Birmingham School of Law

Short description: Private law school in Birmingham, Alabama, US

Birmingham School of Law

Established| 1915
School type| Private
Dean| S. Scott Garrett[1][2]
Location| Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
[ ⚑ ] : 33°30′57″N 86°48′23″W﻿ / ﻿33.51597°N 86.80641°W﻿ / 33.51597; -86.80641
Enrollment| 400
USNWR ranking| Unranked
Bar pass rate|

* 12.5% (first-time takers)
* 8.5% (repeat takers)
* (July 2023)[3]

Website| bsol.com

The Birmingham School of Law is a state-accredited, independent law school located in Birmingham, Alabama.[4] Founded in 1915 by Judge Hugh A. Locke, a judge of the Chancery Court and president of the Birmingham Bar Association, the Birmingham School of Law offers a part-time program of study in which graduates receive the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree after four years of study.

The law school is not accredited by the American Bar Association and graduates may not qualify to be admitted to the bar in states other than Alabama.

## Contents

* 1 Admissions
* 2 Accreditation
* 3 Bar examination passage
* 4 Facilities
* 5 Associations
* 6 Notable alumni
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Admissions

The law school requires applicants to have a bachelor's degree before beginning classes but does not require an LSAT test score as part of its application process unless the applicant's degree is from a foreign country. The school reviews an applicants' academic records and employment history in determining acceptance.[5] The school requires a minimum 2.75 GPA to be considered for admission.[6]

## Accreditation

Graduates are eligible to take the Alabama Bar Examination pursuant to the authority granted by the Alabama Legislature and the Alabama Supreme Court.[7] The Birmingham School of Law is not accredited by the American Bar Association, nor is the school seeking accreditation. As a result, graduates are generally not allowed to take the bar exam and practice in other states.[8][9]

## Bar examination passage

The Birmingham School of Law ranks significantly below Alabama's three ABA-accredited law schools in bar examination performance. The school had a 12.5% pass rate for first-time takers on the July 2023 examination compared to 82.20% for ABA schools. The school had a 8.57% pass rate for repeat takers on the July 2023 examination.[3]

## Facilities

The school is located in downtown Birmingham, in a renovated a historic building. The school consists of an auditorium, mock courtroom, law library, computer lab, and multimedia classrooms. In the past, classes were held at Birmingham-Southern College, the Birmingham YMCA, the historic Frank Nelson Building in downtown Birmingham, and the Jefferson County Courthouse.

## Associations

* American Association for Justice
* Christian Legal Society
* Delta Theta Phi
* National Black Law Students Association

## Notable alumni

* Clarence W. Allgood (1902–1991) (LL.B. 1941), former United States federal judge[10]
* James D. Martin (1918-2017) attended, former member of the United States House of Representatives for the 7th district of Alabama - 1965 to 1967[11][12]
* Richard Shelby (b. 1934) (LL.B. 1961), graduate University of Alabama School of Law (LL.B. 1963), former United States senator from Alabama
* Mike D. Rogers (b. 1958) (JD 1991), U.S. Representative for Alabama's 3rd congressional district since 2003[13][14]
* Phil Williams (b. 1965) (JD 2003), former member of the Alabama State Senate - 2010 to 2018[15]
* Alexander Shunnarah (b. 1966) (JD 1995), prominent personal injury lawyer and founder, president, and CEO of Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys[16]

## References

1. ↑ "Birmingham School of Law - Student Handbook". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708102855/http://www.bsol.com/BSL_Handbook09.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
2. ↑ "Faculty & Staff". Birmingham School of Law. https://bsol.com/about/faculty-staff/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Alabama State Bar - July 2023 Bar Exam Results". https://admissions.alabar.org/july-2023-combined-stats.
4. ↑ "Home". http://www.alabar.org/.
5. ↑ "Admissions - Application Requirements". Birmingham Law School. https://bsol.com/admissions/application-requirements/.
6. ↑ "Birmingham School of Law - Minimum GPA of 2.75". Odyssey. https://odysseytestprep.com/birmingham-school-of-law/#:~:text=Birmingham School of Law sets,requirement of 2.75 for admission..
7. ↑ "Section 34-3-2.1". Archived from the original on 2010-03-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20100316224800/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/34-3-2.1.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
8. ↑ "Home". http://www.abanet.org/.
9. ↑ "Home". http://www.bsol.com/.
10. ↑ "Clarence W. Allgood". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/nGetInfo?jid=31&cid=999&ctype=na&instate=na. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
11. ↑ "James D. Martin". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000182. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
12. ↑ Spann, Kevin (2025-01-06). "James D. Martin" (in en-US). Encyclopedia of Alabama. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/james-d-martin/. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
13. ↑ "Mike D. Rogers". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=r000575. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
14. ↑ "Mike Rogers (Alabama)". Ballotpedia. https://ballotpedia.org/Mike_Rogers_(Alabama).
15. ↑ "Alabama State Bar Exam Statistics". https://admissions.alabar.org/feb-2019-combined-stats.
16. ↑ https://dothaneagle.com/townnews/law/answer-man-who-is-alexander-shunnarah-where-is-he-from/article_548da234-af51-11e5-82a2-9b708e928348.html

## External links

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Law schools of the Southeastern United States

Alabama|

* Birmingham School of Law
* Cumberland School of Law (Samford Univ.)
* Miles Law School
* Thomas Goode Jones School of Law (Faulkner Univ.)
* University of Alabama School of Law

Arkansas|

* University of Arkansas School of Law
* William H. Bowen School of Law (UALR)

Florida|

* Ave Maria School of Law
* Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law (Barry Univ.)
* Florida A&M University College of Law
* Florida Coastal School of Law
* Florida International University College of Law
* Florida State University College of Law
* Fredric G. Levin College of Law (UF)
* University of Miami School of Law
* Shepard Broad Law Center (Nova Southeastern Univ.)
* St. Thomas University School of Law
* Stetson University College of Law

Georgia|

* Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
* Emory University School of Law
* Georgia State University College of Law
* Savannah Law School
* University of Georgia School of Law
* Walter F. George School of Law (Mercer Univ.)

Louisiana|

* Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
* Paul M. Hebert Law Center (LSU)
* Southern University Law Center
* Tulane University Law School

Mississippi|

* University of Mississippi School of Law
* Mississippi College School of Law

North Carolina|

* Duke University School of Law
* Elon University School of Law
* Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (Campbell Univ.)
* North Carolina Central University School of Law
* University of North Carolina School of Law
* Wake Forest University School of Law

Puerto Rico|

* Eugenio María de Hostos School of Law (closed)
* Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law
* Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law
* University of Puerto Rico School of Law

South Carolina|

* Charleston School of Law
* University of South Carolina School of Law

Tennessee|

* Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (Univ. of Memphis)
* Duncan School of Law (Lincoln Memorial Univ.)
* Nashville School of Law
* University of Tennessee College of Law
* Vanderbilt University Law School

Virginia|

* Appalachian School of Law
* Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason)
* The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School
* Liberty University School of Law
* Regent University School of Law
* University of Richmond School of Law
* University of Virginia School of Law
* Washington and Lee University School of Law
* William & Mary Law School

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