Suzanne Keys was born in Waukegan, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, a Masters of Arts in political science from Columbia University and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Before attending law school, she worked with VISTA in a New York City prison and with an adult education program in Harlem.

Prior to joining Byrd & Associates in 1994, Mrs. Keys was associated with Central Mississippi Legal Services as a litigator working with major housing, prisoners’ rights, consumer and class action cases. For 12 years she practiced with Community Law Office, a Christian, church-base organization in Mendenhall, Mississippi, where she handled a variety of litigation from family law to school desegregation and voting rights act cases. At Byrd & Associates she works with consumer law, civil rights and mass tort litigation, supervising asbestos and consumer finance litigation.

Mrs. Keys is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association. She is active in Mendenhall Bible Church where she is a monthly volunteer at the Mendenhall Ministries Community Law Office. In 2000 she received the NAACP Legal Award.

She is supported in life by her husband, Rev. Timothy Keys and her four sons, Justin, Anthony, Solomon and Xavior.

Mrs. Keys is a nationally recognized expert in federal and state mass tort litigation, school desegregation cases, voting rights, consumer and finance litigation.