University of Alabama School of Law

Public law school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US

University of Alabama School of Law

Parent school| University of Alabama
Established| 1872
School type| Public
Dean| William S. Brewbaker III[1]
Location| Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
33°12′14″N 87°32′07″W﻿ / ﻿33.2039°N 87.5354°W﻿ / 33.2039; -87.5354
Enrollment| 428 (approx.)
Faculty| 50 full-time; 40 adjunct
USNWR ranking| 31st (tie) (2025)[2]
Bar pass rate| 91.30% (2023 First-time takers)[3]
Website| www.law.ua.edu
ABA profile| officialguide.lsac.org

The University of Alabama School of Law,[4] (formerly known as the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama)[5][6] located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the only public law school in the state. It is one of five law schools in the state, and one of three that are ABA accredited. According to Alabama's official 2023 ABA-required disclosures, 89.4% of the Class of 2023 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. An additional 4.8% of the Class of 2023 obtained JD-advantage employment.[7]

Approximately 428 JD students attended Alabama Law during school year 2022–2023. 51 undergraduate institutions, 23 states, and 3 countries are represented among the class of 2026, and the student-faculty ratio is 6.7 to 1.[8]

## Academics

[edit]

Alabama Law offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, as well as an International LL.M., an LL.M. in Taxation, and an LL.M. in Business Transactions. In conjunction with the Manderson Graduate School of Business, the law school also offers a four-year joint J.D./M.B.A. program. Students may also pursue a number of graduate degrees through established dual enrollment programs for M.A. or Ph.D. in Political Science, M.P.A., Ph.D. in Economics, or LL.M. in Taxation. Certificates in Public Interest Law, Governmental Affairs, and International and Comparative Law are also available.

Admissions have been increasingly selective. The class of 2026 has a median LSAT score of 167 and median undergraduate GPA of 3.95. The 75th and 25th percentile for these metrics are 168 and 4.00, and 159 and 3.63, respectively.[8]

### Law clinics

[edit]

Alabama Law guarantees that every interested student has the opportunity to participate in at least one law clinic before graduating. It is one of the few law schools in the country to make this guarantee.[9]

* The Children's Rights Clinic works with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program to assist youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system.[10]
* The Civil Law Clinic is Alabama's oldest clinic and provides free legal advice and representation to University of Alabama students and community members in civil matters. Civil clinic students handle over 200 cases annually.[11]
* The Criminal Defense Clinic represents indigent defendants in misdemeanor and felony criminal matters for both bench and jury trials.[12]
* The Domestic Violence Clinic takes a holistic approach to assisting survivors of domestic abuse in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. In addition to providing comprehensive legal services, clinic students also perform outreach and education.[13]
* The Entrepreneur & Nonprofit Clinic provides free transactional legal services to small businesses, start-ups, and nonprofit organizations. The suite of services include preparation of formation documents, agreement negotiation and drafting, and regulatory compliance.[14]
* The Mediation Law Clinic provides an alternative to the adversarial litigation process for families to settle disputes more promptly and with a reduction in emotional trauma.[15]

## Publications

[edit]

In 2007 Jarvis & Coleman ranked the Alabama Law Review (ALR) 36th "on the basis of the prominence of their lead article authors."[16] This represents an incredible 63 position improvement from the rankings of ten years prior. For 2015–2016, ExpressO, UC Berkeley's manuscript submission service, ranked the ALR at 10th in terms of "number of manuscripts received."[17] In 2015 Washington and Lee's methods rank ALR at 46th in both the number of citations from other journals and the combined score.[18] These show an improvement of 10 and 26 positions, respectively, over the preceding 5 years.

* Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review[19]
* Alabama Law Review[20]
* Journal of the Legal Profession[21]
* Law & Psychology Review[22]

Approximately 40% of students graduate with journal experience. This is a slightly lower percentage than many of Alabama's peer schools, but nonetheless above the national average.

## Employment

[edit]

According to Alabama's official 2023 ABA-required disclosures, 89.4% of the Class of 2023 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage required employment within nine months after graduation.[7] 26% of 2023 graduates were employed by a national law firm and 11.4% found judicial clerkships.[23] Alabama's Law School Transparency under-employment score for 2023 is 4.9%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2023 who were unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[24]

| ABA Employment Summary for 2023 Graduates [25]

Employment Status |  | Percentage
Employed - Bar Passage Required |

| 89.4%
Employed - J.D. Advantage |

| 4.9%
Employed - Professional Position |

| 0.0%
Employed - Non-Professional Position |

| 0.0%
Employed - Undeterminable |

| 0.0%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time |

| 0.8%
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred |

| 0.8%
Unemployed - Not Seeking |

| 0.0%
Unemployed - Seeking |

| 4.1%
Employment Status Unknown |

| 0.0%
Total of 123 Graduates

## Costs

[edit]

Tuition and fees at the University of Alabama School of Law for the 2018–2019 academic year total $23,920 for residents and $42,180 for nonresidents.[26] 69.2% of students received discounts during the 2017–2018 school year; the remaining 30.8% paid full price. Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years at full price to be $157,785 for residents and $231,042 for nonresidents.[26]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

This section is missing information about the kind of degree and date granted usually supplied for alumni . Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (October 2024)

|

* Edward B. Almon, United States Representative from Alabama (1915–1933)[27]
* James B. Allen, United States Senator from Alabama (1969–1978)[28]
* Mel Allen, sportscaster best known as the "Voice of the New York Yankees" and first host of This Week in Baseball[29]
* John W. Abercrombie, United States Congressman from Alabama (1913–1917) and President of the University of Alabama (1902–1911)[30]
* Spencer Bachus, United States Congressman from Alabama's 6th Congressional District (1993–2015)[31]
* Samuel A. Beatty, Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court (1976–1989)
* Robert H. Bennett, member of the Alabama House of Representatives (1942–1946)[32]
* Hugo Black, U.S. Senator, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, (1937–1971)[33]
* Katie Britt, United States Senator from Alabama (2023–present)[34][35]
* Charles J. Cooper (Class of 1978), clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist, U.S. Supreme Court, founder of law firm, Cooper & Kirk, in Washington, D.C.
* Emmett Ripley Cox, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit,[36]
* Catherine Crosby, Miss Alabama 2003
* Morris Dees, Southern Poverty Law Center founder[37]
* Paul DeMarco, Alabama Representative[citation needed]
* Michael Figures (Class of 1972), one of the first three Black graduates of the law school, later served as president pro tempore of the Alabama Senate
* Mark Everett Fuller (J.D., in 1985), former United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (forced resignation 2015)[38]
* Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity[citation needed]
* Victor Gold, journalist, political consultant, and author[39]
* Junius Foy Guin, Jr. (1947), former United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama[40]
* Perry O. Hooper, Sr., 27th chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court[41]
* Frank Minis Johnson, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit[42]
* Maud McLure Kelly, first woman to practice law in Alabama[43]
* Roy Moore former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Alabama; Republican nominee, U.S. Senate Alabama Special Election December 12, 2017
* Claude R. Kirk, Jr., (Class of 1949) former governor of Florida[citation needed]
* Bert Nettles (Class of 1960), Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1969 to 1974 from Mobile; lawyer in Birmingham[44]
* Harper Lee, writer, attended the school for several years, but did not complete a degree (1930–2016)[45]
* Shorty Price, perennial candidate for Governor of Alabama
* Bill Baxley, former Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, and Civil Rights lawyer[46]
* Jeff Sessions, 84th United States Attorney General and former U.S. Senator from Alabama (1997–2017) [47]
* Steadman S. Shealy, starting quarterback on Alabama's 1978 and 1979 national championship teams[48]
* Henry B. Steagall II, justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama[49]
* Robert Smith Vance, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit[50]
* David Vann (class of 1951), law clerk to Justice Hugo Black, U.S. Supreme Court, and mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
* George Wallace, former governor of Alabama[51]
* Nick Wilson, public defender and reality show contestant[52]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Law, University of Alabama School of (3 May 2023). "William S. Brewbaker III Named Dean of The University of Alabama School of Law – The University of Alabama – School of Law". law.ua.edu.
2. ^ "University of Alabama". Retrieved April 11, 2025.
3. ^ "University of Alabama School of Law - 2023 Bar Passage". abarequireddisclosures.org. ABA. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
4. ^ "UA trustees vote to return Culverhouse Jr. donation, remove name from law school". WTVY. June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
5. ^ "UA Law School Named for Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. in Recognition of $26.5 Million Donation". law.ua.edu. UA Law School. September 20, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
6. ^ Data Report, Staff (September 20, 2018). "Sarasota developer Hugh Culverhouse Jr. donates millions to University of Alabama law school". heraldtribune.com. Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
7. ^ a b "Employment Summary for 2023 Graduates" (PDF).
8. ^ a b "Quick Facts". UA School of Law. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
9. ^ "Academics; Law Clinics". The University of Alabama School of Law. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
10. ^ "Children's Rights Clinic | The University of Alabama School of Law". www.law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
11. ^ "Civil Law Clinic | The University of Alabama School of Law". www.law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
12. ^ "Criminal Defense Clinic | The University of Alabama School of Law". www.law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
13. ^ "Domestic Violence Law Clinic | The University of Alabama School of Law". www.law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
14. ^ "Entrepreneurship & Nonprofit Clinic | The University of Alabama School of Law". www.law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
15. ^ "Mediation Law Clinic | The University of Alabama School of Law". www.law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
16. ^ "Ranking Law Reviews by Author Prominence -- Ten Years Later" (PDF). Law Library Journal. p. 577.
17. ^ "2015-16 Top 100 Law Reviews" (PDF). Bepress.
18. ^ "Law Journals: Submissions and Ranking". Washington and Lee University School of Law. Archived from the original on 2006-03-07. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
19. ^ "Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review". University of Alabama School of Law. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
20. ^ "Alabama Law Review". University of Alabama School of Law. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
21. ^ "Journal of the Legal Profession". University of Alabama School of Law. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
22. ^ "Law & Psychology Review". University of Alabama School of Law. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
23. ^ "University of Alabama Jobs".
24. ^ "University of Alabama Profile".
25. ^ "ABA School Employment Summary Reports".
26. ^ a b "Finances".
27. ^ "Edward B. Almon". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
28. ^ "James Allen". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
29. ^ "Mel Allen". NNDB Soylent Communications. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
30. ^ "John W. Abercrombie". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
31. ^ "Spencer Bachus". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
32. ^ "Robert H. Bennett Enters Race For Representative". The Clayton Record. Clayton, Alabama. January 23, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
33. ^ "Hugo Black". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
34. ^ Oganovich, Nancy (July 21, 2021). "Former Alabama Senate Staffer Gives Mo Brooks Run for His Money". Bloomberg Government. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
35. ^ Cason, Mike (2022-11-09). "Katie Britt wins: Makes history, becomes Alabama's 1st woman elected to U.S. Senate". al. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
36. ^ "Emmett Ripley Cox". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
37. ^ Monroe, Carla R. "Morris Dees | biography – American civil rights lawyer". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
38. ^ "Fuller, Mark E." United States Federal Courts. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
39. ^ Victor Gold profile, June 29, 2007, Bill Moyers Journal website.
40. ^ "Foy Guin - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2016-07-11.
41. ^ "[Perry O. Hooper, Sr". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
42. ^ "Frank Minis Johnson". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
43. ^ Pruitt, Paul McWhorter Jr. (March 13, 2007). "Maud McLure Kelly". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
44. ^ "Oral History Interview with Bert Nettles, July 13, 1974". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
45. ^ "Harper Lee". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
46. ^ "Bill Baxley". NNDB Soylent Communications. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
47. ^ "Jeff Sessions". USA Today. Retrieved 8 Feb 2017.
48. ^ "Steadman S. Shealy". Shealy, Crum & Pike, P.C. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
49. ^ "Henry Bascom Steagall II" (PDF). Judiciary of Alabama. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
50. ^ "Robert Smith Vance". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
51. ^ "George Wallace". National Governors Association. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
52. ^ Cox, Erin. "SOLE SURVIVOR: Williamsburg's Nick Wilson wins 37th season of 'Survivor'". Richmond Register. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
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University of Alabama

Located in: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Academics|

* College of Communication and Information Sciences
* School of Law
* College of Community Health Sciences

People|

* Bear Bryant
* George H. Denny
* Amelia Gayle Gorgas
* James Hood
* Autherine Lucy
* Vivian Malone
* Julia Tutwiler
* Presidents

Campus|

* Arboretum
* Archaeological Park
* Auditorium
* Chimes
* Insurance Hall of Fame
* Museum of Natural History
* New Observatory
* Old Observatory
* Paul W. Bryant Museum
* President's Mansion
* The Quad
* Strode House

Athletics|

| Programs|

* Football
* Men's basketball
* Baseball
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Soccer
* Softball
* Volleyball
* Women's basketball

|

Facilities|

* Alabama Soccer Stadium
* Bryant–Denny Stadium
* Coleman Coliseum
* Foster Auditorium
* Rhoads Stadium
* Sewell–Thomas Stadium

History|

* Timeline
* Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett
* Historic District
* Lucy v. Adams
* Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
* 1963 documentary
* Bishop v. Aronov

Media|

* Alabama Public Radio
* The Bear Bryant Show
* Crimson Tide Sports Network
* The Crimson White
* University of Alabama Press
* WVUA-FM
* WVUA-CD

Other|

* Big Al
* Center for Advanced Public Safety
* Crimsonettes
* CrimsonRide
* "The Machine"
* Million Dollar Band
* Traditions
* University of Alabama System

* Endowment: $631.95 million
* Students: 37,100
* Faculty: 1,175

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Law schools of the Southeastern United States

Alabama|

* Alabama
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