An Alabama mother and daughter who recently graduated from the Birmingham School of Law together are believed to be the first mother-daughter duo to achieve that feat. According to The Birmingham Times, Edriuna Davis, 26, and her mother Daphne were among the almost 86 graduates who received Juris Doctorate degrees from the educational institution.
“When my name was called at commencement, my smile, walk, pace and movement while receiving my law degree were intentional,” Daphne said. “I crossed the finish line, and my lesson was taught to my children—not to mention the exhilarating feeling of standing in wait on the steps watching my daughter receive her Juris Doctorate, as well, so we could walk to our seats together.”
The graduation ceremony was held on May 15.
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“I was super-excited to be able to experience this journey with my mother,” said Edriuna. “I don’t know of anyone else who went to law school and graduated with their mother.”
Daphne said she decided to pursue law after her divorce in 2009. She said her attorney told her to think about enrolling in law school after she personally researched and prepared for her divorce.
“My attorney told me I should think about law school and that [Miles Law School] would be glad to have me. I didn’t enroll immediately, but law school was spoken over me repeatedly,” she said.
The 52-year-old ended up applying in 2017, and she was eventually accepted. “Surprisingly, I was accepted, and we all did the happy dance. I was super-excited to become a law student,” she recalled.
Edriuna also told the news outlet that she decided to pursue family law after her mother took it upon herself to research and gather information for her divorce. And though her initial desire was to attend Harvard Law School, Edriuna said she had a change of mind after she started working for a Jefferson County Domestic Relations Circuit Court judge.
Both mother and daughter said they now intend to sit for the Alabama bar exam. “I plan to work with my daughter and her husband in their law firm,” Daphne said. “I will also perform duties as a mediator and arbitrator as an advocate of dispute resolution. I plan to spend my pro bono hours giving back in the field of domestic relations because divorce was the catalyst for my Juris Doctorate.”
