“Women in the Law” Month Feature Stories | Alabama State Bar

This month, we celebrate “Women in the Law.” Each day in March, we will spotlight a female attorney whose passion for the law and helping others set a foundation for the countless rising women lawyers to come.

Have a special #WomenintheLaw story to share? Email us here.

Ann Brown — Ann Brown
Ann Brown, the Managing Attorney for Legal Services Alabama's Mobile office, has dedicated her legal career to public interest work. As the Managing Attorney of the Mobile Office of Legal Services Alabama (LSA), where she's practiced since 2001, her specialty areas include consumer, family, probate, and housing law. Brown is a member of the Domestic Violence and Consumer and Housing practice groups. Brown is an active Mobile Bar association and formerly served as the President of the Women’s Lawyers section. She currently service as treasurer for the Vernon Crawford Bar Association and is a Board member for the South Alabama Volunteer Lawyer’s Program. Brown was recently appointed to the Africatown Redevelopment Board of Directors by the Mayor’s office in Mobile. Brown is dedicated to carrying out the mission of LSA to provide free, client-centered civil legal advocacy to low-income Alabamians and collaborates with others across the state and nation to find solutions to systemic issues caused by poverty and social justice inequities. Her commitment to the law is demonstrated in the successful representation of her clients, management of the Mobile Office and the procurement of funds from local municipalities, and organizations to support the demands of her local office. Brown is a graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island, and received her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga. Brown was the 2021Vernon Z. Crawford life and legacy honoree. Brown also has served as a manager with the American Red she is active in many civic and community activities and is a lifelong member of Bethel AME Church in Mobile.

Sally Clark Bowers — Sally Clark Bowers
Sally Clark Bowers, - Sally Clark Bowers Mediation and Of Counsel to Proctor & Vaughn, LLC. Passion, mercy, and a true love for what she does drives Sally Bowers as an attorney and mediator. Sally's combined JD and MSW degrees have led her to a rewarding career spanning over 30 years as a family law attorney. When family mediation was introduced to Alabama years ago, she was one of the first to receive training. Sally began establishing a mediation practice that today includes family mediation from pre-suit to the appellate level. She is also Of Counsel at Proctor & Vaughn in Talladega County and travels throughout out the state of Alabama as a mediator. Sally is a Bar Commissioner representing the 29th Judicial Circuit. In 2017, she received the Alabama State Bar Pro Bono Mediator Award. Sally graduated summa cum laude from Cumberland Law School and obtained her master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama in Birmingham’s School of Public Health.

Catherine Dunn Moncus, an attorney with Walton Law Firm, P.C. — Catherine Dunn Moncus, an attorney with Walton Law Firm, P.C.
A native of Alexander City, Catherine is a personal injury attorney at Walton Law Firm in Auburn. She is also the current secretary of the Women's Section of the Alabama State Bar. Her colleague's nomination letter reads, "Catherine is very successful; however, her biggest achievement is the relationship that she builds with her clients. Virtually every client raves about Catherine's down to earth presence, her kindness, her patience, her empathy and her willingness to go above and beyond to make sure the client or families understand what can be a difficult and confusing process. Catherine is an excellent attorney, but at her core, Catherine is a relationship-builder, giving the profession a better reputation along the way."

Tina Lam, Associate at Ogletree Deakins, P.C. — Tina Lam, Associate at Ogletree Deakins, P.C.
Growing up in Montgomery, Tina Lam waited tables in her parents’ restaurant during high school and she met attorneys who were regular customers. She was intrigued by the legal drama, Law and Order. While interpreting for a Chinese friend of the family in municipal court, she consulted with a customer who is an attorney. She helped resolve the matter and was profoundly moved when she realized she could be a voice for the voiceless. The first in her family to graduate high school and college, Tina realized her parents’ mantra that education was the great equalizer. Inspired by her experience in municipal court, Tina earned a JD/MBA from Samford University and then she received her LLM from the University of East Anglia. Tina joined Ogletree Deakins, the global labor and employment firm in 2019. As a member of ODA3 (Ogletree Deakins Asian American Attorneys Business Resource Group), she works to advance the firm’s recruitment and retention of Asian lawyers. As Chair of the Women Lawyer Section of the Birmingham Bar Association, she participated in a project that studied the racial diversity of attorneys in the courtroom. She was also involved in the WLS tracking project studying the appearances of women versus male attorneys in the courtroom. In her off hours, Tina enjoys mentoring law students with a goal of helping them expand their networks. She loves international travel and learning new languages. When asked where she sees herself in five years, Tina responded that she hopes to be a partner at Ogletree Deakins and remembering the life lessons learned from her parents, “pay it forward.”

Holly Lynn Sawyer, of The Law Office of Holly L. Sawyer, LLC — Holly Lynn Sawyer, of The Law Office of Holly L. Sawyer, LLC
Holly Lynn Sawyer, of The Law Office of Holly L. Sawyer, LLC, is a highly energetic and successful attorney of 16 years from Dothan who has earned immense respect from her colleagues and clients, and a reputation for being knowledgeable, hard-working, and having a knack for solving complicated problems. Holly’s warmth and charisma draw people toward her, and her experience, wisdom, and ability to explain complicated concepts in a way that people can understand and embrace underpin her success as an attorney. Holly’s greatest contribution to the profession is that she has helped hundreds of divorcing couples structure settlements that are effective and workable, and over her career she has counseled thousands of people on how to successfully co-parent children after a divorce, thereby minimizing conflict and giving the parties and their children the best chance of success. Holly believes that divorcing couples must adjust their perspectives and expectations of one another to effectively co-parent for the benefit of their children. Holly’s combination of empathy, logic, sincerity, and homespun wisdom resonate with clients, and she works hard to help them resolve conflict. As a means to help divorcing clients redirect their thinking away from their past hurt and anger and toward the future, Holly’s frequent advice is, “Always put your child first. Then the rest gets much easier” and “Don’t assume the worst about the other person’s motives.” Holly also uses humor to illustrate points in a way that people will remember, such as, “Never do anything permanent within a year of getting divorced—don’t get remarried, don’t buy a house, and don’t get a neck tattoo.” After graduating from Cumberland School of Law in 2005, Holly began her legal career at Lewis, Brackin, Flowers & Johnson, where she was the first and only female attorney. She became a partner in 2011, and in January 2019 opened The Law Office of Holly L. Sawyer. Holly built a mediation practice from the ground up, and has become the most highly sought domestic relations mediator in the Wiregrass area. Holly gives countless hours toward the betterment of our profession through her service to the Alabama State Bar, and the Houston County Bar Association. Holly is a former Houston County Bar Association president (2012), a graduate of the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum (2013), and currently serves on the Board of Bar Commissioners for the Alabama State Bar and a Character and Fitness panel. She is also a registered mediator with the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, and is a Martindale Hubbell AV-rated lawyer. Holly is mom to a 12-year old daughter who attends Houston Academy in Dothan, and plays travel volleyball and tennis. Holly’s primary objective is to raise a daughter who understands the value of hard work, giving back, and believing in herself.

Leila H. Watson, co-founder and principal at Cory Watson Attorney — Leila H. Watson, co-founder and principal at Cory Watson Attorney
Leila H. Watson, co-founder and principal at Cory Watson Attorneys, has dedicated her life to helping people through the law. It began when she was a social work student on a clinical team that evaluated children with developmental, physical, and mental disabilities. The mother of a little boy who was a patient at the clinic gave Leila a legal brief about her son. After reading the brief, she knew that the lawyer who wrote it was doing much more to help that little boy than she could ever do in her career as a social worker. At that moment, Leila decided to go to law school. Leila Watson has practiced with Ernest Cory, co-founder of Cory Watson Attorneys, for over 36 years. As a young lawyer, Cory convinced her to handle cases on subjects she knew nothing about, saying, “It’s not what you don’t know, it’s all about what you can learn.” So, Leila learned things like how to drive a tractor-trailer truck, set up a fuse box, maintain a hospital record, sell life insurance, and a host of other skills to better present her cases at trial. Leila’s legal skills and passion for studying the law are well-recognized by her colleagues. In 2016, Leila was elected President of the Birmingham Bar Association. She served as the chair of the Alabama Association for Justice Amicus Curiae Brief Committee for years, steering the committee that selects and writes appellate briefs on issues of importance to ALAJ members. She was also elected to serve as an At-Large Member of the Alabama State Bar's Board of Bar Commissioners. While Leila is a passionate and dedicated lawyer, she is also a family-oriented woman who loves to volunteer. She and her family are highly involved in the Birmingham community, supporting local charities that focus on children’s education and health and making Birmingham a great place to raise a family.