Cumberland School of Law

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Administration

Henry C. Strickland, Dean, Ethel P. Malugen Professor
Brannon P. Denning, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor
Kenneth W. England, Director of Admissions and Administration
Anne L. Marovich, Director of Alumni Relations
Jeffrey B. Price, Director of Career Development
Cassandra Adams, Director, Cumberland Community Mediation Center and Public Interest Program
Patricia C. Harris, Director of Law Student Records
Gregory K. Laughlin, Director of Lucille Beeson Law Library, Associate Professor
Polly A. Manuel, Coordinator of Law School Marketing and Communication
Jeffrey M. Whitcomb, Technology Services Manager
Laura H. Tomlin, Director of Paralegal Studies and Special Programs
David R. Hutchens, Senior Advancement Director
Derrek G. Smith, Director of Law School Communication

Faculty

Alyssa A. DiRusso, Whelan W. and Rosalie T. Palmer Professor of Law
Robert J. Goodwin, J. Russell McElroy Professor of Law
William G. Ross, Lucille Stewart Beeson Professor of Law
David M. Smolin, Harwell G. Davis Professor of Constitutional Law
Joseph A. Snoe, Whelan W. and Rosalie T. Palmer Professor of Law
Howard P. Walthall, Leslie S. Wright Professor of Law
T. Brad Bishop, Professor
John L. Carroll, Professor
LaJuana S. Davis, Professor
Michael E. DeBow, Professor
Jill E. Evans, Professor
Michael D. Floyd, Professor
Doris “Wendy” Greene, Professor
Paul Kuruk, Professor
Edward C. Martin, Professor
R. Thomas Stone, Jr., Professor
Deborah Young, Professor
Woodrow N. Hartzog, Associate Professor
Herman N. “Rusty” Johnson, Associate Professor
Belle H. Stoddard, Assistant Professor
LaVone R. Warren, 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 three degree programs and one certificate program. 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.), a master of science in health law and policy (M.S.), and a Paralegal Studies Certificate Program. 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 J.D. 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.

Cumberland School of Law Tuition and Fees for Academic Year 2015-2016
The following tuition and fees apply to Samford Law students, including those in the Graduate Health Law and Policy program. Unless otherwise indicated, all fees are due on or before the e-bill payment due date. Click here for payment regulations and refund notes, if applicable. For basic tuition and fees that apply to all or most graduate students, see the Financial Information section.
Description	Student Classification	Expense	Notes
Tuition
Tuition Deposit (Initial)	All Law Students	$250	Nonrefundable; Due April 15
Tuition Deposit (Additional)	All Law Students	$500	Nonrefundable; Due June 1
Less than 10 credits - Fall & Spring	Part-Time Law Students	$1,201/credit
10 to 16 credits - Fall & Spring	Full-Time Law Students	$18,298/semester
More than 16 credits - Fall & Spring	Full-Time Law Students	$1,201/credit
Summer Abroad Program	All Law Students	$3,989 (Sum 2016)
Master of Comparative Law (M.C.L.)	Graduate Law Students	$5,462 (Sum 2016)
Health Law and Policy	Graduate Health Law and Policy Students	$766/credit/each sem/term
Joint Degree	Joint Degree Law Students	By Classification
Fees
Cambridge Program Application Fee	All Participating Law Students	$200
Books and Supplies	All Law Flex (8 hrs) Students	$2,000 (estimate)	Cash/check/credit card due at time of purchase
Books and Supplies	All Law Flex (9 hrs) Students	$2,000 (estimate)	Same as above
Books and Supplies	All Law Fall/Spring Students	$2,000 (estimate)	Same as above
Campus Life Fee - Fall & Spring	All Law Students	$100/sem/term
Insurance Co-Pay	All Law Students	As incurred
International Student Fee - Fall & Spring	All International Law Students	$50/semester
International Student Fee - Jan Term/Sum	All International Law Students	$25/term
Reinstatement Fee (all terms)	All Law Students	$100/term, as applicable
Technology Fee - Fall & Spring	All Law Students	$175/semester

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

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 is 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 and Refund Schedule tables above for dates for e-bill, payment due, refund availability, late fee assessment, and registration cancellation.