School of Law Logo3:33pm 02/07/2025

Pamela Bucy Pierson

Professor Emerita of Law

Professor Pierson is author of 10 books and over 70 academic articles. She has been regularly quoted on issues of criminal law and health care law by the national press including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, Bloomberg News, NPR shows of All Things Considered and Talk of the Nation. She was recognized in the New York Times in “Women Lead the Way in White Collar Crime (April 2, 2013).  Professor Pierson has testified before Congress on three occasions as an expert witness on matters of health care fraud and corporate criminal liability.

Professor Pam Pierson has been selected for both the University of Alabama outstanding teaching award and the university-wide outstanding research award.  Professor Pierson was selected seven times by UA law students as the Outstanding Faculty member, and twenty-one times by graduating seniors to award their degrees at graduation. While at UA Law, Professor Pierson founded the Public Interest Institute, the Summer Externship Program, and the Shadow Program for students to shadow attorneys throughout the U.S.

Professor Pierson has been recognized with multiple awards for her public interest work including induction by UA law students into Order of Samaritan (highest public service award at UA Law) and selected four times by UA law students “for making a lasting contribution” to the law school. She has been honored by the Alabama State Bar with awards for Outstanding Leadership, Outstanding Services, and multiple awards by the Alabama State Bar’s Volunteer Lawyer’s Program.  

Professor Pierson graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Austin College, Sherman, Texas and was selected as Outstanding Alumnus. Professor Pierson graduated Order of the Coif, Washington University, St. Louis Missouri and was selected as Outstanding Young Alumnus.

Upon graduation from law school, Professor Pierson clerked for the Honorable Theodore McMillian, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. She served as Assistant United States Attorney, E.D. MO, Criminal Division from 1980-1987 prior to entering academia.

Recent Publications (since 2014)

Books

  • Pierson, The Power of Stories (with Catherine J. Randall) forthcoming CSS Publications, 2025).
  • Pierson, Thriving in the Legal Profession: Three Pillars of Success (with Kenneth Minturn and the Honorable Philip Reich) (West Academic 2018).
  • Pierson, The Business of Being a Lawyer (West Academic 2014).

Academic Articles:

  • Pierson and Bucy, Trade Fraud: The Wild, New Frontier of White Collar Crime, 19 Or. Rev. of Int’l Law 1 (2018).
  • Pierson, Hamilton, Pepper, Root, Stress Hardiness and Lawyers, 42 J. Legal Prof. 1 (2018).
  • Pierson, Economics, EQ and Finance: New Frontiers in Legal Education, 65 J. of Legal Educ. 864 (2016).