Swapanthi Mandalika-Reeves, whose academic journey began as a high school dropout, shares how service to others helped her overcome her own challenges and changed the trajectory of her career. In late 2023, Swapanthi received the Women’s White Collar Defense Association’s (WWCDA) Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Outstanding Law Student Award–a national honor granted to one law student each year who best exemplifies Justice Ginsburg’s commitment to excellence, resilience, and perseverance.
Soon to be a graduate of The University of Alabama School of Law (Class of 2024), Swapanthi has been named valedictorian of her class, received 13 best paper awards in her courses, and dedicated more than 230 hours to mentoring other law students during her 2L & 3L years through the Alabama Law Academic Success Fellows Program. Upon graduation, Swapanthi has committed to clerkships in both the Northern District of Alabama and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She has also been offered a full-time position at the firm Latham & Watkins in Washington D.C. for employment upon completion of those clerkships.
She and her husband also recently welcomed a baby boy into their family. Watch the video above to hear her story. Read more about Swapanthi on the Alabama Law website: https://www.law.ua.edu/blog/news/3l-swapanthi-mandalika-awarded-wwcdas-justice-ginsburg-outstanding-law-student-award/
Video produced by Savannah Kelly and Josh Bird
Video footage courtesy of WWCDA
With heavy hearts, the Alabama Law community mourns the passing of our alumnus, colleague, and friend—Bob Prince (Class of 1974).
In addition to his role as senior partner at Prince Glover Hayes P.C., Bob served as an adjunct professor at the Law School where he taught and coached Trial Advocacy for 40 years. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor by the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation for his long-standing service to the Law School and its students.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his colleagues and loved ones. We will miss him greatly.
Professor Yonathan Arbel co-authored an essay in Lawfare about artificial intelligence regulation, and was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article about the impact of ChatGPT on contract law. Read the Lawfare essay by clicking here, and the Bloomberg Law piece here.
3L Caroline Hall had two articles accepted for publication this semester. Her paper, Finfluencing, has been published in the Consumer Finance Law Quarterly Report. You can read the full piece on SSRN here.
Professor Luke Herrine recently commented on the status of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan in Business Insider. Click here to read the full article.
Professor Daiquiri Steele was awarded of Volunteer of the Year by the Birmingham Business Journal at their 2024 Nonprofit Awards for her service to Girls Inc. of Central Alabama. Girls Inc. “inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold” through programming designed to benefit every aspect of their life.
To learn more about Professor Steele’s work and her award, follow this link.
Professor Meredith Render’s article, Waste, Property, and Useless Things, has been accepted for publication in Volume 138 of the Harvard Law Review. The article applies the concept of “waste” in property law to the problem of planned obsolescence. The article is set to be published February 2025.
Dean Bill Brewbaker and Professor Patrick McKinley Brennan’s coauthored chapter, Can Laws and Rights Teach? John Witte and the Uses of the Law, was recently published in the book Faith in Law, Law in Faith. The book examines the impact of the late Professor John Witte Jr. on the study of law and religion. You can download a copy of the edited collection online.
Last month, the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Team—coached by Professors Cameron Fogle and Dan Joyner—placed fifth among 48 schools in the east regional competition in New Orleans. This qualified the team of 3Ls Max Bryant, Rachel Dees, Hunter Drake, and Sydney Noordsy to move on to the international rounds hosted in Washington, DC in April. 3L Carolyn Adams was the brief writer and student coach, and 3L Laura Pressman served as a student coach as well. Additionally, Noordsy, Dees, and Drake ranked in the top 20 out of 200 oralists.
On March 1, the Law School hosted the annual Alabama Law Alumni Society Banquet at The Haven in Birmingham, where seven distinguished alumni were honored for their significant contributions to the legal community and the Law School.
Mike House and family
Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumni Award
W. Mike House (Class of ’71) was named this year’s recipient of the Sam W. Pipes Award. The Sam W. Pipes Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Law School Foundation to outstanding alumni of The University of Alabama School of Law, who have distinguished themselves through service to the Bar, The University of Alabama, and the Law School.
“Mike was an exceptional leader, even in law school,” his law school classmate, Mike Goodrich, said. “Mike has an extraordinary record of service to The University of Alabama and its Law School.”
House began his career serving as Howell Heflin’s chief of staff, where he had a great impact on the drafting and passage of the judicial article constitutional amendment in 1973 and the implementation legislation in 1975. After continuing to serve as Heflin’s chief of staff when he became senator, House began a storied career in the lawyer lobby field in Washington, DC and has been recognized as one of the most outstanding legislative lawyers and lobbyists in Washington. After dedicating 28 years at Hogan Lovells, House opened his own lobbying practice, Oak Grove Strategies, in 2020. House and his wife, Gina, have also been integral to the founding and continued success of Alabama Law’s DC Externship Program.
Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor
Four alumni were inducted into the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor this year: Judy Whalen Evans (Class of ’75), Vanessa Leonard* (Class of ’95), Robert F. Prince (Class of ’74), and M. Wayne Wheeler (Class of ’66). The Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor was established in 2020 by the Board of Governors of the Law School Foundation to recognize the outstanding achievement of Alabama Law alumni and faculty. Criteria for the award include making significant and extended contributions to the life of the Law School, having a distinguished career, and sustaining involvement in service activities.
Alabama Rising Young Attorneys
This year, the Leadership Council of the Alabama Law Alumni Society named Stanley E. Blackmon (Class of ’15) and Christopher B. Driver (Class of ’15) as the Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award recipients. Established in 2020, the Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award recognizes a recent graduate or graduates who have shown significant leadership and purposeful service to the legal profession, their community, and the Law School.
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The 2024 Alabama Law Alumni Society banquet offered a pleasant evening for alumni and their families to gather and celebrate the achievements of classmates and friends. If you were unable to attend, we hope you will join us next year. Click here for additional photos of the event, and here to read the bios of each awardee in the banquet program.
Nominations for the Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor, and the Alabama Rising Young Attorney Award are open year-round. These awards, established by the Law School Foundation Board of Governors and the Alabama Law Alumni Society Leadership Council, are awarded annually during the Alabama Law Alumni Society banquet each Spring. Nomination forms are available at www.law.ua.edu/alumni/awards.
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*The University of Alabama School of Law is proud to honor Trustee Leonard’s outstanding career and personal achievements. We are grateful for her thoughtful and selfless service to the Alabama Law community and to The University of Alabama System. In acknowledging her recent passing, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her classmates, colleagues, and loved ones.
