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.

Kids’ Chance

Kids’ Chance scholarships fund college tuition or technical training to young people whose parent or parents have been permanently and totally disabled or killed on the job. The death or disabling injury of a parent in an on-the-job accident usually means that a family’s standard of living is permanently lowered. Without help from Kids’ Chance, these young people might not have the opportunity to continue their education. Scholarships are announced once a year, and students may apply every year they attend classes.

Scholarships range from $500 to $2,500. Conceived by the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Alabama State Bar in 1992, Kids’ Chance is administered by the Alabama Law Foundation. Kids’ Chance scholarships are funded solely by contributions from corporations, organizations, and individuals.

Cabaniss Johnston Scholarship

The $5,000 Cabaniss Johnston Scholarship recognizes and assists academically outstanding second-year law students who are Alabama residents. The scholarship was endowed in 1987 by the law firm of Cabaniss Johnston Gardner Dumas and O’Neal and is awarded annually. It is administered by the Alabama Law Foundation.

Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship

The Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship is awarded annually to one or more female Alabama residents attending an Alabama law school. The Women’s Section of the Alabama State Bar established the Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship, named in honor of the first female Alabama Supreme Court Justice, in 2006. It is administered by the Alabama Law Foundation.

Two outstanding law school students have been selected as recipients of the 2023 Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship. 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.

W. Verbon Black Scholarship

In 2007, Mrs. Delia Black endowed the William Verbon Black Scholarship. The scholarship honors the memory of William Verbon Black and assists full-time students at the University of Alabama School of Law. William Verbon Black, who passed away in 2000, was a 1959 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. Mr. Black had a stellar career in the federal service, culminating in his appointment to the Senior Executive Service as Chief Counsel, US Army Missile Command, one of the largest legal offices in Alabama, for which he received Presidential awards and recognition. This scholarship honors his distinguished career and the high ethical standards to which he adhered. The Alabama Law Foundation administers the William Verbon Black Scholarship, and the University of Alabama School of Law chooses the recipients.

ROBE Fund

Alabama Law Foundation’s newest program established in 2021, the ROBE Fund, will provide scholarships for general jurisdiction state judges to attend judicial education programs. While the Administrative Office of Courts provides judges with essential training and education, there has been only limited and sporadic funding for additional training and education. ROBE Fund scholarships can serve to help even out funding disparities that may exist between different judicial circuits within the State. Scholarships up to $2,500 will be awarded for qualified educational programs, including both in-person and online instruction. These will be awarded at the recommendation of a Scholarship Committee composed of both state judges and Alabama Law Foundation Board Members.

“The future of the legal profession is indeed bright when a variety of legal scholarships can be awarded to deserving individuals,” said Leslie Barineau, President of the Alabama Law Foundation. “I am proud that the Alabama Law Foundation can partner with individuals, corporations, and various organizations to fund and administer these scholarships to make someone’s dream come true, which ultimately will have a positive impact on the community at large.”

Since its establishment in 1987, the Alabama Law Foundation has improved our judicial system through its work on ensuring access to justice, advancing judicial administration, and funding law-related education initiatives. For more information about all of our scholarship opportunities, visit our Scholarships page on our website.