Mary Lane Lewis Falkner was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Mary Lane attended the University of Alabama, where she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.  In 2007, Mary Lane graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Philosophy.

Mary Lane attended the University of Alabama School of Law on a full tuition academic scholarship.  A 2010 graduate of the law school, she was a member of the Law & Psychology Review and the Dorbin Society.  She was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2010.  

Mary Lane is a member of the Young Lawyers Section of the Alabama State Bar Association, Young Professionals Tuscaloosa, and Christ Episcopal Church of Tuscaloosa. She is married to Bradley Falkner of Birmingham.