New Faculty
In addition to the new faculty members who were announced in the fall, we are excited to announce that the following adjuncts and visitors will be joining us this spring:
Judge L. Scott Coogler is Chief Judge of the United States District Court of the Northern District of Alabama. He will be teaching Federal Jurisdiction.
Xeris Gregory & Todd Panciera, both associates at Polsinelli, will be teaching Privacy & Data Security.
Brent Irby, a shareholder at Lyons Irby, will be teaching Remedies.
Carly Miller, a partner at Bradley, will be teaching Construction Law.
Hamilton Milwee, Assistant Attorney General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, will be teaching Antitrust Law.
New Courses
In addition to the list of new spring courses announced at the end of last year (included below), we are pleased to announce the following additions to our spring schedule:
Spring Semester
1965: Voting, Housing, & Speech Rights in Cultural Context (LAW 731): Anil Mujumdar (2 credits)
This course provides students with a broad overview of legal developments in the year 1965, the cultural zeitgeist and historical context from which the law arose, and the ways in which these pivotal legal developments shaped the country’s future. The course introduces students to the major constitutional and statutory authorities that have influenced American life in public and private sectors. Voting rights, immigration, the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, housing, public benefits, and other related civil rights issues. Through the course, students will gain a greater appreciation for and understanding of civil rights history, improve their knowledge of substantive law, further their critical thinking skills, and develop an increased facility for litigation strategy. The course is designed to comport with and advance the University’s stated commitment to free speech and civil discourse.
Antitrust Law (LAW 684): Hamilton Milwee (2 credits)
A study of federal laws intended to preserve a competitive marketplace. Topics for discussion include price fixing, restraints of trade, refusals to deal, monopolizing, and tying.
Construction Law (LAW 731): Carly Miller (2 credits)
This course will help students to recognize the variety of legal issues and problems that can confront owners, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers during the construction process and to understand and analyze those issues and problems so that they are able to provide reasonably valuable advice and guidance to clients involved in the construction process.
Criminal Procedure: Trial (LAW 790): Judge Gray Borden (2 credits)
This course surveys procedural rules and constitutional principles pertinent to the trial phase of the criminal process. Topics considered include the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments with emphasis on such matters as the bringing of charges, the rights to counsel and jury trial, jury selection procedures, the right to confront witnesses, and other issues and procedures raised by statutes, procedural rules and constitutional law.
Federal Jurisdiction (LAW 670): Judge L. Scott Coogler (3 credits)
This course is an in-depth study of federal jurisdiction, including the interplay between federal and state courts. Topics covered include federal question, diversity, supplemental, and removal jurisdiction as well as justiciability issues such as standing, ripeness, and mootness. Both the ability and obligation of state courts to provide a forum for Federal actions will also be explored along with a review of when and how state court decisions are reviewed by federal courts. This course will be useful to any law student, but it will be particularly rewarding to students interested in litigation and judicial process and to those aspiring to be law clerks for federal judges.
Leadership & Influence Seminar (LAW 753): Joel Nichols (2 credits)
Law students are called upon to serve as leaders as soon they graduate, and often before. Over time, lawyers often assume visible, “positional” leadership roles in law firms, government agencies and politics, businesses, and beyond. But lawyers have opportunities to lead and exert influence in many contexts – serving on nonprofit boards, heading teams, leading committees, overseeing projects, advising clients who exercise managerial authority, and more. This course explores tangible and intangible skills that effective lawyer-leaders should seek to develop. While addressing key issues in leadership, it aims to build awareness and habits to prepare students to relate to others in ways that exert healthy influence, help colleagues and teams thrive, and move toward organizational success in alignment with personal values.
Through a mix of readings and discussion, guest speakers, exercises, and written assignments, the course will help students evaluate their own leadership approach, collaborate with others, and find opportunities for continued growth.
Privacy & Data Security (LAW 606): Xeris Gregory & Todd Panciera (2 credits)
Privacy and data security incidents have changed the way consumers view companies like Google, Facebook, Equifax, and Target. As these types of incidents continue to make headlines, and the volume of data collected, stored, and used by businesses continues to grow exponentially, companies are increasingly relying on attorneys to help them navigate the legal minefield of privacy and data protection. This course specifically examines global privacy and data security legal doctrines and provides students with an opportunity to perform practical exercises and explore both legal and business issues, mirroring the work performed by privacy and data security attorneys for their clients. Both the law and practical experience that students glean from the course should benefit them no matter what field they enter after law school, given the increasing pervasiveness of privacy and data security issues within the legal, business, and government sectors.
NOTE: This course is a simulation course, which means students who enroll in this course will receive two experiential credits.
Remedies (LAW 731): Brent Irby (2 credits)
Remedies focuses on the types of relief entered by courts in civil cases focusing on three major topics: 1.) damages, including a review of general principles of tort and contract damages; 2.) equitable remedies, including obtaining and enforcing preliminary and permanent injunctions in private and public controversies; and 3.) restitutionary relief to prevent unjust enrichment, including constructive trusts and equitable liens.
Experiential Courses
Students must take at least six (6) credits of experiential learning before graduation; there is no cap on the number of experiential credits students may take. Students receive experiential credit for all of the following spring offerings:
- All Clinics
- Externships
- Criminal Justice Drafting
- Judicial Opinion Drafting
- Jury Selection
- Litigating Criminal Procedure
- Recent Developments in the ESG Sector
- Pretrial Advocacy: Civil
- Privacy & Data Security
- Trial Advocacy: Civil
- Trial Advocacy: Criminal
Pass/ D/ Fail Courses
The following courses will be graded on a pass/ d/ fail basis:
- Bar Exam Preparation Course
- Jury Selection
- Pretrial Advocacy: Civil
- Spanish for Lawyers
- Trial Advocacy: Civil
- Trial Advocacy: Criminal
Seminars
Students must take at least one seminar before graduation. Students may not take more than one seminar a semester or more than two seminars during law school without permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The following spring courses are classified as seminars:
- Advanced Contracts
- Consumer Protection
- Critical Race Feminism
- Democratic Institutions
- Equal Protection
- Immunity Doctrine
- International & Comparative IP Law
- Leadership & Influence
- Litigating with the Power of the State: The Role of the Attorney General
- Mental Health Law
- Southern Law & Literature
Dates for Short Courses
The Law School will offer two short courses in Spring 2025, Admiralty Law and Racial Equity Audits in ESG. Both these courses will be taught Monday – Friday from 8:00-10:30 over a two week timespan; the exact dates are listed below. Students who register for one or both of these courses will not be allowed to take any other courses during that time period. Because the courses are offered on different weeks, students may register for both courses this semester.
Admiralty Law (LAW 731): January 27 – 31, February 3-7
Racial Equity Audits in ESG (LAW 731): February 10-21
Other Notes & Changes
Legal Profession (LAW 660) will be taught by Cassandra Adams.
Racial Equity Audits in ESG (LAW 731) with Professors Johnjerica Hodge and Theresa Forbes has been renamed Recent Developments in the ESG Sector.
NOTE: This course is now a simulation course, which means students who enroll in this course will receive two experiential credits.
Securities Regulation (LAW 709): Although Business Organizations is a pre-requisite for Securities Regulation, Professor Rosen will grant permission for students to take both courses concurrently this coming Spring.
Courses that will not be offered in Spring 2025
We are unfortunately unable to offer all classes every year. In addition to the courses that were announced last year, we will not be offering the following courses this Spring:
Advanced Legal Research
Jurisprudence
Personal Income Tax
Workers’ Compensation
Other Noteworthy Items
Course Numbers: If you are interested in registering for multiple courses that have the same course number, you must receive an override from the Registrar’s Office. Please e-mail LawRegistrar@ua.edu with the names of the courses with the same course number for which you wish to register; failure to do this may delay your registration.
Grade Posting: The Registrar’s Office will make every effort to post grades in a timely manner. However, no grades for the Spring 2025 semester will be posted before May 30, 2025. Rankings will be calculated and released a few days after the final grades have been posted. Please note that grades and rankings may, in some cases, be delayed for reasons beyond our control.
Limitations on Credits: Students may not use more than 25 hours of credit towards graduation from the following activities:
- Independent Study
- Externships
- Journal Credit
- Moot Court/ Trial Advocacy Competition Credit
- Classes taking in another Department
In addition, students may receive no more than 15 hours of credit towards graduation from externships and no more than 3 hours of credit from Independent Study.
LLM Courses: All courses designated as LLM courses will be offered in remote format ONLY. Students interested in taking any of these courses should contact Dan Powell, Director of Graduate Programs, at dpowell@law.ua.edu.
Register for All Courses: You must register for all Clinics, Externships, Independent Study, Journals, and Moot Court or Trial Advocacy Teams in order to receive credit for the spring semester. Credit for all activities other than journals must be applied to the semester in which they are earned; only journal hours can be “banked.” Please contact the Registrar’s Office at LawRegistrar@ua.edu if you are interested in applying for any of the above activities.
Waitlists: If a course is full, you will be given the option of placing yourself on the waitlist. Students are taken off the waitlist and enrolled in the course on a first-come, first-served basis. If you remove your name from the waitlist and add yourself again later, you will lose your earlier place in line and reduce your chances of getting into the course. Please note that priority is given to students on the waitlist. You should check with the Registrar’s Office before adding a course after the end of the semester to ensure there are no students on the waitlist.
You will not be able to add yourself to the waitlist if:
- You are registered for more than 16 hours
- You are enrolled in a course that meets at the same day and time
Additional information about waitlists can be found here: https://registrar.ua.edu/academics-policies/waitlist-convention-policy-for-students/