2008 Hall of Fame Inductee Jane E. Graham Class of 1976

Jane E. Graham received her BA from Smith College, magna cum laude, in 1959 and her JD from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1976. 



After a clerkship and service with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Law Department, she joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky in 1978, where she remained until her retirement in 2002. 



During her 14 years as a prosecutor, she handled major public corruption and financial fraud cases. In recognition of her work in the bank fraud arena, she was appointed to the U.S. Department of Justice Economic Crime Task Force. As head of the Drug Section, where she was instrumental in establishing the Central Kentucky Drug Task Force and the Organized Crime Drug Task Force for the Eastern District of Kentucky, she prosecuted the conspirators in the largest methamphetamine lab ever seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. For the remainder of her 22 year tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she headed the Civil Division. 

In 2001, she was awarded the U.S. Attorney Executive Office Director’s Award for Executive Achievement. Post retirement, Ms. Graham joined the law firm of Henry Watz Gardner & Sellars, PLLC, in an of counsel capacity, concentrating in the areas of mediation and civil litigation. Ms. Graham served three terms on the Kentucky Bar Association’s Board of Governors, was a trustee of the KBA IOLTA Foundation, and is a past president of the Kentucky Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She served a term as Treasurer on the board of the UK College of Law Alumni Association and has been “senior advisor” to the Fayette County Bar Association Board of Directors. 

Ms. Graham’s civic activities have included membership on the Board of Directors of the Central Kentucky Human Rights Commission, and Chair of the Central Kentucky Chapter of the ACLU. She is a founding member and General Counsel for the Women’s Network – Advocates for Democratic Principles.