Sara L.  Williams
Visiting Director of Advocacy Programs
Cumberland School of Law
302 Robinson Hall
slwilli2@samford.edu

Sara Williams serves Cumberland School of Law as the visiting director of Advocacy Programs. Williams is a 2006 graduate of Cumberland School of Law.

During her law school career, she was an active member of Cumberland’s advocacy teams, including being the winner of the ABA’s 2005 National Mediation Competition. Her leadership roles in law school included serving as president of the Black Law Students Association and chief judge of Cumberland’s Trial Advocacy Board.

In 2010, she returned to coach Cumberland’s mock trial teams and teach as an adjunct in the Basic Skills in Trial Advocacy course. Since that time, she has assisted in developing and teaching the Advanced Skills in Trial Advocacy (Civil) and Deposition Skills and Technology courses.

Williams currently practices at Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, where she handles primarily trucking, wrongful death and catastrophic injury litigation. Prior to joining the Alexander Shunnarah firm, she spent the first seven years of her career as an insurance defense lawyer. During her career she has tried a number of motor vehicle collision and trucking cases throughout the state of Alabama. 

From 2017 through the close of 2021, Wiliams was the managing attorney of Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys. During that time the firm grew to include hundreds of attorneys and staff in offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Massachusetts.

Degrees

  • BA, Florida State University
  • JD, Samford University Cumberland School of Law

Professional Honors & Leadership

  • 2022-Present, Board of Governors, American Association for Justice
  • 2022-23, President, The National Women Lawyers Association - Top 25
  • 2022, Marie Lambert Award, American Association for Justice Women Trial Lawyer’s Caucus
  • 2022-23 President, Homewood City Schools Foundation Board
  • 2020-23, Co-Chair, American Association for Justice Law Schools Committee 
  • 2021-Present, Alabama Super Lawyer
  • 2017, Birmingham Business Journal “Top 40 Under 40”
  • 2017-2018, Secretary, Alabama Lawyers Association
  • 2016, Volunteer of the Year, Cumberland School of Law
  • 2015-23,Advisory Board Member, Cumberland School of Law