Allen Howell is the assistant dean of Professional Development and Public Interest. He is responsible for overseeing Cumberland’s pro bono and public interest programs, the Career Development Office, and professional development programming.
Howell teaches Called to the Bar; a course designed to prepare first-year law students for the legal profession. Howell is interested in helping law students reach their goals by becoming better leaders, ethical lawyers, and professionals. He is a trained leadership coach and has coached lawyers in a variety of firms and organizations including the largest law firms in Alabama. Howell creates programs to teach professional development skills such as salary negotiation, communication, relationship management, time management, and designing meaningful careers.
Howell is passionate about providing pro bono legal services and working alongside Cumberland students to meet the needs of the Birmingham and greater community. As part of the pro bono and public interest program, he coordinates with local lawyers and Cumberland law students to conduct law clinics providing legal aid and assistance to the community. He also collaborates with Cumberland students, local nonprofits, and community leaders to create volunteer opportunities to address the needs of Birmingham starting with Serve Day during first-year orientation.
Prior to this position, Howell served in many capacities at Cumberland including as the law school's assistant dean of external relations, director of career development, and interim director of operations. After law school, Howell practiced law in the areas of county governance, appellate advocacy, and wills and estates with a small firm near Montgomery, Alabama before becoming the director of Career Services and Public Interest at Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law where he created the law school’s public interest program. Howell has spoken at multiple conferences on legal hiring and the need for pro bono legal services.
He lives in the Oak Mountain area of Birmingham with his wife, Angela, and two daughters. Howell and his family are active members of St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Cahaba Heights where he teaches children’s Sunday school, volunteers as a Lay Eucharistic Minister, and serves on the Vestry. He is an avid trail runner and is section hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Degrees
- M.S.Ed., Samford University
- J.D., Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
- B.A., University of Alabama at Birmingham
Certifications
- Education for Ministry, University of the South
- Leadership Coaching, Vanderbilt University
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Step I and II
- Alternative Dispute Resolution, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
- Executive Coaching, National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
Involvement
- Alabama State Bar
- Pro Bono Task Force
- Pro Bono and Public Interest Committee, Chair
- Future of the Legal Profession Committee
- Senior and Young Lawyer Task Force
- Leadership Forum, Class 11
- Leadership Forum Section
- Solo and Small Firm Section
- Lawyer Incubator Task Force
- Pro Bono Innovation Task Force
- Alabama State Bar Annual Meeting Review Task Force
- Member Relations Task Force
- Quality of Life, Health & Wellness Task Force
- Strategic Planning Task Force, Admission and Membership Subcommittee Chair
- Southeastern Minority Job Fair (Past Chair)
- Samford University Career Development Steering Committee
- American Bar Association
- Past member of Membership Team, Young Lawyers' Division
- Birmingham Bar Association
- Leadership Forum
- Judge James Edwin Horton Inn of Court
- Judge Hugh Maddox Inn of Court
- National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
- Birmingham Legal Hiring City Group