State Rep. Allen Farley is writing legislation to support Professor Fred Vars’s proposal to allow residents to voluntarily suspend their ability to purchase a gun. Professor Vars would like to see similar legislation in all 50 states.
For more, view “Lawmaker Working on Suicide Prevention Bill.”
2018 Year-End Charitable Giving
As you consider your charitable giving prior to the end of the year, remember that gifts made now could generate income tax deductions that may help reduce your tax bill for 2018. Here’s how to complete your 2018 gift to the Culverhouse School of Law by year end.
IMPORTANT: Credit card gifts mailed to The University of Alabama must be received by Friday, December 28, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. CST in order to be processed. If you wish to make your credit card gift over the phone, the Office of Advancement Services will be open on December 28th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. You may also make your gift online anytime at give.ua.edu If you have any questions, please call (205) 348-5370.
Gifts by Check
Mailed via USPS:
The University of Alabama
Culverhouse School of Law
Office of Advancement
Box 870382
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Gifts by Credit Card
Online gifts via credit card:
Credit Card gifts mailed via USPS and FedEx/UPS shipping:
The University of Alabama
Culverhouse School of Law
Office of Advancement
Box 870382
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Credit Card gifts by telephone:
Gifts of Securities
Giving stock that is worth more than you paid for it may result in additional tax savings. Stock transfers received on or before the close of the market on December 31, 2018, will be credited for 2018. To ensure proper gift credit to you, please notify us in advance when you are ready to make a transfer. For more information regarding stock transfers, please visit UA’s Gifts of Securities page.
Gifts via Wire Transfer
Wire transfer instructions are as follows:
Bank: Cadence Bank
Address: 1108 Hwy 82 East
Starkville, MS 39759
Routing number: 062206295
Account Name: The University of Alabama
Account Number: 5700000820
Wire transfers must be received at UA’s bank on or before December 31, 2018, in order to be considered a 2018 contribution. Please contact UA at (205) 348-6718 and provide the name of who is making the wire transfer and for what purpose. You may also email Erica Gambrell.
Gifts via IRA Charitable Rollovers
The charitable IRA rollover, also called a qualified charitable distribution, was made permanent in 2015. Since 2006, many UA donors age 70 ½ or older have used this option to make qualifying charitable gifts that were excluded from taxable income and counted toward their required minimum distribution (RMD). To qualify, gifts must be transferred directly from the IRA provider to The University of Alabama and meet certain other requirements. This provision applies to people age 70 ½ or older at the time the transfer is completed. Please note that an individual taxpayer’s total charitable IRA rollover gifts cannot exceed $100,000 per tax year. We encourage you to check with your financial advisors about the best ways for you to take advantage of this opportunity as you consider gifts to the University and other charitable interests that are important to you.
It is simple to make a transfer. Contact your account administrator to request a check be delivered to the address below. Envelopes must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2018.
The University of Alabama
Attn: Office of Planned Giving
Box 870123
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487
For more information, contact the Office of Planned Giving at (205) 348-0999 or toll free at (888) 475-4438.
Questions about year-end giving or supporting UA
Please call the Office of Advancement at (205) 348-5370 or toll-free at (888) 875-4438 or visit Giving to UA for additional information.
This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice. Before making your charitable gift, please consult with your financial, legal and other advisors.
Professor Joyce White Vance discusses the risk of federal charges for President Trump.
Professor Ronald Krotoszynski writes an op-ed for The Los Angeles Times about the undecided seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
For more, read “Constitution Demands a Do-over in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District.”
The 2019 Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet is scheduled for Friday, February 1, at The Florentine in downtown Birmingham. The banquet will honor U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (‘63) as the recipient of the 2019 Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Senator Shelby was first elected to the Senate in 1986 and is currently in his sixth term. He is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He is a senior member on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration. He also serves on the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Prior to his election in the U. S. Senate, Senator Shelby served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and eight years in the Alabama legislature.
All alumni are invited to attend the Banquet. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Cindy Rice at crice@law.ua.edu.
Professor Yuri Linetsky is quoted in AL.com about why it’s difficult for police departments to release body camera footage during an investigation.
For more, read “Latest Police Shooting Highlights Alabama’s Lack of Guidelines for Body Cams.”
Professor Joyce White Vance is quoted in The New York Times about Paul Manafort’s plea agreement.
For more, read “Manafort Breached Plea Deal by Repeatedly Lying, Mueller Says.”
More than 100 Tuscaloosa middle school students visited the Law School on Friday.
Students from Eastwood Middle School and Tuscaloosa Magnet School – Middle participated in the Middle School Open House, a program designed to introduce middle school students to law school.
Dean Mark E. Brandon welcomed the students. He urged them to prepare for law school now by learning how to write well and to think logically. It also wouldn’t hurt to learn how the government works and how laws are made.
“Long before they got here, our students were preparing for law school,” Brandon said. “Even before they were in college, our students were preparing for law school. Even in middle school, our students were preparing for law school. They didn’t know they were preparing for law school, but they were.”
Throughout the day, students were introduced to legal terms and procedures. They watched as law students participated in a mock trial. The Three Bears claimed Gold E. Locks had bad manners when she entered their home, ate their porridge, slept in their beds, and broke a chair. After The Three Bears and Gold E. Locks testified about the day in question, a jury of middle school students found Gold E. Locks guilty of bad manners.
The students prepared amicus curiae briefs, which helped law students argue a moot court case before a panel of judges. The question centered around whether YouTube or Instagram is the best social media platform. An attorney for YouTube argued the social media platform provides greater access and teaches others how to dance and learn math concepts, while an attorney for Instagram argued the platform provides a safe environment for its users. In a 2-1 vote, the panel ruled in favor of Instagram.
Later, middle school students rehearsed and performed their own mock trial, learned about legal careers, and toured the Law School. The event was sponsored by the Law School’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Law School Admission Council.
Law students learned about the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 during a panel discussion Wednesday at the Law School.
This statute is the precursor to the Americans with Disabilities Act and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, programs receiving federal financial assistance, federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors.
The law allowed individuals with disabilities to move from profound segregation and exclusion to inclusion. “At the time of its passage, it was a fairly landmark piece of legislation,” said M. Geron Gadd, Legal Director for the Alabama Disabilities Program.
In addition to Gadd, the panelists were:
The event was sponsored by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program.
Professor Joyce White Vance is quoted in The Washington Post about changes President Trump made after the midterm elections.
For more, read “‘The Guardrails Are Off’: Trump Takes Aggressive Moves He Resisted Before Elections.”