UA is seeking a strategic and collaborative leader with a distinguished scholarly profile to serve as the next dean of the School of Law. The dean will develop a vision for the school and provide leadership in matters related to planning, curriculum, research and scholarship, and the law school’s budget. The dean will also engage with faculty, students, alumni, the legal community, and state and federal government officials to advance the goals of the School of Law and University.
Anita Kay Head, Assistant Dean for Students and Associate Professor of Legal Writing with the School of Law, is serving as chair of the search committee. Head is joined by committee members elected from the college including:
Committee members appointed by UA President Stuart R. Bell include:
The School of Law provides a top-rate education that results in enviable bar passage and employment rates, all within a supportive and diverse environment. The college’s low student-to-faculty ratio paired with robust curricular offerings draws students to study under faculty who are skilled teachers as well as leading researchers and scholars.
U.S. News and World Report ranks the School of Law No. 9 among public universities.
A full description of the position and information on how to apply is available online.
This month, preLaw Magazine ranked the University of Alabama School of Law as the #3 Best Value Law School in the U.S. This annual list identifies the top law schools across the nation that provide a first-rate education while keeping student costs down. Pre-Law does this by analyzing factors such as tuition and fees, employment success, bar passage rate, and average graduate debt load. More information about the Best Value Law Schools is available in the Fall 2022 issue of preLaw Magazine.
Professor Adam Steinman’s article Beyond Bristol-Myers: Personal Jurisdiction over Class Actions has been published in NYU Law Review. You can read the full piece here.
Professor Luke Herrine was quoted in a NPR article titled A federal judge calls student loan relief unlawful, deepening limbo for borrowers. You can read the full article here.
Professor Paul Horwitz recently reviewed two articles— The Rhetorical Power of the Supreme Court and The Supreme Court and the People: Communicating Decisions to the Public in Jotwell. Professor Horwitz is a co-editor of Jotwell’s constitutional law section. You can read the full review here.
Alabama Law 3L Courtney Garrett recently had three articles accepted for publication in academic law journals this Fall semester:
UC Davis Social Justice Law Review: The Narrow Road for Legal Access in Rural America for Indigent Citizens in The Post Pandemic Era
Rutgers Race and the Law Review: The Muffled Voice of Minority Law Students How Law Journals Have Succumbed to Unsolicited Biases and Limited the Progression of Diversity in Law Schools
The Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender and Social Justice: Aptitude Testing as a Racially Discriminatory and Class-skewed Method of Regulating College Admissions. How Did it Start and Who Profits from the Current Scheme?
While working on these articles, Garrett received guidance and feedback from Professors Anil Mujumdar, Richard Delgado, and Jean Stefancic.
Garrett, originally from Gadsden, Alabama, previously served in the military before entering law school. In his spare time, he coaches a youth basketball team, and he has plans to publish several additional academic articles. Garrett’s long-term career goals include working for a mid-size plaintiff firm specializing in personal injury, engaging with a non-profit focused on assisting at-risk youth in America, and eventually teaching at a university. After graduating in December, Courtney will begin working in the pre-litigation department at Reaves Law Firm in Memphis.
Professor Jenny Carroll was recently featured in a WTVA interview discussing Aniah’s Law, which would give Alabama judges more authority to deny bail to those charged with a violent felony. Watch the full interview here.
Professor William (Bill) Andreen was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article titled Worsening Drought in Deep South Seen as Spurring Legal Friction. Read the full article here.
In 2012, Mike House (’71) and Ed Rogers (’84) had a goal of creating an externship program to introduce Alabama Law students to career opportunities in Washington DC. Ten years later, through the leadership and support of many dedicated alumni, Alabama Law’s DC Externship Program has placed more than 70 students in over 43 different agencies, committees, or advocacy group offices across DC.
“DC is a top out-of-state market for our graduates,” said House (’71), past president of the Alabama Law Board of Governors (2020-2022), long-time parter at Hogan Lovells, and founder of Oak Grove Strategies. “It is a unique city where contacts and qualifications can be equally important. This is why this program, backed up by a strong committed alumni network, is essential.”
The program places students in federal agencies, legislative committees, or nonprofit advocacy groups during the spring semester of their second or third year of law school. While in DC, externs work full-time for the 14-week semester and earn 12 hours of academic credit accompanied by a two-credit hour political and legislative writing course taught by four Alabama Law alumni.
“The DC Program has helped our students build their careers in multiple ways,” said Program Director and Assistant Dean Megan Walsh (’12). “Some use the experience to learn more about the DC market and make connections while there for future opportunities in DC. Others seek out specific practice areas at agencies and non-profits to gain experience to take back to other organizations that practice the same topic.”
Upon arrival in DC, each law student participating in the program is paired with a mentor from Alabama Law’s DC Advisory Board, made up of Alabama Law alumni in the area. Throughout the 14-week course, mentors offer advice to students on applying the law, operating in the workforce, networking, understanding policy, and becoming well-rounded professionals. For many of the Board Members, the opportunity to mentor the students is personal.
“I want to help students get started in DC,” said John Cox (’92), adjunct professor in the DC externship program and Founder and Managing Director at Verto Solutions. “I give back to the students because Alabama Law grads helped me get started in Washington after I graduated.”
For the students participating in the externship program, the personal mentorship offered by the Advisory Board members doesn’t go unnoticed.
“The Alabama Law alumni I encountered in Washington, DC were incredibly generous with their time and interested in the success of Alabama students,” said Meredith Moore, a 3L who participated in the program in Spring 2022. “The law students participating in the DC. Externship program not only interacted with alumni professors, but with an entire advisory board of alumni who shape the program and want to help Alabama Law students.”
During her externship, Moore worked as a semester law clerk for the Department of Justice’s Federal Tort Claims Act Section where she was responsible for helping determine the government’s tort liability and defending the government from claims of employee negligence.
“On a normal day, I helped my Section process administrative claims submitted to the Department by researching the applicable federal and state law and drafting memoranda recommending the settlement or denial of claims,” Moore said. “Throughout the semester, I had the chance to assist my supervisor by working on matters involving a variety of federal agencies and laws, which was an incredible opportunity to expand my legal expertise.”
With the support of Alabama Law Alumni, past student placements have included: the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Office of the White House Counsel, the Department of Labor, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Center for Justice and International Law, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Senate Budget Committee, the Senate Legislative Counsel, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
“[This program] has changed lives,” said Michael Taylor (’97), chair of the DC Advisory Committee, adjunct professor, and partner at King & Spalding. “Part of the real success of the Externship Program is because the University is behind it. It takes a lot of time and effort to run a program like this.”
However, according to Program Director and Assistant Dean Megan Walsh, it’s the alumni who truly make the difference.
“The Alabama Law support system in DC is incredible, and we are so thankful for such wonderful alumni who give back to our students,” Walsh said.
From taking headshots in front of the Supreme Court, going on private tours of the Senate Chambers, attending receptions and alumni events, and working with their placements, externs are given every opportunity possible to build their network and relationships in the DC area.
“The results speak for themselves,” said House (’71). “In a recent survey of Capitol Hill employees, Alabama Law ranked sixth among National Law Schools in the number of graduates working in Congress—second, just behind Harvard if you are looking at schools that aren’t based in DC. * This is a remarkable achievement.”
And while this program is driven by the commitment and mentorship of alumni and adjunct professors in the DC area, the experience would not be possible for many students without the financial backing provided by our generous alumni base. Recently, Alabama Law introduced the Mike and Gina House DC Externship Student Support Fund—in recognition of the tireless and selfless dedication of Mike and Gina House—to offset additional living costs for students. Not only are housing costs high in DC, but many students must also continue paying rent in Tuscaloosa while they are away for the spring semester. Through the Mike and Gina House Fund, the Law School can ensure that financial barriers do not keep students from participating in an externship experience in DC.
“I could not have participated in this program without the financial and academic support I received from Alabama Law” Moore said. “I want to express my deep gratitude for the school’s commitment to this program and recognition of the value it has for its students. This experience will impact my law school career and future legal career because it gave me a greater understanding of a small part of the largest legal employer in the world, an inside look at life as an attorney in Washington, DC, and a deep respect for the DOJ’s work.”
To learn more about the Alabama Law’s DC Externship Program, contact Megan Walsh, Director of DC Externship Program: mwalsh@law.ua.edu.
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* The data reflects congressional staffers working in DC congressional offices as of April 30th, 2019. Rankings found on LegBranch.org: https://www.legbranch.org/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-educational-pipelines-to-capitol-hill/
On October 22, Alabama Law hosted its annual Alumni Homecoming Tailgate on the front lawn of the Law School. Attendees enjoyed delectable food and drink while connecting with old friends before catching a golf cart to the stadium for the Homecoming game. The theme of this year’s Tailgate was centered on The 50 | 150 Anniversaries—commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Law School’s founding and the 50th anniversary of the first Commencement of African American students from the School of Law. View images from this event here.
