Law School Faith Journey

My name is Sheree A. Davis, Esq. and I am an advocate. As a practicing attorney, I am an advocate for my clients. As a mother of an incredible teenage boy, I am an advocate for my child. As Co-Founder of a non-profit organization that helps send students from East St. Louis, IL to college, I am an advocate for my community. As a believer and servant of the Kingdom of God, I am an advocate for Christ. 

God has truly gifted and graced me to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves, defend the rights of those who have nothing…speak up and judge fairly and defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9. But first, God had to give me a life that would teach me how to speak up and advocate for myself. 

I was born in Springfield, IL and raised in East St. Louis, IL in Edgemont (85th and State 😊). I am a first generation everything, and I knew I wanted to be an advocate in the courtroom in middle school. I am the first one in my family to graduate from college (BA Sociology-Criminal Justice; McKendree University, Lebanon, IL 2010), then go on to earn a master's degree (MA Sociology-Criminology; Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 2012), then a Juris Doctor (Saint Louis University School of Law; St. Louis, MO 2016) and then pass the bar exam in two states, back to back, on the first try. To add further context, all pursuits of higher education after my undergraduate degree were done as I navigated parenthood as a single mother, working 1-3 jobs at any given time. Not bragging on me, just boasting about what God did, because how???? I had no blueprint, no model, no built-in mentor and half the time I had to be reminded that I was not crazy for my big dreams and bold moves. There were so many moments when I felt like everything was pulling against me pursuing my career and remaining a present parent. If it wasn’t my obligations to my son pulling me away, it was my job(s) or my lack of time to get my schoolwork done because survival needs were barely being met. But God kept us! 

Through this journey, God taught me how to speak up and advocate for myself, how to ask for help, how to utilize services, how to make big decisions for myself on my own, and how to trust my instinct. He’d placed dreams and desires in my heart that were so unfamiliar and unlike anything I’d seen before. For every moment when I felt inadequate, overwhelmed, or lost, God sent me people and resources to help me along the way. The plot twist is…I’d seemingly gotten all the way through law school without any intentional relationship with God. I did not necessarily identify as a believer and had been unchurched until I joined Living the Word Church in Collinsville, IL in 2016. (It’s an incredible, life-changing church by the way…you should visit 😊) 

This is a plot twist because there is no other explanation for my life journey EXCEPT that God did it, but I’d spent most of my life not living for Christ, not praying to God and not even thinking to give Him credit for anything I’d managed to overcome and accomplish. As I reflect now, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to know that even when I paid God no mind, he was still mindful of me, still molding me, guiding me, protecting me, and patiently waiting for me to find my way to Him…and I finally did! 

Even if I didn’t know to give God credit then, I surely know to give Him credit now! It is by God’s grace, mercy, and divine plan that I have been able to pursue my education and career never having to sacrifice my relationship and obligations to my son as a single momma. I have had the opportunity to experience a very diverse practice of law in both state and federal court, including serving as a prosecutor for St. Clair County, IL and an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois. I am currently an Associate Attorney at Sandifer and Associates Attorneys at Law LLC, which is an all-black, all female criminal defense and personal injury law firm in Fairview Heights, IL.  

To the person reading this…whether you have decided to know God for yourself or not, it is not too late. And if up until now, you’ve paid God no mind, that doesn’t mean that He hasn’t been mindful of you and with you right where you are. Know that He wants to have a relationship with you, all you have to do is decide you want one with Him. 

As for the #89Blocks that raised me. Thank you! I am truly the benefactor of other’s prayers, investments, and support. There has never been a time when my community did not support me, encourage me, or hold me accountable. It is my community that helped mold me into the woman and advocate that I am today. East St. Louis, IL is so misunderstood, but for everything someone may say about it, to me, it is home. It is a place where character is built. It is a place where champions are bred. And it is a place that will forever be a force to be reckoned with!