The University of Alabama School of Law has announced five faculty promotions and new appointments effective Fall 2025. The promotions recognize outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service across a range of legal disciplines, and highlight Alabama Law’s continued commitment to academic excellence and impactful legal scholarship. Congratulations to these distinguished faculty members on their accomplishments and ongoing contributions to legal education and research.
Faculty Recognized in Fall 2025 Promotions
Ben McMichael
Professor McMichael was promoted to Professor of Law and appointed as the Jere L. Beasley Professor of Law. His research combines law and the social sciences, particularly economics, to study how legal systems shape healthcare delivery.
Shalini Ray
Professor Ray was promoted to Professor of Law and appointed as the Yetta G. Samford Jr. Endowed Professor in Legal Ethics. Her research focuses on administrative and immigration law, with particular attention to immigration enforcement and related legal processes.
Clare Ryan
Professor Ryan was granted tenure as Associate Professor of Law. Her research explores the parent-child relationship in family law and the protection of children’s rights within constitutional and international human rights frameworks.
Daiquiri Steele
Professor Steele was granted tenure as Associate Professor of Law. Her research investigates anti-retaliation and whistleblower law, assessing how effectively legal systems protect individuals who report misconduct such as discrimination, labor violations, and fraud.
Russell Gold
Professor Gold was named an Irving Silver and Frances Grodsky Silver Faculty Scholar in addition to his role as the Frank M. Bainbridge-Walter L. Mims Professor of Law. His research studies pathologies of criminal legal systems and levers for their reform, in part by drawing on insights from civil procedure.