Susan Donovan, director of the Mediation Law Clinic at The University of Alabama School of Law, was appointed to the Alabama Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution. In this position, Donovan will help lead the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Alabama. Her service began in February of 2021 and will run through December of 2023.
Donovan received her B.A. from Birmingham Southern in 1984 and took her J.D. from Duke in 1987. She practiced with Howrey & Simon in D.C., and returned to Birmingham to work her way to partnership at Bradley Arant. She also had a private practice in Tuscaloosa from 2001 to 2009, where she focused much of her efforts in family law. During that time, Donovan was also a Guardian Ad Litum on appointed and pro bono cases, and she was as an advocate in juvenile, family, and circuit courts.
Her experiences serve her well as she oversees the UA Law Mediation Clinic—which offers free mediation services to help families reduce the emotional trauma associated with prolonged family court litigation. In this clinic, UA Law students receive professional training, as they assume the role of mediator, which gives them real-world experience and prepares them for careers as lawyers and mediators.
Kyra Perkins, a 1L Alabama Law student, was selected to join Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst, as a co-host on the Café Studios Podcast “Third Degree.” Perkins is the only 1L and one of just three law students from across the country who was selected for this honor—the other two selectees being Harvard Law and NYU Law students.
Perkins’ first appearance on the podcast was in February, and she will continue to join Honig, on a monthly basis, as a co-host through February of 2022. In their first joint episode, “A Case Grows in Manhattan,” Honig and Perkins broke down the status of the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s taxes and the Supreme Court’s dissenting opinion in the recent Pennsylvania voting rights case.
When asked about the opportunity to serve as a co-host Perkins said, “It has been amazing, and I’m honestly still in shock. I’ve always loved discussing law and politics, so having the opportunity to discuss current events with a legal expert has been unbelievable.”
Originally from Birmingham, Perkins received her undergraduate degree from Emory University in economics. She chose to attend The University of Alabama School of Law after participating in the annual “Diversity Matters Open House” where she was impressed by the vast array of opportunities, including clinical experience, offered to the Law School’s students. Upon graduation, Perkins is interested in working in entertainment and media law, focusing on contracts and IP.
Written by: Josh Bird
On Friday, February 26, the School of Law hosted the annual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet. This year’s virtual ceremony featured two new awards —the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor and the Rising Young Attorney Award—which were presented alongside the annual Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award.
The Sam W. Pipes Award is the highest honor bestowed by the School of Law, and it is given to an outstanding alumnus or alumna who has distinguished himself or herself through service to the Bar, The University of Alabama, and the School of Law. This year, the Managing Committee of the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation is proud to announce Mr. Frank M. Bainbridge as the 2021 Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award Winner.
Frank M. Bainbridge took his LL.B. from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1956. He is a partner with Bainbridge, Mims, Rogers & Smith in Birmingham, Alabama, and he has practiced law for more than fifty years—representing individuals, small businesses, and closely held corporations. Bainbridge is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a charter member of the Atticus Finch Society of the Alabama State Bar, a recipient of the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Birmingham Bar Association, and a recipient of the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Black Law Students Association (BLSA). He has also been repeatedly listed in Best Lawyers in America.
The Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor is an award established by the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation that recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the legal profession and to the Law School over an extended period of time. In this inaugural year, the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation is proud to announce the 2021 inductees:
Walker Percy Badham III took his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and is a founding partner of Badham & Buck in Birmingham, Alabama. He has practiced law for more than 33 years, focusing on complex litigation, business disputes, insurance coverage, class actions, and personal injury litigation. In his career, he has served as President of Alabama Young Lawyers, Director of the Trial Academy for the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) of the American Bar Association, and has consistently been listed in Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. Badham is also the immediate past President of the Law School Foundation’s Board of Governors and he currently serves as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Law School.
Bryan K. Fair took his J.D. from UCLA and is the Thomas E. Skinner Professor for The University of Alabama School of Law—where he has been a faculty member for more than 25 years. Fair has served as Director of Diversity, Director of International Programs, Associate Dean for Special Programs, Coach of Moot Court Teams and Faculty Advisor to numerous student organizations throughout the Law School. Throughout his career, Fair has been a tireless advocate for the recruitment and retention of minority students. He is also the author of Notes of a Racial Caste Baby: Color Blindness and the End of Affirmative Action (NYU Press, 1997) and served as an Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Alabama for several years.
Julia Smeds Roth took her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law, and she is a partner with Eyster, Key, Tubb, Roth, Middleton & Adams, LLP, in Decatur, Alabama. Her practice involves decedents’ estates, elder law, probate law, family law, civil litigation, and complex federal multidistrict litigation. Roth has served as Chair of the Client Security Task Force of the Alabama State Bar, President of the Morgan County Bar Association, and special counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the Alabama House of Representatives, and she is a member of the prestigious Alabama Law Institute—having served on the Executive Committee for the Institute. In addition, she is serving on the Law School’s Capital Campaign Committee, is a member of the Law School Patrons, is a past President of the Law School Foundation’s Board of Governors, and is a recipient of the Athena International Leadership Award from the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
Rising Young Attorney Award Winner
The Rising Young Attorney Award is a new honor that recognizes a recent graduate who has shown significant leadership and purposeful service to the legal profession, their community, and the School of Law. In this inaugural year, The Leadership Council of the Alabama Law Alumni Society is proud to honor Ms. Sharonda Childs Fancher as the 2021 Rising Young Attorney Award Winner:
Sharonda Childs Fancher took her J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law, and she is an associate with Baker Donelson where she has built a thriving legal practice advising clients on a variety of employment matters. Previously, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Inge P. Johnson, Senior United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Fancher has been listed among theBest Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch,” was named the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2015 Birmingham Woman of the Year, and has provided pro bono legal assistance to the United States Conference of Mayors and other organizations seeking to add the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
It isn’t too late to sign up for the 2021 Virtual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet happening this Friday, February 26. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. CST, with the award ceremony to follow 7 p.m. CST. Two new awards —the Alabama Law Hall of Honor and the Rising Young Attorney Award—will be presented at this year’s ceremony alongside the annual Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Learn more about the banquet and this year’s honorees.
This month, the School of Law’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted an exclusive screening of the new HBO documentary, “The Undocumented Lawyer.” The 20-minute film provides a window into the life and work of Lizbeth Mateo, a licensed California attorney and undocumented U.S. immigrant, who is fighting for asylum seekers and immigration reform.
Following the screening, Mateo and film director Chris Temple, joined a virtual Q&A moderated by Professor Amy Kimpel to share their insights about the film and discuss the legal challenges faced by undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers.
Read more about “The Undocumented Lawyer” and the virtual Q&A.
Professor Shahar Dillbary of The University of Alabama School of Law and Professor Griffin Edwards of the Collat School of Business at The University of Alabama, Birmingham were named the Dukeminier Awards’ Stu Walter Prize winners for their co-authored article, “An Empirical Analysis of Sexual Orientation Discrimination,” 86 U. Chi. L. Rev. 1 (2019). The Dukeminier Awards are bestowed annually by The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law in recognition of the best law review articles concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.
The study produced by Dillbary and Edwards is the first to empirically demonstrate widespread discrimination across the United States based on perceived sexual orientation, sex, and race in the mortgage lending process.
Learn more about the award-winning article from Dillbary and Edwards.
Bainbridge Mims Rogers & Smith LLP partners contributed $25,000 to the Law School Unrestricted Fund in honor of founding partner Frank M. Bainbridge who was selected as the 2021 Samuel W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award winner.
Brigadier General James W. Hart, Jr. contributed $5,000 to the Dominic DeSimone Memorial Endowed Book Scholarship.
Laura L. Crum contributed $20,698.00 to the Crum Family Endowed Lecture for Law and Business.
The George A. McCain, Jr. (’56) Estate donated $100,000 to establish the George A. McCain, Jr. Endowed Scholarship.
Irving and Frances Silver contributed $10,000 to the Silver Annual Faculty Scholar Gift Fund.
Professor Deepa Das Acevedo was quoted on AL.com discussing worker protections during COVID-19.
Boston University Law Review accepted an article by Jean Stefancic and Richard Delgado first presented at a session of AALS (2021) on developments in information theory. The article grows out of an earlier piece the two published in Stanford Law Review entitled “Why Do We Tell the Same Stories? Critical Librarianship, Law Reform, and the Triple Helix Dilemma,” which served as the centerpiece for the session and drew leading information theorists and law librarians.
Two of their students published articles growing out of their 2019 civil rights seminar, one in Berkeley Journal of African-American Law & Policy, the other in Michigan Journal of Race & Law. One of the students is publishing a second article on national injunctions in immigration law cases, co-authored with Delgado.
The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) notified Stefancic that her article in Case Western Reserve Law Review, entitled Law, Religion, and Racial Justice: A Comment Law, Religion, and Racial Justice: A Comment on Derrick Bell’s Last Article was a Top Ten Download (Anthropology of Religion).
Delgado and Stefancic gave a talk on critical race theory to the organization of doctoral students of color at University of Colorado-Denver. Afterward, the student organizer, who is a member of the Lakota Nation, deemed Stefancic an honorary “wind’s sister” — a warrior with a strong heart– and mailed her a package of of sage, sweet grass, and rose quartz. Sage is a traditional herb, which, when burnt, creates a spiritual atmosphere of solidarity. She also dedicated a native song to her.
Professor Adam Steinman was quoted in the Bloomberg News article titled “Trump Supreme Court Twitter Spat Highlights ‘Doctrinal Puzzle’.”
Professor Joyce Vance appeared multiple times on MSNBC throughout the month. She also was quoted in the The New York Times and The Washington Post as an expert on the litigation following the Capitol Riots.
In addition, Professor Vance recently started a podcast with Jill Wine-Banks, Barb McQuade, and Kimberly Atkins called #Sisters In Law and published an audio piece titled “Families Belong Together” on Cafe.
Professor Fredrick Vars shared his unique take on a piece of legislation that could help protect people at risk of suicide. His insights were featured in The Salt Lake Tribune. Professor Vars also discussed the topic of gun control on BYU Radio and KABC-AM (San Francisco).
This month, the School of Law’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted an exclusive screening of the new HBO documentary, “The Undocumented Lawyer.” The 20-minute film provides a window into the life and work of Lizbeth Mateo, a licensed California attorney and undocumented U.S. immigrant, who is fighting for asylum seekers and immigration reform.
Following the screening, Mateo and film director Chris Temple, joined a virtual Q&A moderated by Professor Amy Kimpel to share their insights about the film and discuss the legal challenges faced by undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers.
Mateo moved to the U.S. with her family as a teenager. They came together with the hope of living a better life, though they recognized it wouldn’t be easy. Mateo’s mom warned her to not tell others that she is undocumented, so she kept quiet about her immigration status until she met other undocumented students while in college.
Realizing that the only way she could keep her family safe was by sharing her story and fighting for rights of others who are undocumented, Mateo joined and organized activist movements and then went on to become an immigration attorney. In response to those who may question how an undocumented immigrant can become a lawyer, she cited that the state of California doesn’t limit individuals from practicing law if they are able to pass the bar and meet all other necessary licensing requirements. Mateo has met those requirements and made a pledge to uphold the constitution—even though the U.S. doesn’t recognize her as a citizen.
In her work, Mateo takes on cases that she feels have the potential influence immigration policy for years to come. While Mateo’s own immigration case has recently been re-opened by ICE to start her deportation proceedings, she plans to continue to fight for reform for as long as she is able.
To learn more about Mateo’s story and the film “The Undocumented Lawyer,” click here.
Professor Fredrick Vars shared his unique take on a piece of legislation that could help protect people at risk of suicide.
Professor Shahar Dillbary of The University of Alabama School of Law and Professor Griffin Edwards of the Collat School of Business at The University of Alabama, Birmingham were named the Dukeminier Awards’ Stu Walter Prize winners for their co-authored article, “An Empirical Analysis of Sexual Orientation Discrimination,” 86 U. Chi. L. Rev. 1 (2019). The Dukeminier Awards are bestowed annually by The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law in recognition of the best law review articles concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.
The study produced by Dillbary and Edwards is the first to empirically demonstrate widespread discrimination across the United States based on perceived sexual orientation, sex, and race in the mortgage lending process. From an analysis of more than five million mortgage applications, their findings reveal that any FHA loan application filed by same-sex male co-applicants is significantly less likely to be approved compared to the white heterosexual baseline (holding lending risk constant). The most likely explanation for this pattern is sexual orientation based discrimination — despite the fact that FHA loans are the only type of loan in which discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited.
Professor Deepa Das Acevedo was quoted on AL.com discussing worker protections during COVID-19. You can read the full article titled “Alabama workers may see more COVID-19 protections under Biden Administration” here.
Sign up to join us virtually on February 26 for our annual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. CT, with the award ceremony to follow 7 p.m. CT. Two new awards —the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor and the Rising Young Attorney Award—will be presented at this year’s ceremony alongside the annual Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award.
The Sam W. Pipes Award is the highest honor bestowed by the School of Law, and it is given to an outstanding alumnus or alumna who has distinguished himself or herself through service to the Bar, The University of Alabama, and the School of Law. This year, the Managing Committee of the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation is proud to announce Mr. Frank M. Bainbridge as the 2021 Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award Winner.
Frank M. Bainbridge took his LL.B. (now known as a J.D.) from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1956. He is a partner with Bainbridge, Mims, Rogers & Smith in Birmingham, Alabama, and he has practiced law for more than fifty years—representing individuals, small businesses, and closely held corporations. Bainbridge is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a charter member of the Atticus Finch Society of the Alabama State Bar, a recipient of the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Birmingham Bar Association, and a recipient of the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Black Law Students Association (BLSA). He has also been repeatedly listed in Best Lawyers in America.
Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor Inductees
The Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor is an award established by the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation that recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the legal profession and to the Law school over an extended period of time. In this inaugural year, the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation is proud to announce the 2021 inductees:
Walker Percy Badham III took his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and is a founding partner of Badham & Buck in Birmingham, Alabama. He has practiced law for more than 33 years, focusing on complex litigation, business disputes, insurance coverage, class actions, and personal injury litigation. Throughout his career, he has served as President of Alabama Young Lawyers, Director of the Trial Academy for the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) of the American Bar Association, and has consistently been listed in Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. 
Bryan K. Fair took his J.D. from UCLA and is the Thomas E. Skinner Professor for The University of Alabama School of Law. Fair has served as Director of Diversity, Director of International Programs, Associate Dean for Special Programs, Coach of Moot Court Teams and Faculty Advisor to numerous student organizations throughout the Law School. Throughout his career, Fair has been a tireless advocate for the recruitment and retention of minority students. He is also the author of Notes of a Racial Caste Baby: Color Blindness and the End of Affirmative Action (NYU Press, 1997) and has served as an Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Alabama for several years. 
Julia Smeds Roth took her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law, and she is a partner with Eyster, Key, Tubb, Roth, Middleton & Adams, LLP, in Decatur, Alabama. Her practice includes matters of family law, wills and estate planning, and litigation. Roth served as Chair of the Client Security Task Force of the Alabama State Bar, President of the Morgan County Bar Association, special counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the Alabama House of Representatives, and is a member of the prestigious Alabama Law Institute—having served on the Executive Committee for the Institute. Roth is also serving of the Law School’s Capital Campaign Committee, is a member of the Law School Patrons, and is a past President of the Law School Foundation’s Board of Governors.
Sharonda Childs Fancher took her J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law, and she is an associate with Baker Donelson where she has built a thriving legal practice advising clients on a variety of employment matters. Previously, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Inge P. Johnson, Senior United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Fancher has been listed among the Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch,” was named the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2015 Birmingham Woman of the Year, and has provided pro bono legal assistance to the United States Conference of Mayors and other organizations seeking to add the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Shaila Dewan of the The New York Times highlighted Professor Joyce Vance’s insights on the potential charges stemming from the Capitol siege. Read the full article title “People Died at the Capitol. Will Rioters Be Charged With Murder?” here.
