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Alabama State Bar Inducts Two UA Law Alumni into Hall of Fame

May 5, 2017

The Alabama State Bar on Friday inducted two alumni of The University of Alabama School of Law into the Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame.

“The attorneys inducted into the Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame today spent their lives dedicated to improving the lives of others and the legal profession,” said Alabama State Bar President J. Cole Portis of the Beasley Allen Law Firm in Montgomery. “It’s a privilege to participate in the Hall of Fame program and to honor these outstanding lawyers for their commitment and service to our state, local communities and our nation. This program and its purpose are at the heart of the bar’s motto: Lawyers Render Service.”

The alumni inducted into the 2016 Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame are:

  • Lister Hill (1894-1984) – Considered Alabama’s premier lawmaker of the 20th century; practiced law in his hometown of Montgomery following his return from World War I; served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1923-1938) and U.S. Senate (1938-1968); was an active New Dealer in his early career; sponsored 80 pieces of major legislation during his 45 years in Congress including the Hill-Burton Act (1941), the Library Services Act (1956) and the Defense Education Act (1958); leading proponent for federal funding of medical research as well as major advocate for spreading medical knowledge worldwide by helping create the National Institute of International Medical Research (1959).
  • John Thomas King (1923-2007) – Received his undergraduate and law degrees from The University of Alabama; served the U.S. Army in the Pacific theater during World War II, achieving the rank of major; practiced law in Birmingham and served a term in the Alabama Senate where he sponsored major legislation that included the New Judicial Article; a progressive whose two mayoral campaigns during the racial turmoil of the early ‘60s would help serve as a catalyst to change Birmingham’s repressive commission form of government to the more representative mayor-council form of government.

The Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2004, and has since inducted 55 Alabama lawyers including this year’s five inductees. Inductees must have a distinguished career in law and each inductee must be deceased at least two years at the time of their selection. In addition, at least one of the inductees must be deceased a minimum of 100 years.

Plaques honoring each inductee are on display in the Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame located on the lower level of the Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building.

The University of Alabama School of Law strives to remain neutral on issues of public policy. The Law School’s communications team may facilitate interviews or share opinions expressed by faculty, staff, students, or other individuals regarding policy matters. However, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Law School, the University, or affiliated leadership.