Judge Shera Grant is the Presiding District Court Judge in the Civil Division of Jefferson County. She became a judge in January 2016. Judge Grant is a 1999 graduate of Alabama State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems. After college, Judge Grant attended law school at Louisiana State University. She also studied International and Comparative Law at the Université d'Aix-Marseille III in Aix en Provence, France. She graduated from law school on the Chancellor's list with dual degrees, Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) in 2002. Judge Grant received her LL.M. degree in Judicial Studies from Duke University in 2023.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Grant practiced in a variety of areas. Immediately following law school, she practiced as a prosecutor with the City of Atlanta and the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office. She then returned home to Birmingham where she began her own law practice, The Grant Firm, LLC, handling a variety of civil and criminal cases throughout the State of Alabama. She also practiced as a Deputy Public Defender with the Community Law Office where she helped implement the strategic vision for the newly formed office and developed a youth development program for high school students. Largely due to the success of her youth development program coupled with other civic contributions, Judge Grant was awarded the Al.com Young Professional's Project of the Year, the NAACP Community Empowerment Award, and the Al.com "Women Who Shape The State" award.