Shirley C. Byers was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She earned a B. S. in economics from Tougaloo College, followed by an M.P.A. from the University of Mississippi and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Byers was a student member of the American Bar Association, a member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International, and in spring of 1998 she was Law School Student Body Senator. While an undergraduate, she served as vice president to the Student Government Association, and treasurer of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1989; the U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi in 1989; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, in 1989.