After watching her mother have Multiple Sclerosis for many years, and not receive the proper legal support, lifelong Memphian Shayla Purifoy swore she would not watch another person be mistreated under her watch. Now a yoga teacher and magistrate, Shayla is running for Judge of the General Sessions Civil Court, Division 2.
“I saw how much my mother struggled, not being listened to by doctors and being transferred from person to person and countless waiting rooms. I knew I wanted to help others avoid that same treatment,” she explains.
Shayla’s career began at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where she worked as a student volunteer under an attorney’s guidance to assist people for free. She was hired right after law school at a non-profit law firm, where she provided free legal services for people for many years. During her time there, Shayla began noticing holes in the system. “I’d request things that were clear under law but not being granted to clients,” she comments. “I started to feel like I could be the one making those decisions.”
As a magistrate for the past decade, Shayla now works around the clock, hearing criminal cases, making probable cause determinations for search warrants and arrests, seizure hearings, and emergency civil orders of protection (which are also heard by the Circuit Court). However, her eyes are set on a county-wide judgeship seat.
Shayla owes her composed demeanor and work ethic to her passion for yoga and meditation. Despite having always been active, lifting weights and attending bootcamp Iyengar classes at Evergreen Yoga Center, Shayla shares that it was attending her first Kripalu yoga retreat in Portugal that deepened her l ove for the practice. At the time, “I was feeling overwhelmed working at legal services and just wanted to slow down,” she recalls. “Yoga gives you a way to balance everything and not internalize work, while also maintaining a calm decorum on the bench.”
In addition to her demanding job as a magistrate, working holidays, weekends, and night shifts, Shayla uses her acquired teaching certifications in yoga, meditation, and trauma-informed practices to give back to the legal community by teaching yoga to attorneys for the Memphis Bar Association. “It helps prevent compassion fatigue, improve morale, and deal with the day-to-day stress,” she explains.
To stay healthy amidst a demanding schedule, especially since running for judge, Shayla maintains her own yoga and meditation practice, drinks daily wellness tonics, prays, plays with her dog, Sgt. Pepper, and enjoys healthy, organic meals prepared by her supportive husband.
“The people of Shelby County deserve a fair judge that will listen and treat everyone with respect, which is what I’ve done my entire career as a public servant,” she says. “What I tell people, especially law students, is to take time to take care of themselves and not feel guilty. It will only make you show up better for your job.”
Instagram: @hon.shayla / Facebook: Shayla Purifoy
By Shlomit Ovadia
Photo by Tindall Stephens
