University of Alabama School of Law

Infobox Law School


name = University of Alabama School of Law
established = 1872
type = Public
head = Dean Kenneth Randall
city = Tuscaloosa
state = Alabama
country = USA
students = 540 (approx.)
faculty = 60 full-time; 40 adjunct
ranking = 32 (Tier 1)
bar pass rate = 97.2%
annual tuition = $9,736 (instate); $19,902 (out of state)
homepage = [http://www.law.ua.edu/ www.law.ua.edu/]
The University of Alabama School of Law is a law school located in Tuscaloosa, AL. University of Alabama School of Law is one of five law schools in the state, one of three that is ABA accredited, and of the accredited schools, it is the only public law school in Alabama. In 2003-2005, there were 541 (536 J.D., 5 International LL.M.) students enrolled, and in 2006-2007, the first year student body had a median 163 LSAT, and 3.56 GPA. Of these students, approximately 40% were female and 12% were minority students. The 2006-2007 academic year also saw the opening of a $15 million dollar addition to the law school with more room for the clinical program and mock trial teams, study and meeting rooms, new offices, a cafe, and additional classrooms.

The majority of students come from Alabama, although 130 undergraduate schools from 26 states are represented altogether. The average age for incoming students was 25, but many students did not come straight out of undergraduate school. A number of students have worked or earned masters and doctoral level degrees in other fields prior to coming to law school. In recent years, Alabama's students have gone on to jobs with major law firms in Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, Washington, DC, among many other cities. The job placement rate of graduates within 9 months of graduation is 97.8%, though this statistic does not indicate legal vs. other employment. Alabama's student body is medium-sized for a law school, with about 170 students in the entering class. Students have the opportunity to study in joint programs, like the MBA, masters or PhD in economics, political science, or history.

Students participate in a variety of activities, including intramural and inter-school moot court, and extensive trial practice. Student organizations span the spectrum from the Christian Legal Society, Federalist Society, American Constitution Society, and Dorbin Society, to OutLaw (a group for those interested in gay rights).

Approximately 40% of students graduate with journal experience. The school's main journal is the "Alabama Law Review", which has been published since the 1940s. It has published pieces by such leading figures as Justices William O. Douglas and Hugo Black (also an alumnus of the University of Alabama Law School) and Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Recently, it was ranked as one of the 25 most-cited student law journals in the country. The other journals are the "Journal of the Legal Profession" and the "Law and Psychology Law Review".

The faculty include nationally recognized scholars in areas like tax (Norman Stein, Susan Hamil, James Bryce), criminal law (Pamela Bucy and Joseph Colquitt), corporate law (Kenneth Rosen and George Geis), intellectual property (Alan Durham), and environmental law (Robert Kuehn). In recent years, the law school has expanded its faculty dramatically, adding such emerging scholars as Kimberly Bart, Paul Horwitz, Meredith Render, and Debra Lynn Bassett.

Notable alumni

* Edward B. Almon, United States Representative from Alabama (1915-1933)
*James B. Allen, United States Senator from Alabama (1969-1978)
*John W. Abercrombie, United States Congressman from Alabama (1913-1917) and President of the University of Alabama (1902-1911)
*Hugo Black, U.S. Senator, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court,
*Mark Everett Fuller (J.D., in 1985), Federal Judge.cite news | url=http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=2975 | title=Fuller, Mark E. | publisher=United States Federal Courts |date= 2008 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-05-17]
*Frank Minis Johnson, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
*Emmett Ripley Cox, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit,
*Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator
*Jeff Sessions, U.S. Senator
*George Wallace, governor of Alabama
*Daniel J. Meador, law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law
*Morris Dees, Southern Poverty Law Center founder
*Steadman S. Shealy, starting quarterback on Alabama's 1978 and 1979 national championship teams
*Harper Lee, novelist

References

External links

* [http://www.law.ua.edu/ Official website]
* [http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/lawschools/2.html ABA pro bono profile]
* [http://www.law.ua.edu/lawreview/ "Alabama Law Review" site]