Third-year students Charles Miller, Margot Blaire Woolverton, and Amanda West recently competed in the country’s most prestigious environmental law moot court competition—The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC)—hosted virtually by the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in New York. This year, fifty-two teams competed, making it one of the largest interschool moot court competitions in the nation.
The Alabama Law team, coached by Professors Heather Elliott and Bill Andreen, advanced to the semifinals and won Best Brief in their category— earning a second-place finish in the overall Best Brief.
The team’s success would not have been possible without the help of Amethyst Muncy (second-year student and coach), Wendy Cox (program assistant), and many others who helped the team prepare for the competition this year.
Professor Fred Vars recently interviewed on the CBS affiliated station Channel 3000 (Madison, Wisconson) to discuss a new suicide prevention gun control law currently adopted in Washington, Utah, and Virginia. This law, allows individuals to temporarily ban themselves from purchasing guns temporarily. Learn more about this law by watching his interview on Channel 3000.
Professor Joyce Vance recently published an opinion piece on MSNBC titled Biden’s Supreme Court pick Ketanji Brown Jackson is good for the court — and country. Access the full article on MSNBC.com
Last week, members of the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court team competed at the 30th Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition—one of the nation’s preeminent and largest single site moot court competitions. This year, a total of 47 teams from across the country participated at the event hosted in New York at St. John’s University School of Law.
Two teams, coached by Professor Gary Sullivan (‘96), represented Alabama Law this year: Callie Cochran and Tucker Crain, and Shelby Savage and Amy Harper. Savage and Harper finished among the Top Eight, and both teams placed among the Top 16. Additionally, Savage was named Best Advocate Runner Up.
The teams were aided by the support and assistance of many Alabama Law alumni and friends, including Coach Christian Pereyda (‘17) and practice round judges Bankruptcy Judge Jennifer Henderson (‘04), Chris Carson (‘93), Said Jabbour (‘17), Hirshel Hall (‘20), Ronn Steen (‘96), Judge Bess Creswell and Phillip Young.
Professor Casey Faucon’s article “Living Separate and Apart”: Solving the Problem of Putative Community Property in Louisiana was cited in a recent State of Louisiana Court of Appeal, Second Circuit case.
On February 11, the School of Law hosted the annual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet at the Haven in Birmingham. Six distinguished alumni were honored this year for their significant contributions to the legal community and the School of Law. Due to the pandemic, this was the first time this event convened in-person since 2020—offering the opportunity for alumni and friends to reunite in numbers that haven’t been possible for quite some time.
Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award
Stephen Douglas Kane (Class of ‘69) was named the recipient of the Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus award—the highest honor bestowed by The Law School Foundation to outstanding alumni of The University of Alabama School of Law.
“Steve’s career has been one of truly remarkable success as an investor, as a business founder, as a senior executive, and as general counsel of a succession of profitable business enterprises,” said S. Dagnal Rowe, Kane’s classmate and an attorney and shareholder at Wilmer & Lee.
Rowe explained that while his business success is impressive, the true measure of Kane’s stature is found in the way he has “used and prioritized his time, talents, and prosperity” to care for his family and give back to the community and the School of Law.
Notably, Kane has established a scholarship for non-resident Alabama Law students, is a major donor to the new Alabama Law Program for Law and Business, and he serves as a member of The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet, an Emeritus member of the Alabama Law School Foundation’s Board of Governors, and a member of the Law School’s Capital Campaign Committee.
Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor
Four additional Alabama Law alumni were inducted into the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor which was established in 2020 by the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation to recognize the outstanding achievement of Alabama Law alumni and faculty. This year’s inductees include The Honorable Sonja F. Bivins (Class of ’88), William (Bill) N. Clark (Class of ’71), Michael D. Ermert (Class of ’90), and H. Harold Stephens (Class of ’80).
Among many moving moments throughout the night, fellow alumni offered a standing ovation in recognition of Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor Inductee, Michael D. Ermert, who recently passed away. His award was presented to his wife, Lori Ermert, by Mike Ermert’s long-time business partner, Leon Ashford.
Alabama Rising Young Attorney
Danielle Blevins (Class of ‘12) was named the recipient of the Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award which recognizes a recent graduate who has shown significant leadership and purposeful service to the legal profession, their community, and the School of Law.
The 2022 Alabama Law Alumni Banquet offered a beautiful evening for alumni and their families to gather and celebrate the achievements of classmates and friends. If you were unable to attend, we hope you will join us next year. Meanwhile, you can see additional photos from the event and read the bios of each awardee in the banquet program.
Professor Tara Leigh Grove was recently interviewed on the latest episode of “Common Law,” a podcast of the University of Virginia School of Law. During the episode titled Inside the President’s Supreme Court Commission, she spoke on term limits, court-packing, and other reforms. The episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Youtube, Spotify, and the University of Virginia School of Law website.
Through generous support from The University of Alabama System’s McMahon-Pleiad Prize, the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation, and Derrick (’03) and Tamesha Mills, The University of Alabama School of Law will be launching the Alabama Law Summer Scholars Program beginning this year.
Summer Scholars is a cost-free, four-week program for undergraduate students who want to learn more about the study and practice of law. The Program is focused on serving students who come from backgrounds that are historically or currently underrepresented within the legal profession.
“We are grateful for the generous grants that allow us to initiate the Summer Scholars Program,” said Dean Mark E. Brandon. “The program will permit us to support prospective students as they prepare to apply to law school, and it will provide participants an extraordinary experience that shows them not only what law school is like, but also what a life in this noble profession can be.”
Participating undergraduate students will engage in activities in and out of the classroom that will teach them about the process of applying to law school, expose them to the experience and purpose of a legal education, and let them practice skills that will contribute to their professional advancement.
“We are thankful for the community support of this important initiative,” said Anil Mujumdar, Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Law in Residence. “Summer Scholars is designed to provide participants with the necessary foundation for success as they enter law school and the legal profession.”
Alabama Law Summer Scholars Program is scheduled to take place May 31 through June 30, 2022 at The University of Alabama School of Law. The program is currently accepting applications from undergrad students through Sunday, March 27, 2022. Additional information can be found at www.law.ua.edu/ALSS.
Professor Joyce Vance recently published an opinion piece in The New York Times titled Parents Need to Be Held Accountable in School Shootings The article can be viewed on The New York Times website.
Professor Shalini Bhargava Ray published an essay on Lawfare titled Shadow Sanctions for Immigration Law Violations. The full article can be viewed online.
