A mother and daughter made history as the first family members to graduate from Birmingham’s School of Law. The institution was founded in 1915.
Daphne Davis, 56, and her daughter, Edriuna, 26, were among the 85 graduates who received their Juris Doctorate degrees on May 15 during a commencement ceremony held at the Bill Harris Arena, the Birmingham Times reported.
Davis described how excited she was to walk across the stage and receive her degree as an official law school graduate.
“When my name was called at commencement, my smile, walk, pace and movement while receiving my law degree were intentional,” said Daphne. “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.”
While graduating from law school with your mother may not be ideal, Edriuna expressed how grateful she was to experience the journey with Daphne.
“I was super excited to be able to experience this journey with my mother,” she said. “I don’t know of anyone else who went to law school and graduated with their mother.”
Daphne described herself as a “courageous, determined, and bold” mother who found inspiration to attend law school after preparing for her divorce in 2009. Her attorney encouraged her to establish a law career and referred to the institution as a top choice.
“My attorney told me I should think about law school and that [Miles Law School] would be glad to have me,” she explained. I didn’t enroll immediately, but law school was spoken over me repeatedly,”
The 52-year-old graduate decided to apply for law school in 2017, a day before the deadline for admissions ended.
“Surprisingly, I was accepted, and we all did the happy dance. I was super excited to become a law student,” she said.
Despite several setbacks, Daphne excelled in her academic career with the help of her family, friends, and professors.
“Law school became my legal family, full of different points of view and learning styles,” Daphne said.
Edriuna, who earned a political science degree from Tuskegee University in 2017, applied to several law schools while receiving acceptance letters from the institutions. Instead, she decided to attend Birmingham School of Law, where her mother was enrolled.
“I looked forward to seeing her in the evenings in class. I was able to spend a lot of time with her,” she added.
Edriuna initially wanted to attend Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, the 26-year-old graduate was confident she wanted to remain in Alabama and attend law school with Daphne.
“I welcomed the change while smiling from ear to ear, anticipating our journey together,” the proud mother said.
Now, the duo is preparing to take the Alabama bar exam and work with Eudrina’s fiancé, Bobby L. Davis of The Law Office of Bobby L. Davis, a firm specializing in personal injury, criminal law, family law, medical malpractice and wrongful death cases.
“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.”
