual meeting of the Law and Entrepreneurship Association at 8 a.m. Friday, February 9, 2018, in the Hayes Conference Room.
The association is a group of legal scholars interested in the topic of entrepreneurship. Scholars include those who write about corporate law and finance, securities, intellectual property, labor and employment law, tax, and other fields related to entrepreneurship and innovation policy.
The annual conference is an intimate gathering where each participant is expected to read and actively engage with all of the pieces under discussion.
Barry Burkett, Daneal Barnaby, Jodi Wilson, and Imani Shaw, all 3Ls, competed as two teams in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition in Birmingham. Wilson and Shaw won second place in the region and advanced to the national competition in New York in March.
The teams were sponsored by the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Professor Anita Kay Head coached the teams, and Professors Kimberly Boone and Mary Ksobiech assisted in their preparation by serving as guest judges.
Professor Alfred Brophy, along with Autumn Barrett of New York University, published an essay in Fortune magazine that argues that publishers should apologize for printing, publishing, and distributing materials that promoted racism.
For more, read “Commentary: Why Haven’t Publishers Apologized for Their Books That Glorify Slavery?”
Alabama Law alumni have been named Fellows of the Alabama Law Foundation for their demonstrated outstanding dedication to the legal profession and their community.
The Fellows program was established in 1995 to honor Alabama Bar members for outstanding service and commitment. Since no more than 1 percent of bar members are invited into fellowship, the selection committee chooses new members from an exceptional group of lawyers.
“We are honored to welcome the 2018 Class of Fellows to the Alabama Law Foundation, said Anthony Joseph, President of the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Law Foundation. “This class reflects the best of the best. Throughout their careers, these men and women have distinguished themselves as lawyers, judges, and servant leaders in the profession and community. We are proud to welcome them into the ranks of our Foundation.”
Fellows provide financial and personal support to the Foundation. Their gifts help fund projects and programs that benefit Alabama residents and the legal community. Ultimately, the goal is to provide equal access to justice for all Alabama residents.
Alabama Law alumni named as fellows were:
George W. Andrews III (‘71)
Amy S. Creech (‘93)
Kendall C. Dunson (‘96)
Jeffery J. Hartley (‘90)
Emily Coody Marks (‘98)
Clay Martin (‘95)
Edward M. Patterson (‘73)
Tatum Turner (‘88)
Frank M. Wilson (‘78)
Abby Fox (2L) has b
een named the winner of the 2018 Hartrick Scholar Writing Competition.
Her winning paper was titled “Policy Approaches to Deploying Energy Storage: California and South Australia.” Fox wrote the original version of the paper for Professor William L. Andreen’s International Environmental Law Seminar. The Hartrick prize is awarded by the Institute for Energy Law of The Center for American and International Law.
“I am extremely proud of Abby’s outstanding work and the insightful way in which she is furthering the future of renewable energy in the United States and around the world,’’ said William L. Andreen, the Edgar L. Clarkson Professor of Law. “Her success reflects the high quality of our student body and the fact that the law school stands in the first rank of American legal education.”
Students could address any topic related to energy development in their papers, including topics concerning oil and gas law, alternative energy resources, energy regulation, and environmental regulation of the energy industries.
“I genuinely enjoyed writing a paper focused on renewable energy—a high-growth area of our economy and the law—and am honored to represent the law school at a national energy law forum,” Fox said.
Fox will receive the prize and a $2,500 award at the Institute’s 69th Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference, which will be held on February 15-16 in Houston, Texas. As the Hartrick Scholar, she will also be recognized for her work at the Institute’s Annual Law School Symposium, which will be held in April at the University of Houston Law Center.
Professor Joyce Vance appears on MSNBC and discusses legal concerns about President Trump using Twitter to release public statements.
