AIM & Cumberland School of Law Present: "CLEs for Rising Stars & Living Legends"
- Attorneys Insurance Mutual
- Aug 5
- 8 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
Registration is now open for CLEs for Rising Stars & Living Legends!
Friday, September 11, 2026 • 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Cumberland School of Law • Moot Courtroom, 1st Floor
Join us for a full day of free CLE sessions designed for lawyers at every stage of their careers and law students wanting to learn about those first steps into their legal profession. This is a networking opportunity for rising stars to meet living legends - all are welcome!
⭐ 6 hours of CLE credit (including 1 hour of ethics)
⭐ Students awarded extra credit by some faculty to attend sessions
⭐ Gift certificate raffles for O’Henry’s, Starbucks, Target, and Chick-fil-A
⭐ Complimentary food & beverages for registered attendees:
8:30-8:50 AM: Coffee & Donuts for breakfast
12:00-12:45 PM: Pizza lunch
4:00-4:30 PM: Social Mixer
Continuous shuttle service will be available from the parking lot across the street from campus.
Register today to save your spot!
Scroll down to view the agenda ↓
8:30-8:50 AM
Coffee & Donuts
8:50-9:00 AM
Welcome by Cumberland Dean Blake Hudson and Master of Ceremonies Mark Debro
9:00-10:00 AM
“Developing Your Professional Identity Outside of the Firm”
Presenter:
Sharon D. Stuart, President and Claims Counsel of AIM & a Founding Partner of Christian & Small LLP
This CLE is for the next generation of firm leaders and a reminder for their mentors. Join Sharon as she shares her words of wisdom based on her own career experience. She’ll explain how to:
Focus on creating work you’re proud of;
Join local bar associations, task forces and committees;
Get involved in nonprofits and community service;
Have a career AND a personal life;
Seek practical experiences and client facetime; and
Navigate a road to success that’s always under construction.
About Sharon D. Stuart:
Sharon Stuart is President and Claims Counsel of Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South, Inc., a bar-related attorney malpractice insurance company, which was formed out of the Alabama State Bar by attorneys for attorneys.
Sharon is a founding partner of Christian & Small LLP in Birmingham, where she practices complex insurance, business, and class action litigation.
She is a former President of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, past President of the Birmingham Bar Association, and is Chair of the Alabama Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure. Sharon serves on the Alabama State Bar’s Board of Bar Commissioners and the Board of Legal Specialization. Sharon is a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation, the Birmingham Bar Foundation, and the American Bar Foundation.
Sharon is the 2025 recipient of the Tony McLain Professionalism Award, which recognizes outstanding, long-term service in the advancement of professionalism by a living member of the Alabama State Bar.
10:00-10:50 AM
“AI Ethics: Generational Usage & How to Avoid Malpractice”
Panelists:
Grace Simms, IT Librarian at the Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library
Ellise Washington, EMW Law, LLC
Tripp Vickers, Ethics Counsel, Alabama State Bar
This CLE covers how AI is being taught in law school, how it’s being used (or not!) by young and seasoned lawyers, and how to avoid being sanctioned or receiving malpractice claims. Attendees leave understanding the risks, the rules, and a realistic way to make their practice smarter — without crossing ethical lines.
About Grace Simms:
Grace L. Simms joined the Cumberland School of Law’s Beeson Law Library in 2001 as an information technology librarian. In her role, Simms supports the technology needs of the law library as well as those of the law students.
For students, she is a “computer concierge” – technology help – day or night. She also teaches Technology and the Practice of Law, Advanced Legal Technology, as well as Legal Tech & Innovation.
Prior to joining Cumberland School of Law, Simms worked in several law firms in Birmingham, Ala.
About Ellise Washington:
Ellise M. Washington is the Founder and Principal Attorney of EMW LAW, a forward-thinking law firm committed to delivering smart, innovative, and client-centered legal solutions. A proud native of Fairfield and Birmingham, Alabama, Attorney Washington’s educational journey reflects her deep roots in the community. She is a graduate of Fairfield High Preparatory School, Birmingham-Southern College, and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.
About Tripp Vickers:
Tripp Vickers was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2002, and engaged in general civil practice before joining the Bar as Assistant General Counsel in 2013. He has served as Ethics Counsel to the Alabama State Bar since the creation of that position in 2017.
10:50-11:00 AM
Bathroom Break
11:00 AM-12:00 PM
“Intro to Professionalism in the Legal Community”
Panelists:
Senior United States District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn
Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Greg Shaw
Lisha Graham, Graham Neal Seal & Bell
Mark Debro, Grace Matthews & Debro, LLC
Hear from judges and lawyers what you can’t learn in law school:
Etiquette in the firm, on the elevator, in the car ride to the deposition, at happy hour, and with opposing counsel; and
Essential courtroom etiquette and practice tips in state and federal court.
About Senior United States District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn:
Judge Blackburn graduated from Cumberland in 1977. After finishing law school, she served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert Varner in the Middle District of Alabama and then worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for 12 years.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush appointed her to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, making her the first female federal district judge in the state. She served as chief judge of the Northern District from 2006 to 2013 and sat as a visiting judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on several occasions.
Now a senior judge, she continues to try civil and criminal cases and conduct mediations.
About Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Greg Shaw:
Upon completing his undergraduate education at Auburn University, Justice James Gregory "Greg" Shaw graduated from Cumberland School of Law in 1982. He obtained his LL.M. in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004.
After having served as a staff attorney to Supreme Court Associate Justices Janie L. Shores and James Gorman Houston, Jr., for a number of years, Justice Shaw was first elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2000. During that tenure, Justice Shaw was, in 2007, appointed Chief Judge of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.
In 2008, Justice Shaw was elected to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. He was reelected in 2014 and 2020.
Justice Shaw is married to S. Samantha "Sam" Shaw, who previously served as Alabama's State Auditor. Justice and Mrs. Shaw share two sons, three beautiful grandchildren, and an affinity for beekeeping.
About Lisha Graham:
Lisha Graham is the co-founder and managing partner of her law firm, Graham Neal Seal & Bell, in Birmingham, Alabama. Her practice over the past 17 years has included a variety of civil litigation, insurance defense, business disputes, and construction law.
Lisha has been recognized for her achievements locally and nationally. Recently, she was named 2026 Woman of the Year, has been recognized as a Mid-South Super Lawyer for consecutive years, named Top 40 Under 40 by the Birmingham Business Journal, and is a graduate of the Alabama Leadership Initiative.
Lisha attended Cumberland School of Law, where she led her trial team to win the National Championship of the American Association of Justice’s trial advocacy competition.
Outside of the practice of law, Lisha is a mother of three, an accomplished musician, and an avid cook.
About Mark Debro:
J. Mark Debro is a partner with Grace, Matthews & Debro LLC. His practice spans from commercial and residential construction to insurance defense and personal injury, to civil rights litigation, and subrogation. He is a Cumberland graduate, an Executive Council member of the Alabama State Bar’s Board of Bar Commissioners, and the current president of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association.
12:00-12:45 PM
Students/Lawyers/Judges Pizza Lunch Break
12:45-1:45 PM
“Firm Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between Generations”
Panelists:
F. Todd Weston and Catherine Messer of Christian & Small LLP
This session is a candid discussion about generational shifts in the legal profession, and what they mean for the future of law firms, especially in defense practice. Learn why young lawyers stay, why they leave, and how firms can create workplaces where associates see a future worth investing in. Todd and Catherine will explain how to:
Understand the expectations and motivations of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z;
Recognize why associate retention has become one of the biggest challenges facing law firms;
Build meaningful mentorship, training, and career development opportunities;
Create a culture that values excellent work, flexibility, well-being, and professional growth;
Recruit and onboard new lawyers with honesty, purpose, and support;
Use bar involvement, community relationships, and professional networks to strengthen long-term career success; and
Bridge generational gaps to build a stronger, more sustainable legal profession.
Whether you are a student thinking about your first legal job, a young lawyer evaluating your career path, or an experienced attorney mentoring the next generation, this program offers practical insight into what today’s lawyers need to thrive—and what firms must do to keep great talent.
1:45-2:45 PM
“Lawyer Financial Literacy: From First Case to Last Hoorah”
Presenter:
Kim F. Lepley, CFP, CRPC, Merrill Lynch
In this session, Kim will:
Discuss the financial lifecycle - from early career cashflow to mid-career growth and firm value building, all the way through exit strategy and legacy planning; and
Teach you how smart, intentional financial decisions reduce burnout, increase professional freedom and empower better choices.
About Kim F. Lepley:
Kim joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2010, coming from Morgan Stanley, where she practiced as a Financial Advisor. She holds Life and Health Insurance licenses and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, as well as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, CRPC™ designee. She also has industry experience in credit and lending.
Kim enjoys guiding her clients as they work toward the goals that are important to them, particularly navigating the life planning needed to prepare for and live well in retirement.
Kim has been named to the 2023, 2024, 2025 & 2026 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" list as a member of the Taylor-Lepley Team.
Active in the community, Kim has served on several nonprofit boards of directors.
A native of Winfield, Alabama, and a graduate of the University of South Carolina, Kim and her husband, Bob, split their time between their homes in Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Rosemary Beach, Florida. They have three adult children.
2:45-3:00 PM
Bathroom Break
3:00-4:00 PM
“Legal Malpractice Insurance Basics & Common Misconceptions”
Presenter:
Ben Parks, Esq., AIM Vice President-Underwriting
Over his 21+ years underwriting lawyers malpractice insurance, Ben has heard a familiar request time and time again: "I don't know the first thing about this type of insurance, please fill me in."
In this session, Ben will:
Discuss the basics of legal malpractice insurance for lawyers in every season of their career;
Dispel some of the common misconceptions about the coverage to help you be a better purchaser of the coverage; and
Help you have a better understanding of the coverage before problems arise and you need to use it.
About Ben Parks, Esq.:
Ben Parks is Vice President of Underwriting at Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South. He is a graduate of Mercer University and Mercer University School of Law.
He has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2003. He began his career in private practice before moving into the legal malpractice insurance industry, where he has been helping lawyers protect their practices against allegations of malpractice and bar complaints for more than 20 years.
Ben frequently presents CLE seminars and writes on legal malpractice insurance, risk management, and ethics for lawyers in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. He regularly represents AIM at bar events across those states.
He currently serves on the executive committee of the Professional Liability Section of the State Bar of Georgia.
4:00-4:30 PM
Social Mixer
Special thanks to our Food & Beverage Sponsor!
