For nearly a century, the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law – known as Faulkner Law – has made a profound impact on the community and the legal profession across Alabama. Graduates from both its traditional program and Executive J.D. Schedule have gone on to serve in various roles, including lawyers, judges, district attorneys, senators, lobbyists, and more, shaping the legal landscape in both the public and private sectors.
Built on Christian values, the mission of Faulkner Law is captured by a passage from the Bible – “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17 ESV).
In recent years, Faulkner Law has expanded its offerings by partnering with the Alabama Farmers Federation, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and the National Agricultural Law Center to create the Agricultural Law Pathway. The pathway provides students with resources and opportunities to pursue a career in agricultural law. As part of the program, Faulkner Law offers an Agricultural Law class, which is available to both pathway students and others interested in the field. Applications for the Alabama Ag Law Pathway are accepted every spring semester.
Celebrating its 97th anniversary this year, Faulkner Law was established in 1928 and named in memory of Thomas Goode Jones (1844–1914), a Montgomery Civil War veteran who first came to prominence after the war by urging national reconciliation with the memorable phrase, “We can bequeath our children nobler legacies than discord and hate.” He served in the Alabama legislature and two terms as governor of Alabama. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to be a federal district judge for the Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama in 1901, on the recommendation of Booker T. Washington. As a federal judge, Jones was known for attempting to end the peonage system and for encouraging the use of federal law to punish lynching.
Jones’ son, a Montgomery County circuit judge for many years, began holding law classes in the county courthouse in 1924, and he officially established the law school in 1928, naming it after his father. Leading Montgomery attorneys and judges taught the classes, which quickly moved out of the courthouse and into a series of locations in downtown Montgomery. Eventually, the law school found a home in a building on Hull Street, right behind the Jones’ home on Adams Avenue.
After the death of its founder in 1963, the law school passed through a series of owners. Faulkner University purchased it in 1983. At that time, the school had been meeting in a few classrooms on Huntingdon College’s campus. In 1996, a permanent home for the law school was constructed on Faulkner’s Montgomery campus. The building was later expanded in 2001 and again in 2011. The law school obtained provisional approval from the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2006, followed by full approval in 2009, making Faulkner Law the third ABA-accredited law school in Alabama.
With more than 2,500 alumni, Faulkner Law has produced numerous legal professionals who have reached the highest levels of the Alabama bench and bar. Graduates have served on the Alabama Supreme Court, state courts of appeal, as district attorneys, and in public service roles. Many alumni work in top law firms such as Beasley Allen, where more than 30 Faulkner Law graduates practice under the leadership of alumnus Greg Allen.
Among Faulkner Law’s notable alumni is Judge Patti Smith, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice who retired in January 2011 after serving 31 years on the bench. She graduated from Jones in 1976, and four years later, she became the first female to serve as a Judge of the Shelby County Family Court. She was appointed to the bench at the age of 26 and elected to the Supreme Court in 2004.
Fellow alumna Charlotte Tesmer, district attorney for the 2nd Judicial Circuit, serves Butler, Crenshaw and Lowndes counties. She was in Faulkner’s first graduating class of Jones School of Law (JSL) in 1985. “At Jones, we had many good professors who were actively practicing in different areas of law, and they brought to the table a lot of different aspects that were instrumental in my own practice,” Tesmer said. “I discovered early on that I wanted to be a prosecutor in criminal law and was always encouraged by my professors at Jones.”
Another notable alumnus is Preston Roberts, a 2024 graduate of Faulkner Law’s inaugural Executive J.D. Schedule, a flexible blended learning program designed for working professionals. The Executive J.D. Schedule allows students to complete coursework both online and in person, earning the same law degree as traditional students. Graduates are eligible to take the bar exam in all states except New York, which has not yet adopted ABA standards for distance education.
For Roberts, the Executive J.D. Schedule was the perfect fit – balancing his role as Agricultural Legislation Director for the Alabama Farmers Federation and his young family. Because Roberts’ demanding career representing Alabama’s farmers in state government put him in contact with attorneys every day, he saw firsthand the advantages a law degree gave them, allowing them to navigate complex legal and policy issues.
“When I learned about the Executive J.D. Schedule at Faulkner Law, I realized this was my chance to enhance my legal expertise and decided to take the leap and pursue a law degree, even when the timing wasn’t easy. Juggling law school, a full-time job, and a young family was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I’m thankful I did,” Roberts said. “Faulkner’s Executive J.D. Schedule gave me an excellent legal education that prepared me very well to pass the bar exam and for the real-world practice of law. The professors understood the challenges of working professionals and were incredibly supportive, treating us as peers rather than just students.”
With his law degree, Roberts found he was more effective in his role and was able to take his career to a new level. “Having a law degree has increased my ability to analyze legislation, negotiate policy, and navigate complex legal and regulatory landscapes. It has also opened doors I didn’t expect,” he said. “A law degree provides a level of credibility in professional circles and has given me a confidence – not in having all the answers, but in knowing I have the tools to find them when needed.”
As Faulkner Law continues to evolve, its century-long legacy of producing skilled, service-oriented legal professionals remains strong, preparing students to make a lasting impact on the legal field and in their communities.