Bradley C. Hargett (’16) was surprised when he learned in June that he had won the Alabama State Bar’s Pro Bono Law Student Award.
“I had no idea I had been nominated and it was very exciting to know that the state bar recognizes the efforts of law students and attorneys in pro bono service,” he said.
Hargett had always intended to help others while he attended law school. It’s how he was raised. As a 1L, he met a group of students who encouraged him to get involved early and stay involved. As a 2L, he worked as the student coordinator for the Reentry Assistance Clinic and enlisted other students to help parolees a
nd probationers with various legal and social needs. Students and lawyers were placed in the Tuscaloosa Office of Probation and Parole one day per month, where they helped fulfill requests as simple as getting a driver’s license renewed or reinstated to the more complex issues of securing housing.
“The end goal is to reduce recidivism, to take out the stumbling blocks that keep them from reentering society fully,” Hargett said.
Hargett helped coordinate a Free Legal Advice Clinic for Veterans and a Wills for Heroes Clinic for first responders, fire fighters and and police officers to ensure they have the proper documents in case of an emergency. Hargett, on his own initiative, became the Law School’s unofficial law school representative for the Alabama Responsible Lending Alliance, and he has been an active participant with the local affiliate of Tuscaloosa Citizens Against Predatory Practices.
“I’ve always known that with this profession comes a responsibility to give back to the community, and I took that to heart as soon as I got to Law School,” Hargett said. “I knew that that was something I had to do.”
Hargett has been an enthusiastic supporter of pro bono programs at the Law School, helping promote existing programs and helping to form new ones. Glory McLaughlin, Assistant Dean for Public Interest, said she has been consistently impressed with Hargett’s maturity, level of professionalism and his dedication to the pursuit of social justice.
“When I have seen Brad volunteer at pro bono clinics, he has demonstrated compassion for the clients he comes into contact with, and has been willing to go above and beyond the expectations of a student volunteer in order to obtain assistance for clients,” she said.
Hargett is rooted in Alabama and pursuing his third degree at the Capstone. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in American Studies. When he graduates from the Law School, he plans to practice in Tuscaloosa or Birmingham as a criminal defense attorney.
He has matched his interest in criminal defense with his coursework. He took Criminal Procedure with Professor Pamela Pierson, Sentencing with Judge Joseph Colquitt and Jury Selection with Professor Steve Emens. With Professor Pierson’s help, he enrolled in an independent study and worked in the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s office to get a sense of what life would be like on the other side. Last summer, he clerked at Rosen Harwood and was an intern at the Community Law Office in Birmingham.
Hargett comes from a family of lawyers. His father, Chris Hargett (’80), was a Chief Assistant District Attorney in Tuscaloosa County. His maternal grandparents, Jane and Frank Dishuck, (‘47 and ‘46) practiced law together.
“I like to say that my father was a career prosecutor, and so I’ve got to balance the family karma,” he said.
Before he attended his first class, Hargett worked at Cartee & Lloyd and has returned various times during his law school career. Michael Cartee, a private practice attorney in Tuscaloosa, described Hargett as someone with “remarkable intellect, sterling character,” he said. “He’s going to do very well in law practice.”
Hargett knows he will spend a fair amount of time in court as a criminal defense lawyer.
“Seeing everything that my father did, that matched up with “Perry Mason” and “Law and Order” that you see on TV,” he said. “Becoming a lawyer, I thought that means getting in the courtroom and so that’s what I want to do.”