UA Law School Presents Exonerated Death Row Inmate as Guest Speaker

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Each year, speakers are invited to The University of Alabama School of Law to talk about public interest law opportunities. As part of the acclaimed series, the Law School’s Public Interest Institute will feature exonerated death row inmate Juan Roberto Melendez-Colon as a 2007 guest speaker on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 12:15 p.m. in the Bedsole Moot Courtroom.

Melendez-Colon served more than 17 years on Florida’s death row before being released in 2002. Upon his exoneration and release from death row, he became the 99th death row inmate in the country to be vindicated since 1973. He will speak about his life on death row, the case, the important role of public interest lawyers in the criminal justice system and life after exoneration.

The program is open to the public.

Created in 2000, the Public Interest Institute is dedicated to the idea that the privilege of being an attorney includes service to one’s community. The institute builds upon the longstanding tradition of service by the Law School’s students, graduates, faculty and administration. Service projects include things such as: tutoring programs by law students of elementary age children; Law Day programs hosted at the Law School for at-risk teenagers; video and discussion of car-stops for teens hosted by law students; and, scheduled “work-a-days” sponsored by the SBA.

Noted series speakers have included Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity (UA Law ’60), Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (UA Law ’61), Derrick Crawford, legal counsel, National Football League (UA Law ’90), and Bryan Stevenson, director, Equal Justice Initiative.

To learn more about the Public Interest Institute and its programs, visit the Law School’s Web site at http://www.law.ua.edu/pubinterest/ or call Tari D. Williams, director of Public Interest at 205/358-8032.

To read more about Melendez-Colon, go to the Web site www.nmrepeal.org.