Happy New Year from the Alabama State Bar

As President Shepard mentioned, he has designated January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Look for more details in next week's Scoop on a special CLE planned for the third week in January.

Look for details about the 8th Annual Alabama Human Trafficking Summit in the "Around the State" section of today's Scoop.

Welcome Karen Laneaux as Admissions Director

>> Read more about Karen here.

Welcome Chris Colee as Law Practice Management Coordinator

>>Read more about Chris here.

>>Contact Chris with you Law Practice Management questions here.

Congratulations to Leadership Forum Class 16

Joseph Abrams, City of Birmingham
Tiffanie Agee, Agee Law LLC
Brent Beal, Lumen Technologies
Stanley Blackmon, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
William Broome, Jr., Broome & Broome, Attorneys at Law
Todd Campbell, Campbell Partners, LLC
Donald Carroll, Jefferson County Commission
Michele Davidson, Alabama Attorney General’s Office
Timothy Douthit, Madison County District Attorney’s Office
Christopher Driver, Badham & Buck
Thomas Govan, Jr., Alabama Attorney General’s Office
Johnna Ingalls, Serious Injury Law Group, P.C.
Valynda Jerome Williams, Legal Services Alabama
Angela Kennedy, Angela E. Kennedy, Attorney-At-Law, LLC
Katie Kimbrell, Protective Life Corporation
Farah Majid, Legal Services Alabama
Shalyn McKitt, Balch & Bingham LLP
Taylor Nichols, Office of Information Technology – State of Alabama
Brooks Proctor, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
John Saxon, Jr., United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Alabama
Ashley Scarpetta, Watkins & Eager PLLC
Corey Seale, Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office
Clinton Speegle, Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC
Andrew Westcott, Office of the Speaker of the House – State of Alabama

Since its inception in 2005, Leadership Forum has illuminated a pathway for more than 400 graduates to move the profession forward with ethical, servant-minded and community leadership.

Read more about Class 16 here. 

Alabama State Bar Works to Gather New COVID Orders

With the number of COVID casing rising once again in Alabama, some circuits have made the decision to cancel upcoming jury trials.

Last week, Montgomery County canceled jury trials for the weeks of Jan. 3 and Jan. 10, 2022. We will keep our COVID-19 webpage as updated as possible. If your county has released information that is not listed, email us the information, and we will add it.

Supreme Court Makes Amendments to the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration

The Supreme Court of Alabama has issued a new Order regarding amendments the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration, which are effective immediately. 

• Rule 20(A) involving the Schedule of Fines for Traffic Offenses

• Rule 32.1 involving Form CS-47, "Domestic Relations/Child Support Information Sheet"

You can view the full Order here.

Decisions and Opinions from Alabama's Appellate Courts

• View the Supreme Court of Alabama decisions and opinions from Dec. 30.

• View the Criminal Appeals decisions and opinions from Dec. 30. 

• View the Civil Appeals decisions and opinions from Dec. 17. 

The Supreme Court of Alabama will hold Oral Arguments on Feb. 1, 2022. View the docket here.

Upcoming CLEs

The course has been approved for 1.0 CLE including an ethics credit.

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

The Young Lawyers Section of ADLA will host a Free Zoom CLE in its Associate to Partner Series entitled Law Firm Culture and Transitions.

Register here

Free for ADLA Members | $25 for Attorney Non-Members

During this panel, speakers will discuss their personal experiences and how to prepare for transitions to different roles throughout your career—both within a traditional firm setting and non-traditional setting—and experienced cultures associated with these various roles.

Panelists:
The Honorable Matt Fridy (Alabama Court of Civil Appeals)
Chinelo Dike-Minor (Assistant Professor of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University)
Jonathan Hooks (Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial)
Christie Estes (Quality Correctional Health Care)

Buzz from the Bar

Let Clio Help with Your 2022 Business Resolutions

Setting New Year’s resolutions is hard and sticking to them can be even harder. Let Clio help! Eliminate repetitive billing tasks and send invoices electronically; offer your clients remote communication options; and improve your client intake process.

Learn more here.

Health and Wellness: Giving Yourself Permission in 2022

Read Attorney Calle Mendenhall's article on prioritizing yourself in 2022. "We spend so much of our time getting approval from others yet we are so hesitant to give approval to ourselves. As a result, we condition ourselves to place the needs of others before our own," she wrote. Read the full article here.

Read and Listen to the January Alabama Lawyer Online

You can view a digital copy of The Alabama Lawyer online or listen to audio versions of specific articles on-the-go. Click here to view The Alabama Lawyer homepage on our website.

Zoom Mediating Tips for Mediators and Lawyers

If you have not already done so, you or your client are likely going to participate in a virtual mediation soon. This article is written by mediators for mediators and for lawyers to offer guidance in conducting and participating in an online mediation.

Around the State

8th Annual Alabama Human Trafficking Summit

The Alabama Human Trafficking Summit is Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, from 9 AM - 4:45 PM at Renaissance Montgomery Hotel.

Regular Registration is open until Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. Questions: Call Pat McCay at 256-653-8527 or email enditalabama@gmail.com.

Public Notice for Appointment Of United States Magistrate Judge

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama at Montgomery, Alabama. Application forms may be obtained on the U.S. District Court's website. Further information on the magistrate judge position may be obtained from

Debra P. Hackett
Clerk of the District Court
One Church St.
Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Read the full notice and complete application details here. The original signed application packet and 10 copies must be received no later than Jan. 26, 2022.