Miles Law School is a

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

located in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fro ...

. It is independent of

Miles College Miles College is a private historically black college in Fairfield, Alabama. Founded in 1898, it is associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME Church) and a member of the United Negro College Fund. History Miles College be ...

. Miles Law School was founded on August 26, 1974. Among the founders were Bishop C. A. Kirkendoll of the C.M.E. Church, Dr. W. Clyde Williams, former president of Miles College, former Alabama Judge and state Senator J. Richmond Pearson, and

Morris Dees Morris Seligman Dees Jr. (born December 16, 1936) is an American attorney known as the co-founder and former chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), based in Montgomery, Alabama. He ran a direct marketing firm before fou ...

, founder of the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...

Program of Study

The school offers a four-year part-time evening program. Graduates of the law school receive the

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

. Of the 31 Miles alumni who took the Alabama bar exam in February 2020, none passed.

Accreditation

Miles Law School is not accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acade ...

. It is one of two unaccredited law schools in Alabama, the other being the

Birmingham School of Law The Birmingham School of Law is a state-accredited law school located in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1915 by Judge Hugh A. Locke, a judge of the Chancery Court and president of the Birmingham Bar Association, the Birmingham School of Law off ...

. Miles Law graduates are however eligible to take the Alabama Bar Exam pursuant to the authority granted by the

Alabama Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serve ...

and the

Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is house ...

.Section 34-3-2.1: Certified graduates of certain law schools authorized to take bar exam
. Alabama State Legislature.

Notable alumni

* William A. Bell, Mayor of Birmingham * Bobby Singleton, Alabama State Senator * Carole Smitherman, former Mayor of Birmingham, current Circuit Court Judge * Rodger Smitherman, Alabama State Senator *

Danny Carr Danny Darnell Carr (born 1970) is the District Attorney of Jefferson County, Alabama, serving since November 27, 2018. Carr previously served as the county's interim district attorney in 2017. He is the first African-American District Attorney in ...

, District attorney of Jefferson County, Alabama

References

External links

* Law schools in Alabama Educational institutions established in 1974 1974 establishments in Alabama {{Law-school-stub