Recipient of the 2016 Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship Announced – June 27, 2016
The Women’s Section of the Alabama State Bar, along with the Alabama Law Foundation, established the Janie L. Shores Scholarship to support a female Alabama resident attending an Alabama law school in 2006. The Alabama Law Foundation proudly announces that Morgan Means has been awarded $5,100 as the 2016 winner of the Justice Janie L. Shores Scholarship. As Christina Crow, chair of the scholarship committee, explains, “The Women’s Section of the Alabama Bar is proud to honor the hard work and dedication of female attorneys past and present through the presentation of the Janie L. Shores Scholarship to Morgan Means.” The Justice Janie L. Shores scholarship is named in honor of the first female Alabama Supreme Court Justice, who was elected in 1974.
Morgan Means was born in Gadsden, Alabama and plans to return to her hometown after graduation to “make a difference in my community.” She graduated from Jacksonville State College in 2016 with a BA in Political Science. Her academic awards include President’s and Dean’s list; she was the recipient of the Judge H. Dean Buttram Scholarship 2015-2016. Morgan is married to Jordan Means; Morgan says she could not continue to pursue her goals without his support. The ambitious young couple has two boys: Milo 3 and Linus 2. Morgan has worked as a legal assistant since 2004; she currently works for Jared D. Vaughn, Attorney at Law. Morgan plans to remain employed as she begins law school at the University of Alabama in the fall. Clearly, she is the epitome of young women lawyers who are hard-working and dedicated.
Morgan is planning to specialize in family law which she says she is “passionate about.” She just finished work on a case involving adoption. She is also interested in helping children and women in neglected or abusive situations. Morgan says she is honored to be chosen for the scholarship and appreciative to the Women’s Section for their support.
Morgan was recognized at the Maude McLure Kelly Award Luncheon held Friday, June 23, 2016 during the Alabama State Bar Annual Meeting. The luncheon is named in honor of Alabama’s first woman lawyer, who continued blazing pathways by becoming the first woman lawyer in the United States to plead a case before the U.S Supreme Court. A silent auction, held the evening after the luncheon, raised money for the scholarship. Christina Crow states, “Janie Shores paved the way for many young lawyers, male and female, and we are proud to follow her example of hard work and dedication to the profession by raising the funds for this scholarship with our annual silent auction. We also thank our donors who make the silent auction possible.”