The Sam W. Pipes Distinguished Alumni Award

The Sam W. Pipes Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Law School Foundation. It recognizes an outstanding alumni who has distinguished themselves through service to the Bar, The University of Alabama, and the School of Law.

W. Mike House
Class of 1971

Mike House received his bachelor’s degree from Auburn University in 1968, then enrolled at The University of Alabama School of Law, where he earned his JD in 1971. Following graduation, House served as chief of staff to then-Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Howell Heflin, where he was responsible for the legislative program for the Alabama Court System. He worked on a number of important matters during his time with the Court, but, most importantly, the drafting and passage of the Judicial Article constitutional amendment in 1973 and the implementation legislation in 1975. Because of his work on court reform, House became the youngest person to ever receive an Award of Merit from the Alabama State Bar Association.

During his time in Montgomery, House also served as president of the Alabama Young Lawyers, chairman of the Alabama Citizens Conference on Alabama State Courts, and chairman of the Alabama Citizens Conference on a New Constitution. House then moved to Washington, DC, where he turned his attention from the judicial to the legislative branch, serving as a legislative clerk to the Senate Banking Committee and as a legislative assistant to Congressman James M. Collins of Texas. When Howell Heflin ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1978, House served as his campaign manager. This led to an eight-year career as Senator Heflin’s chief of staff.

This combination of campaign, legislative, and administrative experience propelled House to success in the government relations field in Washington. He founded and led the legislative practice of Shaw Pittman three years before moving to Hogan Lovells. House had a successful 28-year career with Hogan Lovells’ Government Relations and Policy Advocacy practice group, where he developed a national reputation as a strategist and problem solver. House later opened his own lobbying practice, Oak Grove Strategies, in 2020. He has been recognized by countless organizations who have named him a top legislative lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, including Washingtonian Magazine, The Hill, Chambers USA, Who’s Who, The Best Lawyers of America, and D.C. Super Lawyers.

House has served The University of Alabama as a member of the President’s Cabinet and as a board member and past chairman of the board of the Blackburn Institute. He began his service on the Law School’s alumni society board in 1991, serving as chair from 2008-2010, and joining the Law School Foundation Board of Governors in 2010. House has held nearly every leadership position in the Foundation, including secretary, vice president, and president. He served as chair of the Law School’s Strategic Planning Committee from 2019-2021, helping guide the process that set the Law School on a path to continue to reach new heights with an eye toward student success, faculty growth, and facilities improvements. While serving as an adjunct professor for the Law School, House has also been integral to the success of the Washington, DC, Externship Program.