Photo by Erin Nelson.
Judge Mike Bolin at the Jefferson County Courthouse on March 15.
World War II may have kept Mike Bolin’s father from being a lawyer, but the younger Bolin made sure to make good on his father’s dream.
Bolin, the recently retired judge who spent 15 years on the Alabama Supreme Court, sensed his father wanted him to enter the legal world, which led him to Samford University, where he finished his undergraduate work at 20 years old. Following a visit to the Cumberland School of Law, Bolin was “recruited” into the school, he said.
“My dad was so happy,” Bolin said. “If my dad was proud of me, it was a license to do it.”
Bolin, who lives in Vestavia Hills, fell in love with trying cases in court and did that for 16 years. That work included domestic cases, civil work and more.
After that, Bolin was asked about pursuing a judgeship in the circuit court. But after he was encouraged to run for probate judge, he did so and won. He loved it, he said.
For 16 years, Bolin helped families in distress, and called it the “favorite area of [his] adult career.” Bolin authored the state’s “Putative Father Registry” law, which protects the rights of all parties in adoption proceedings. It was a personal issue for Bolin, as he and his wife Rosemary adopted their daughter Leigh Anne.
Bolin ran and won a seat on the state’s highest court in 2004, assuming office in January 2005.
“I’m not special,” Bolin said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was just a dream job.”
Bolin said he will always remember the death penalty cases, not because they were enjoyable, but because of their significance. Bolin said he experienced lawyers coming up with anything they could last minute to keep their clients from being executed. Bolin also said the mess the state got itself in with the cocktails for lethal injections is “not right.”
In his time on the court, Bolin said he sought to give it his all for the state. He enjoyed going into conference with the other justices and talking with eight other sharp minds. Anytime he was able to be part of authoring either the majority opinion or dissenting opinion, it gave him a lot of self-worth.
“I’ll miss the camaraderie of the debate,” Bolin said. “I only saw it get ugly once.”
Bolin said he enjoyed benefiting the citizens of Alabama and giving them confidence in the rule of law. He urged peace and not having “civil discord.”
“We just can’t keep getting ugly with one another,” Bolin said.
Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry has known Bolin for years, dating back to the former’s time with the FBI.
“He listens; he’s unbiased,” Curry said. “He follows the law.”
When Curry’s daughter Anna moved to Alabama from Tennessee, she was unable to attend the state’s swearing in ceremony for new lawyers, hosted by the Supreme Court, due to a previous case in Tennessee. The court had never held a separate ceremony, but when Curry called Bolin, he made it happen.
“He’s one of the most humble people you will ever meet,” Curry said.
While law was something his father wanted, it was a perfect fit for Bolin.
“I couldn’t have picked a profession that I enjoy more,” Bolin said. “I’ve been blessed in my life.”
