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.
The Federalist Society student organization at Alabama Law was recently named Chapter of the Year—the highest honor a Federalist Society chapter can attain—at the 2024 National Student Symposium. The event was hosted by the Federalist Society at Harvard Law School, where the Alabama Law chapter was also recognized as a finalist for the George Washington Award for Innovation.
Professor Susan Pace Hamill was featured as an expert in WalletHub’s recent article, States with the Best & Worst Taxpayer ROI.
This month, 3L students Aleah Brown, Hannah King, Carmen Paige, and Simone Hampton took second place—out of sixty teams—at the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition during the National Black Law Students Association Conference hosted in Houston, Texas. In addition, both Brown and King received near-perfect scores during the preliminary rounds and were named best advocate and runner-up, respectively.
The team, coached by Alabama Law graduates Chenelle Smith (’21) and Justin Jones (’12), qualified for the national competition by placing third at the regional event in North Carolina earlier this semester. While Alabama Law BLSA teams have had strong showings in previous years, this is the first time the team has advanced to compete in the championship round at nationals.
With heavy hearts, the Alabama Law community mourns the passing of a dear alumna, colleague, and friend—Vanessa Leonard (Class of 1995).
As a member of the University of Alabama Systems Board of Trustees, Leonard served as an ex-officio member of the Law School Foundation Board of Governors for many years, and, earlier this month, she was inducted into the Alabama Lawyer Hall of Honor for her outstanding achievements and commitment to the Law School.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of this dear friend, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to her classmates, colleagues, and loved ones. We will miss her greatly.
Read more about Trustee Leonard in a memoriam posted by the University of Alabama System.
Professor Ronald Krotoszynski’s University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law article, Free Speech and the Irrelevancy of Text and History to Constitutional Interpretation, was recently reviewed on Dorf on Law. The review was written by Professor Eric Segall of Georgia State University College of Law and can be read online.
Last weekend, 3Ls Aleah Brown, Hannah King, Carmen Paige, and Simone Hampton competed in the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition during the Southern Regional Black Law School Student’s Association Conference. The team finished 3rd in the region and will advance to the national competition in Houston, Texas from March 6-9. Additionally, Aleah Brown was awarded best advocate after finishing all preliminary rounds with a perfect score.
The team is coached by Chenelle Smith (’21) and Justin Jones (’12).
