Bryan grew up in Crenshaw County, Alabama, and lives in Montgomery. He received bachelor's and master's of science degrees in education from Troy State University in 1978 and 1979, respectively. He received a J.D. from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 1983. After law school, Bryan worked as a staff attorney for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. He worked as an assistant attorney general for the state starting in 1987. In 2004, he was elected judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Bryan was elected to the supreme court in 2012 and re-elected in 2018.
