Starnes Davis Florie LLP is proud to celebrate Black History Month by honoring Mahala Ashley Dickerson, the first African American female lawyer in Alabama. Dickerson was born in Montgomery County, Alabama on October 12, 1912. She earned her law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1945. In 1948, Dickerson made history becoming the first African American woman admitted to the Alabama State Bar. She opened law offices in Montgomery and Tuskegee, championing causes of the poor and disadvantaged. Dickerson later became the first African American woman to be admitted to the Alaska State Bar, and the first African American president of the National Association of Women Lawyers.
In 1995, the National Bar Association honored Dickerson by presenting her with the Margaret Brent Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of women lawyers who have excelled in their field and have paved the way to success for other women lawyers. In 2006, the Alabama State Bar awarded Dickerson the Maud McLure Kelly Award, celebrating her lasting impact on the legal profession as a pioneer and leader. Dickerson practiced law until her death on February 19, 2007. She was inducted into the Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame in 2017. Learn more about Dickerson, and other inductees in the Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame, by visiting the Alabama State Bar website.