Future Trial Lawyer

Gentry PattersonHere to serve.

A law student at the University of Alabama School of Law preparing for a career in plaintiff's trial practice — holding powerful institutions accountable when they injure ordinary people.

J.D. Candidate · Alabama Law Clerk · Chief Judge Haikala (N.D. Ala.) Incoming Clerk · Alabama Supreme Court
Portrait of Gentry Patterson, University of Alabama School of Law Roll Tide
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About

My goal is to become a trial lawyer. Before law school, I graduated with honors in computer science, worked for NASA and a TED Prize–winning archaeologist, and managed a network planning team at a major technology company.

In 2022, my wife, Heather, was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. Navigating the bureaucratic nightmare of our health system during that crisis changed the course of my life. It showed me how easily human suffering can be reduced to paperwork when people don't have someone willing to fight for them. That experience led me to leave my career in tech and go to law school.

“I want to hold powerful institutions accountable when they injure ordinary people.”

Since coming to Alabama Law, I've focused on building courtroom skills through trial training and hands-on litigation experience while excelling academically — including earning Top Paper in Torts during my 1L year. My first summer, I was selected for a fellowship with a trial judge in rural Alabama and served as chief clerk at Marsh Rickard & Bryan. I'm now clerking for Chief U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala, and after graduation I'll clerk for Chief Justice Sarah Stewart of the Alabama Supreme Court before beginning my career in plaintiff's trial practice.

Gentry Patterson with legal colleagues
Building relationships across Alabama's legal community.
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Experience

Summer 2026
Judicial Intern Current
Chief U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala · Northern District of Alabama
Clerking in federal district court, supporting the chambers of the Chief Judge.
Upcoming · Post-Graduation
Judicial Clerk
Chief Justice Sarah Stewart · Supreme Court of Alabama
Selected to clerk for the Chief Justice of Alabama following law school.
Summer 2025
Chief Clerk
Marsh Rickard & Bryan, LLC · Birmingham, AL
Supported litigation teams in catastrophic injury, product liability, and medical negligence cases.
Summer 2025
Finch Fellow
Judge John Graham · 38th Judicial Circuit of Alabama
Selected as a UA Law Finch Fellow with a stipend supporting rural legal service. Conducted legal research and drafted judicial orders, bench memos, and case summaries.
2021 – 2024
Network Planning Manager
Shipt · Birmingham, AL
Increased team productivity by over 1,600% and led analyses driving Shipt's largest-ever footprint expansion across 10,000+ ZIP codes in 48 states.
2019 – 2020
GIS Research Analyst & NASA Research Analyst
GlobalXplorer · NASA
Mapped hundreds of archaeological sites across partner countries; built a model for rapidly mapping flood extent and depth in Central America, chosen for the highlight talk at the AESAS conference at NASA Headquarters.
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Honors & Leadership

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Capstone Legal Scholar

University of Alabama School of Law

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William B. Moore Jr. Award

Recognized excellence at Alabama Law

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Best Paper, Torts

Top paper in the 1L class, Fall 2024

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UA Law Competition Team

Advocate, Case Classic Mock Trial Tournament

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UA Law Competition Team

Advocate, National Trial Competition

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President, ALDF Chapter

Alabama Law Student Chapter, Animal Legal Defense Fund

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Secretary, Trial Advocacy Board

Promoting Trial Skills at Alabama Law

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Conference Speaker

“AI in Action: Applications for Injury Case Investigators,” ICI Educational Conference (2025)

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Beyond the Law

The same drive that fuels my work in the courtroom takes me to the mountains and underground. I believe the discipline of endurance and the outdoors makes for a sharper, more relentless advocate.

Ultramarathons Mountaineering Caving Conservation Farming
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Get in Touch

Whether you're a fellow law student, a potential mentor, or just want to talk trial work — I'd be glad to connect.