Birmingham Bar Foundation Grant Program
The Foundation is pleased to be able to offer grants to local non-profit organizations that are engaged in legal-related projects or civics education projects. Thank you to these non-profits who are engaged in work that advances and enriches our community. Please click on the link below for more information about these entities.
The Bar Foundation also donated $1,000 to the Spain Park Law Academy. It’s Mock Trial team won the state contest, and they raised money to travel to the national competition to represent Alabama. Your donations helped fund their travel.
The Spain Park Law Academy Mock Trial Team finished 10th in the national competition. It is the highest placement for the event in state history. Their captain, Camila Lopez, won recognition as one of the Top 10 Outstanding Attorneys. The Foundation Board of Directors are proud of the Mock Trial Team’s achievements!
LAW DAY 2023
In her winning essay, Kennedy Allen reminds us that “[c]ivics, civility, and collaboration will continue to be crucial in the development of our community as we look to the future. Maintaining our civic engagement, treating one another with respect, and cooperating to find answers will be crucial as we face new problems daily. By doing so, we can become responsible, engaged citizens who contribute to the betterment of our society. If we uphold these ideals, we may create a community that is not only prosperous, but also hospitable to all residents.”
Second place author, Channelle Pritchet gave her take on the same subject. She wrote, “[w]hen we work together towards the goals we have in common, understand our rights and responsibilities as citizens, and treat each other with respect and kindness, we can create a positive impact on the community. Collaboration among community members helps to identify and address local issues. Civics education promotes civic engagement and participation in decision-making processes. Additionally, practicing civility fosters a positive and respectful community environment that encourages cooperation and problem-solving.”
Third place essayist, Maurice Jones, Jr. took a more social approach in his submission. “Effective collaboration can help to build trust and foster a sense of belonging among community members. When individuals work together towards shared goals, they are more likely to develop a sense of shared purpose and camaraderie. This can lead to increased feelings of social connectedness and a greater sense of community identity. In turn, a strong sense of community can lead to increased social capital, which can help to attract resources and investment to the area, creating a virtuous cycle of growth and development.”
Birmingham Bar Foundation Fellows Endowment Program
The Birmingham Bar Foundation Society of Fellows and Life Fellows is a membership organization of select Birmingham attorneys and judges who are committed to giving back to the profession and supporting legal services in our city. Fellows and Life Fellows are our core supporters and a driving force behind all that we do. Through generous contributions to the Foundation, they help ensure that the Birmingham Bar Foundation is a resource through which the legal community can support initiatives that make access to justice a reality for those in need.
Each year, the current Fellows nominate Birmingham Bar Association members who have been members for at least 10 years to join the Society of Fellows. Invitations to those nominees are extended by the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Bar Foundation. At the annual Fellows Dinner the new class of Fellows are inducted.
A list of the current Fellows and Life Fellows can be accessed at the link below.
Contact us to learn more about the Society of Fellows and the process of becoming a Fellow.
Resolve 2 Solve Conflict Resolution Program
The Birmingham Bar Foundation’s Resolve 2 Solve Conflict Resolution training for students in grades 9 through 12. It is designed to give high school students the tools to handle conflicts with their peers and with adults. The primary goal of the program is to teach students to avoid violence and to decrease their discipline infractions in school. This is a powerful program that positively impacts students’ lives.
In partnership with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Birmingham Bar Association, Resolve 2 Solve Conflict Resolution training covers four (4) major objectives: 1) Understanding conflict, 2) Aggressiveness vs. Assertiveness, 3) Resolving Social Conflict on Social Media, and 4) Handling Adult/Teen Conflict. Ultimately, through the completion of the training, the overarching goal is to minimize disciplinary incidents that are the result of escalating and unresolved conflict.
In 2020, the Birmingham Bar Foundation partnered with Upward Bound – a leadership program offered through UAB – to provide the program for its student participants. Upward Bound students gain experience outside of what their schools can offer including exposure to cultural, civic and education opportunities.
Appellate Court Oral Arguments
Since 2005, the Birmingham Bar Association, the Birmingham Bar Foundation and Cumberland School of Law have co-sponsored a so-called “Birmingham Road Show” of the Alabama Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals or the Court of Civil Appeals. The Courts hear oral arguments at Samford University’s Wright Center, creating a unique opportunity for local middle school and high school students, law students, members of the legal community and the general public to see Alabama’s highest courts at work.
The goal of the project is for students and the public to observe the state’s highest courts at work and increase their understanding of and appreciation for the legal system. To facilitate the students’ knowledge about the oral arguments, a Birmingham Bar Association member speaks at the participating schools in advance of the arguments to educate students about the legal system. Handout materials are made available at the oral arguments for all of those attending.
In addition, Birmingham Bar Association members welcome the Judges and Justices of the Courts to town with a reception the evening before the arguments.
In November of 2022, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals heard William Darby v. State of Alabama and the Supreme Court heard Ex parte Lester Lee Thomas. Prior to the event, bar members volunteered to visit local high schools to discuss the procedural history and issues in each of the cases to be argued. Four high schools brought an estimated 150 students to watch the event. Many were only able to attend because of the generous donation from the United States District Court of the Northern District of Alabama to cover most of the cost of their transportation. The Foundation gave $800 to Ramsay High School, $807 to Sylacauga High School, $530 to Tarrant High School, and $350 to Green Acres Middle School for transportation to watch the oral arguments
Of the event, Mr. T. Demond Houser, a Sylacauga High School and recent law school graduate, stated, “Students appeared to enjoy delving into the specifics of each case and voicing their opinions from a prosecutorial and/or a defensive lens. After listening to the arguments and discussing information presented, students appeared to understand how critical research and facts are during court proceedings.” One of the school’s students, J.N., wrote, “Being able to sit in a crowd and watch lawyers going back and forth about a case is very interesting. It did make me sit and wonder and think about maybe giving that specific career a chance.”
This project would not be possible without the support and efforts of Cumberland School of Law.
If you would like to be involved in planning and hosting the 2023 Appellate Courts Oral Arguments Program, please reach out to Cindy Anderson, Executive Director, Birmingham Bar Foundation at (205) 974-2279 or cindy.anderson@bbfound.org and she will connect you with the committee chairperson.
Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Birmingham Bar Association Memorial Scholarship Fund provides a way for Birmingham Bar Association members, their family and their friends to pay tribute to a Birmingham attorney, family member or friend. Written acknowledgements are sent to all contributors and letters are sent to the surviving family.
The tax-deductible gifts are used by the Birmingham Bar Association to award scholarships to second-year and third-year law students at Birmingham School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Miles Law School and The University of Alabama School of Law.
Donations may be sent to the Birmingham Bar Foundation, PO Box 1905, Birmingham, Alabama 35201. For more information, contact Cindy Anderson at cindy.anderson@bbfound.org.
Juror Handbooks in Memory of John Nathanael "Nat" Bryan, Sr. (1960-2008)
Attorney Nat Bryan was a zealous advocate for his clients, a generous supporter of the Birmingham Bar Foundation and a devoted husband and father. His untimely death in 2008 was a loss to all who knew him and to the Birmingham legal community. Nat served as a Birmingham Bar Foundation officer and board member from 2004 through 2006.
In 2005 Nat worked with the Courts of 10th Judicial Circuit to create the first Birmingham Bar Foundation Juror Handbook. This handbook was the first guide provided to jurors since the State of Alabama stopped funding jury service guides in 1992. The eighth edition of the Birmingham Bar Foundation 10th Judicial Circuit Juror Handbook was published in 2020.
Each Presiding Judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit has been instrumental in promoting the Juror Handbook, and it is widely seen as a tool for assisting citizens in serving their important role in preserving our Constitutional rights to a jury trial in civil and criminal cases. The justice system works best when jurors are informed of and fulfill their duty as the fact finder in cases pending before the Courts. The Juror Handbook helps jurors fulfill these responsibilities.
The Juror Handbook is published in memory of Nat Bryan. The Birmingham Bar Foundation honors Nat and his memory by recognizing his contributions toward making jury service simpler and more understandable for the citizens of Jefferson County. The Birmingham Bar Foundation also honors Nat’s memory and supports the jury system by providing wireless internet access in the Jefferson County Jury Assembly Room.
Please contact the Birmingham Bar Foundation at PO Box 1905, Birmingham, AL 35201 to learn about how you can participate in the Nat Bryan Memorial Fund designated for the Juror Internet and Handbook projects.
Michael D. Freeman Annual Bocce Ball Tournament
Since 2009, the Birmingham Bar Foundation has sponsored a Bocce Ball Tournament to raise funds to support the Legal Aid Society of Birmingham and the Birmingham Bar Foundation’s projects. In subsequent years, a Chili Cook-Off was added to the event to raise more money in support of the work of the two charities and to add a culinary competition to the event.
Each year, 20 or more teams compete in the Bocce Ball Tournament that is held atop the Kress Building in downtown Birmingham. Net proceeds from the Bocce Ball Tournament provide funds to the organizations to assist with essential programs and services that provide access to justice for the poor, that facilitate civics education and that promote legal engagement in our communities.
After the untimely death of Attorney Michael D. Freeman in 2015, the Tournament was named in his honor.
