Judge M. Yvette Miller, Georgia Court of Appeals (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge M. Yvette Miller has established an endowed scholarship at Mercer University School of Law to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, the court and the law school have announced.

The endowment will provide scholarships based on financial need with a preference for active members of the Mercer chapter of the Black Law Student Association.

Miller was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1999, becoming the first African-American woman on that bench. She has served a term as chief judge, during which she started the e-filing initiative, easing access to the intermediate appellate court. She is a former Fulton County State Court judge. Previously, she worked as one of the first female prosecutors in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. She went on to represent MARTA as the transit authority's senior in-house counsel.

Miller earned a B.A. in 1977 and a J.D. in 1980, both from Mercer.

“Judge Miller has been one of my great friends and 'sheroes' in the law for a long time,” Dean Cathy Cox said in a Mercer News article on the university website. “Her impressive professional history reflects her commitment to excellence through empowering her colleagues and future legal professionals. The Judge M. Yvette Miller Scholarship is a testament to Judge Miller's dedication and devotion to future Mercer lawyers and will significantly support their best efforts to become innovative leaders in the legal profession.”

The Mercer News quoted University President William Underwood calling the judge one of the university's “most accomplished graduates” and “a great role model for our undergraduate and law students.”

“She has been generous with her time and her resources, and this endowment gift is yet another indication of her affinity for the institution and concern for Mercer law students,” Underwood said. “We are deeply grateful to her.”

Miller, a native of Macon, said in the Mercer News article that she hopes to use the endowment to create opportunities for deserving law students.

“My life has been so enriched by my journey as a student at Mercer University,” Miller said. “I want my legacy to include empowering the next generation of Mercer lawyers.”

Mercer's Black Law Student Association celebrated its 40th anniversary last year by honoring Miller. The students presented her with the 2018 “Tony Baldwin Trailblazer Award,” given annually to recognize “a distinguished Mercer alumna or alumnus who continues to make strides and create paths for diversity in the legal profession.”