Cumberland School of Law

Administration

John L. Carroll, Dean, Ethel P. Malugen Professor
Robert J. Goodwin, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, J. Russell McElroy Professor
LaVone R. Warren, Assistant Dean for Continuing Legal Education, Assistant Professor
Jennifer Y. Sims, Assistant Dean of Admissions
Anne L. Marovich, Director of Alumni Relations
Jeffrey B. Price, Director of Career Development
Linda Dukes Connor, Director of Continuing Legal Education
Cassandra Adams, Director, Cumberland Community Mediation Center
Patricia C. Harris, Director of Law Student Records
Gregory K. Laughlin, Director of Lucille Beeson Law Library, Associate Professor
Kenneth W. England, Director of Operations
Pamela J. Nelson, Director of Student Services
Jeffrey M. Whitcomb, Technology Services Manager

Faculty

Joseph W. Blackburn, Whelan W. and Rosalie T. Palmer Professor
William G. Ross, Lucille Stewart Beeson Professor of Law
David M. Smolin, Harwell G. Davis Professor of Constitutional Law
Howard P. Walthall, Leslie S. Wright Professor of Law
T. Brad Bishop, Professor
Michael E. DeBow, Professor
Alyssa A. DiRusso, Professor
Brannon P. Denning, Professor
Jill E. Evans, Professor
Michael D. Floyd, Professor
Paul Kuruk, Professor
Edward C. Martin, Professor
Leonard J. Nelson, Professor
Joseph A. Snoe, Professor
R. Thomas Stone, Jr., Professor
Henry C. Strickland, Professor
Deborah Young, Professor
LaJuana S. Davis, Associate Professor
Doris “Wendy” Greene, Associate Professor
Woodrow N. Hartzog, Assistant Professor
Herman N. “Rusty” Johnson, Assistant Professor
Belle H. Stoddard, Assistant Professor
David J. Langum, Research Professor
A. Robert Greene, Visiting Assistant Professor

Cumberland School of Law, founded in 1847 as part of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, was acquired by Howard College, now Samford University, in 1961. The Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

The Cumberland School of Law offers two degree programs. The core program is a 90-credit course of study leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. In addition to the J.D. program, the Law School offers a Master of Comparative Law (M.C.L.). To apply to the J.D. program, an undergraduate degree and a satisfactory Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) score are required. Admission is competitive.

The Law School sponsors eight joint-degree programs in connection with the J.D. degree: Law/Accounting (J.D./M.Acc.), Law/Bioethics (J.D./M.S.), Law/Business Administration (J.D./M.B.A.), Law/Divinity (J.D./M.Div.), Law/Environmental Management (J.D./M.S.E.M.), Law/Public Administration (J.D./M.P.A.), Law/Public Health (J.D./M.P.H.), and Law/Theological Studies (J.D./M.A.T.S.).

Cumberland School of Law offers a program that prepares students for satisfying and rewarding careers in the law. Most Cumberland graduates become practicing attorneys, but many choose public service, business, or other careers for which the study of law provides a good foundation. Many Cumberland graduates settle in the Southeast, but the school has alumni living and working in more than 46 states and a number of foreign countries.

The environment is both challenging and nurturing. Cumberland offers everything required for a first-rate legal education. The faculty are drawn from two dozen of the country’s best law schools. They bring to the classroom a rich mix of academic achievement, experience in the practice of law, and public service. They are committed to excellence in the classroom. They also produce an impressive amount of scholarship, ranging from the practical to the theoretical. The size of the school and a low student/faculty ratio facilitate meaningful interaction between the students and the faculty.

The beautiful Samford campus provides an environment most conducive to the study of law. In particular, the School of Law benefits from its state-of-the-art research facility, the Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library.

The school enjoys a cordial relationship with the outstanding bench and bar in Birmingham and throughout the Southeast. Each year, Cumberland hosts a number of events, bringing to campus some of the country’s leading lawyers, judges, and legal academics to share their experiences and ideas with students and faculty. The school supports numerous activities, journals, moot courts, trial competitions, and student organizations focused on particular areas of the law or public policy, which enrich the quality of life at the school and help equip students for the professional lives awaiting them on graduation.

For additional information, you may contact our admissions office:

Office of Admission
Cumberland School of Law
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama 35229
Tel: (205)726-2702 or (800)888-7213
E-mail: law.admissions@samford.edu

The M.C.L. program is a graduate law program. Enrollment is limited to students who have earned their first law degree outside the United States. For further information about this program, please contact Professor Michael D. Floyd, the program director. More information is available at the law school’s Web site: http://cumberland.samford.edu.

NOTE 1: See here  for a list of General Miscellaneous Fees that apply to ALL students (Vehicle Registration/Decal, ID Replacement, etc.).
NOTE 2: Fees are subject to change without notice. See the Bursar’s Office Web site for the latest tuition and fee info: www.samford.edu/admin/bursar/fees.html

NOTE ON PAYMENT/REINSTATEMENT: Charges incurred after the e-bill has been generated for the semester/term are due on or before the payment due date. Charges incurred during the drop/add period are due when incurred. Late fee of 5% (capped at $100) will be applied to the past due balance if payment not received in the Bursar’s Office by the due date. To avoid registration cancellation and reinstatement fee, students should pay all tuition and fees by the payment due date. See Billing, Payment, & Refund Schedule  for dates for e-bill, payment due, refund availability, late fee assessment, and registration cancellation.