Birmingham Attorney Receives Prestigious UA Law School Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Birmingham attorney William B. Hairston Jr. received the Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumnus Award at The University of Alabama School of Law Farrah Law Society Banquet on Feb. 2.

A member of the UA Law School class of 1950, Hairston is a founding partner in the firm of Engel, Hairston & Johanson. Having practiced in Alabama for more than 50 years, he has played an influential role in the development of the state’s court system. A former president of the Alabama State Bar, he also has served as a member of the Alabama Judicial Conference, the Judicial Inquiry Commission, and the Alabama Law Institute. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

He has also remained active in his law school alma mater. A charter member of the Farrah Law Society, he has served as president of the UA Law School Alumni Association and of the UA Law School Foundation. He continues to serve with distinction as an emeritus director.

The Sam W. Pipes Award is given each year to an alumnus of the UA School of Law in recognition of outstanding service to the bar, the University, and the UA School of Law. The award is named for the late Samuel Wesley Pipes, a member of the UA Law School class of 1938 and a partner in the Mobile firm of Lyons, Pipes & Cook. He was a director of the UA Law School Foundation, serving as president from 1966-1968, and he helped lay the groundwork for the formation of the Farrah Law Society. The award was presented to Hairston by Yetta G. Samford Jr., former recipient and UA trustee emeritus.

In addition to Samford, past recipients of the Pipes Award include: Alexander W. Newton, Thomas W. Christopher, Champ Lyons Jr., Edward M. Friend Jr., D. Richard Bounds, Robert P. Denniston, William S. Pritchard Jr., John A. Caddell, T. Massey Bedsole, Camille Wright Cook, Robert McDavid Smith, Howell T. Heflin, J. Rufus Bealle, M. Leigh Harrison, Nina Miglionico, and Seybourn Lynne.