Alabama Law Foundation Newsroom

The ALF Newsroom is the place to find the latest news and information about the Alabama Law Foundation!

Cumberland Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic: Serving Alabama’s Veterans with Compassion and Justice

The Cumberland Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic (C-VETS) at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law has become a vital resource for Alabama’s Veterans and their families, providing free legal assistance across the state.

Read the Feature here – C-VETS Serving Alabama’s Veterans

Pro Bono Month 2024 is a Celebration of Service

Each October, the legal community comes together to celebrate National Pro Bono Month. This month-long observance highlights the selfless work of attorneys who volunteer their time to provide free legal services to individuals who cannot afford them.

Read the Feature here – Celebration of Service: Pro Bono Month 2024

Alabama Law Foundation featured in CentrAL Inc! magazine as Champion of Change

The Alabama Law Foundation is thrilled to be included in the September/October issue of CentrAL Inc! magazine as a Champion of Change! The profile gives us a chance to share more about our work and how we help Alabama lawyers provide access to justice for all.

Read the Feature here – Alabama Law Foundation Champion of Change

Montgomery Volunteer Lawyer Program provides resources empowering equal justice

The Montgomery Volunteer Lawyers Program (MVLP) empowers the underserved with free legal assistance. By connecting low-income individuals with lawyers who generously donate their time, MVLP is a shining example of the difference a community can make. MVLP provides two invaluable resources to help lawyers and Alabama residents: the Easy Evidence Booklet and the Alabama Tenants’ Handbook.

The Easy Evidence Booklet is aimed at lawyers new to the VLP who may be handling cases outside of their usual practice area in unfamiliar courts. It helps them find their way around the process more easily, making volunteering a better fit. The Tenants’ Handbook educates renters about common issues that could lead to disputes, hopefully avoiding landlord-tenant issues that often come up in the volunteer lawyer docket.

Alabama Law Foundation featured in NCBF Spotlight

The Alabama Law Foundation is proud to work with the National Conference of Bar Foundations. This dynamic organization helps bar foundations by highlighting their important role in supporting law-related charitable activities within the legal community. It also provides resources and information to assist these foundations in achieving their charitable goals. We are honored to be spotlighted as a NCBF member! Check us out on their website!

Read More – Free Legal Answers

Kids’ Chance Awareness Week 2023 is November 13-17

November 13, 2023 – The Alabama Law Foundation is the administrator for Kids’ Chance in Alabama. Each year, the 50 Kids’ Chance state organizations provide scholarships and support to the kids of workers who have been injured on the job. We want to ensure these kids can complete their education and go on to fulfilling and gainful careers. Since 1988, Kids’ Chance state organizations have awarded more than 10,000 scholarships totaling over $36 million.

Kids’ Chance Awareness Week helps inform the public about this important program, provide information to students and encourage them to apply if they are eligible, and engage supporters.

SPOTLIGHT: Atticus Finch Society ensures legacy of Access to Justice

October 2, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – The Atticus Finch Society lays a permanent cornerstone for the Alabama Law Foundation and the charter members of the Atticus Finch Society stand as the pillars. The Alabama Law Foundation is the charitable, tax-exempt organization of the Alabama State Bar. We are the HEART of the Alabama State Bar. The Foundation provides justice for those in need through programs funded by the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program.

SPOTLIGHT: Alabama Law Foundation Scholarships provide a path to grow the legal profession into the future

August 14, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – Scholarships are about the future. They provide opportunities for students to gain an education, and for those established in their career to learn new skills to successfully grow in new directions. The Alabama Law Foundation offers scholarships on three levels – for students beginning a college education, for law school students, and for lawyers beginning a new phase of their career as a judge.

Richardson, Turner awarded 2023 Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarships

July 11, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – Two outstanding law school students have been selected as recipients of the 2023 Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarships. The scholarship was established by the Women’s Section of the Alabama State Bar in honor of the first female Alabama Supreme Court Justice and is administered annually with the assistance of the Alabama Law Foundation. The Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship is awarded to one or more female Alabama residents attending an Alabama law school. Antionette V. Richardson is a student at Birmingham School of Law and Rolanda Tina Turner is a student at Samford University Cumberland School of Law. Each will receive $5,000 for their law school education.

SPOTLIGHT: Wills for Heroes program provides vital service for first responders

July 10, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – Wills for Heroes provides free legal services for firefighters, police officers, veterans, and other people who provide emergency services, helping them to obtain wills, advance health care directives, and durable power of attorney documents. Wills for Heroes is a service provided through the state’s Volunteer Lawyer Programs, whose work is supported by the Alabama Law Foundation.

ALF VLP Grants Help Make Access to Justice Possible

May 30, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – The Alabama Law Foundation provides annual VLP grants to Volunteer Lawyer Programs (VLPs) throughout the state, which provide free legal aid to the poor in civil cases. One of ALF’s 2023 grant recipients, Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham, is an example of how this grant funding benefits the community. The Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program will host a free legal clinic on June 2, 2023, to help Jefferson County, Alabama, residents with non-violent criminal records start the process of clearing their records. Alabama passed a law in 2021 allowing some people who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes, like minor traffic violations, drug crimes and theft, to apply to have their records cleared.

SPOTLIGHT: Alabama Law Foundation Announces Selection of 2023 Fellows

May 20, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – The Alabama Law Foundation is pleased to announce the lawyers selected as Fellows in 2023. Each year the Alabama Law Foundation inducts a new class of Fellows. Members of the Fellows nominate fellow Bar members they feel demonstrate outstanding commitment to the profession and their communities. A committee made up of Fellows selects new members from the nominations received. Fellows provide leadership and support for the Alabama Foundation’s programs that promote access to justice.

A Message from Alabama Law Foundation President Leslie R. Barineau

May 24, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – The Alabama Law Foundation is pleased to welcome Leslie R. Barineau as its President. Read Leslie’s latest message on our Home Page.

Alabama Law Foundation Announces 2023 Grant Recipients

January 30, 2023 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – The Alabama Law Foundation’s yearly grants support programs that are committed to the foundation’s mission of making access to justice a reality for all of Alabama’s citizens. Grants are awarded in two categories: General Legal Aid Grants and Foreclosure Prevention Grants. The total of all grants for 2023 is $1,455,899. Three new organizations were awarded grants this year – Samford University C-VETS, Senior Services Via! Health, and Redemption Earned.

Read the full News Release – Alabama Law Foundation Announces 2023 Grant Recipients.

Have a question or story idea? Email us at info@alabamalawfoundation.org.