News

Program in Constitutional Studies Hosts Free Speech & Civic Discourse Panel

On January 18, the Alabama Law Program in Constitutional Studies hosted a Free Speech & Civic Discourse panel featuring free speech experts Nadine Strossen—professor emerita at New York Law School and former president of the ACLU, and Keith Whittington—professor of politics at Princeton University. The panel was moderated by Professor Bryan Fair of Alabama Law and is one of many ongoing events supporting the Program’s Civic Engagement Initiative—an effort to facilitate meaningful conversations across political and ideological lines among a diverse group of individuals. Read more about the Free Speech & Civic Discourse Panel here.

The deadline to RSVP for the annual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet is Wednesday, February 2.  Join us on February 11, 2022, at Haven in Birmingham to celebrate this year’s 2022 Alumni Award Winners. The Cocktail Reception is at 6 pm CT and the award ceremony will begin at 7 pm CT. We hope to see you there!

Alabama Law Names Anil A. Mujumdar as Director of Diversity & Inclusion

Alabama Law has named Anil A. Mujumdar as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Law in Residence. Previously serving as the Interim Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Professor Mujumdar has now stepped into the full-time role while also teaching Introduction to Law, Poverty Law, and Human Trafficking, and serving as coach to the BLSA Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition Team. Professor Mujumdar is also a member of the ACLU’s national Executive Committee, serves on the ACLU’s national Board of Directors, and is past-President of the ACLU of Alabama. Read more about Professor Mujumdar’s experience here.

Class Notes

Brian F. Blackwell (’87) recently started a new business, Workplace Investigations of the South, LC, where he focuses on investigations of claims of workplace discrimination and harassment and performs FLSA and FMLA compliance audits.

Edward R. Christian (’07) was named the winner of the 2021 BBJ CEO Award in the 100-299 employees category.

Chris Couch (’02) joined Phelps Dunbar as a partner in Birmingham.

Jennifer P. Decker (’06) joined Baker Donelson as of counsel in the firm’s Birmingham office.

Allen H. Denson (’08) joined Stroock’s Washington D.C. office in the firm’s Financial Services Litigation, Regulatory and Enforcement group.

Hazina C. Dorius (’09) was named to The Community Connectors Advisory Board, which was recently established by Prosper, a coalition of community, civic, and business leaders vying for a more inclusive economy in Birmingham.

Mark Eiland (’95) was elected President of the Trust Division of the Alabama Bankers Association.

Mark Ekonen (’10) was named a partner at Heninger, Garrison, Davis LLC in Birmingham.

Charles M. Fleischmann (’14) was promoted to shareholder at Maynard Cooper & Gale in Birmingham.

Amanda C. Goozée (’05) joined the Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers LLP as a partner in Birmingham.

Joshua R. Hess (’14) was promoted to shareholder at Maynard Cooper & Gale in Birmingham.

Matthew A. Hinshaw (’12) was named a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Birmingham.

Caroline U. Hollingsworth (’11) was named a partner at Heninger, Garrison, Davis LLC in Birmingham.

Norman Jetmundsen (’79) recently produced a documentary titled Unrivaled that is about the 1899 Sewanee football team.

John Kirbo (’11 LLM), joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry as Senior Counsel in Atlanta.

Danielle Mashburn-Myrick (’13) was named to Mobile Bay Magazine’s 2022 Class of 40 Under 40.

Jack M. Nolen III (’14) was appointed to serve as the chief assistant district attorney for Lamar and Pickens (AL) counties.

Gregory Pipes (’13) was named a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Birmingham.

Jerry W. Powell Jr. (’75) joined the Alabama Bankers Association as a legal consultant.

Grant Premo (’11) was named a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Birmingham.

Brian S. Seal (’00) joined Taft as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Neena R. Speer (’17) was named to the 2021 BBJ NextGenBHM workforce and education list.

James “Jay” W. Wright Jr. (’10) was elected to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association’s board of directors for the 2021-2022 term.

Gifts

The Estate of Robert P. Denniston (’41) bequeathed $247,618.04 to the School of Law establishing the Jack C. Gallalee Endowed Memorial Scholarship in memory of Jack C. Gallalee (’41) and the Robert and Juanita Denniston Endowed Support Fund.

Julianna Ebert and Frank J. Daily pledged $100,000 with an initial payment of $25,000 to establish the Frank Daily Endowed Public Interest Support Fund.

Dean Nathaniel and Frances Hansford contributed $10,000 to the Nathaniel Hansford and Frances Fincher Hansford Endowed Scholarship Fund through a grant from The Hansford Family Fund of the Athens Area Community Foundation.

Brigadier General James W. Hart, Jr. contributed $5,000 to the Dominic DeSimone Memorial Endowed Book Scholarship.

Mr. and Mrs. William P. Jackson, Jr. (’63) contributed $50,000 to the William P. Jackson, Jr. and Barbara Seignious Jackson Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Stephen D. Kane (’69) contributed $100,000 to the Program for Law & Business.

The Ben May Charitable Trust contributed $5,500 to the Ben May Endowed Scholarship.

Derrick (’03) and Tamesha Mills pledged $25,000 to the Alabama Law Summer Scholars Program.

The Honorable Ali B. Paksoy, Jr. (’74) pledged $5,000 toward the Law School’s Capital Campaign initiatives.

Robert E. Parsons (’57) contributed $5,000 to the Alabama Law Alumni Society.

William S. Pritchard III (’79) contributed $10,000 to the William S. Pritchards Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Porterfield, Harper, Mills, Motlow & Ireland, P.A. contributed $5,000 to the Porterfield, Harper, Mills, Motlow & Ireland Annual Scholarship.

Richard J.R. Raleigh, Jr. (’95) and Shannon E. Raleigh contributed $25,000 to establish the Richard and Shannon Raleigh Endowed Support Fund. They’ve also committed an additional $100,000 toward their endowed fund through a planned estate gift.

The Albert G. Rives Charitable Trust donated $6,333.36 to the Albert G. and Hester Rives Fund.

The Henry G. Sims and Henry U. Sims Memorial Fund contributed $9,000 to the Public Interest Law Fellowship.

Ronald H. Strawbridge Sr. (’67 ) and Pearl J. Strawbridge contributed $50,000 to establish the Strawbridge-Jackson Endowed Scholarship.

J. Michael Taylor (’97) and Jennifer Taylor contributed $25,000 to the Mike and Gina House DC Student Support Fund.

The University Foundation awarded $75,000 for the 2021 McMahon-Pleiad Prize to the Alabama Law School Summer Scholars Program at the Law School.

India D. Williams (’12) contributed $10,000 to the Janie Hall Memorial Fund that she created in honor of her grandmother.

Faculty Notes

Professor John Felipe Acevedo received an advance contract for his book Crime Fantasies, Panics, and Witch-Hunts from Palgrave Macmillan as part of their book series Critical Criminological Perspectives.

Professor Shalini Bhargava Ray published an argument preview and argument analysis regarding a pair of immigration detention cases at SCOTUSblog.

The Derrick Bell Reader (NYU Press 2005), co-edited by Professors Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, is listed in the top place among Amazon’s best sellers in the field of African American Demographic Studies. Another of their books, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction (NYU Press, 3d ed. 2018) continues at or near the top in two other Amazon categories.

The two gave a webinar at U. North Carolina School of Law, Center for Civil Rights on critical race theory. The event featured co-panelist Ted Shaw, former professor of law at the University of Michigan, and was co-sponsored by North Carolina Central School of Law.

Delgado was interviewed by Channel 13 TV anchor Carla Wade (Birmingham) on the topic of dangerous knowledge and threats received by teachers and professors working or writing in areas such as civil rights and critical race theory.

Professor J. Shahar Dillbary and his co-author William Landes (University of Chicago) recently published a new book titled Law & Economics: Theory, Cases and Other Materials. Marrying law and economics, this book analyzes and sheds new light on major areas of the law, leading court decisions, and legislation through the prism of economics and behavioral economics-providing insights for theorists, policymakers, practitioners, and litigants. Using detailed case notes, comments, and examples, it explains why future lawyers should care about economic analysis of the law and how economics can and should play a role in litigation and conflict resolution.

Professor Dillbary also recently presented his latest theoretical torts scholarship at UC Hastings School of Law and his experimental scholarship at the Southern Economic Association. He is currently engaged in a number of empirical, experimental, and theoretical studies.

Professor Adam Steinman published the Ninth Edition of Federal Courts: Cases, Comments and Questions (co-authored with Martin Redish, Suzanna Sherry, James Pfander & Steven Gensler).

Professor Joyce Vance presented on a panel titled Institutional Advancement – Freedom, Equality, and the Common Good Through the Journalists’ Lens; A Discussion of the Media’s Role and Responsibility at the annual AALS meeting. Additionally, Professor Vance authored a perspective piece for Time Magazine, co-authored an Opinion piece for USA Today, was quoted in the Washington Post, and was interviewed several times on MSNBC.