She initially pursued a career in law

While attending Monroe County High School, Lee's enthusiasm for English literature intensified. She enrolled in Montgomery's all-female Huntingdon College in 1944 before transferring a year later to the University of Alabama to study law from 1945 to 1949.

Lee explored her passion for writing by contributing to the lighthearted school publication Rammer Jammer. She eventually rose to the post of an editor but was forced to resign because of the demands of her law studies. Lee began to understand that writing was her genuine calling, despite the fact that she was studying law. She, therefore, gave up law in 1949, left school, and relocated to New York City to start a writing career.