Each year, Cumberland School of Law recognizes a graduating student who best exemplifies the high standards of ethics and professionalism expected of members of the legal profession. The 2020 recipient of the Daniel Austin Brewer Professionalism Award is Brooke L. Messina.

 

This award was endowed by Governor Albert P. Brewer, a former distinguished professor of law and government and professor emeritus at Cumberland, in honor of his father. 

 

“Brooke received multiple nominations that praised her professionalism, her caring and compassionate interaction with others, her cheerful good humor, her thoughtful engagement with the law, and her energetic engagement with and leadership in countless organizations and functions,” Dean Corky Strickland said.

 

Messina served as managing editor of the Cumberland Law Review and as a student admissions ambassador. She held leadership positions in the Christian Legal Society and was a member of the Trial Advocacy Board, the Judge Edwin Horton Inn of Court, Trial Advocacy Board, Women in Law and the Birmingham Bar Association. She was the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Frances Marlin Mann Award for Leadership and Character, the Academic Excellence Award and the Spirit of Service Award. Messina was a Merit Scholar and was on the Dean’s List each semester throughout her time as a student.

 

“I am humbled and grateful beyond measure to be the 2020 recipient of the Brewer Award,” Messina said. “All the glory for this achievement belongs to God, and I marvel at His perfect faithfulness in bringing this moment to life. As I transition into my legal career, I will strive to maintain the high level of ethics and professionalism that is in accord with this great honor.”

 

Messina will join Birmingham firm Lightfoot, Franklin and White as an associate attorney in the fall.