Each year, the National Conference of Bar Foundations (NCBF) honors one legal professional who displays a commitment to service in the legal profession. The recipient is one who showcases a passion for philanthropy, often spending the length of his/her career giving back to those in need.
This year, Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, and former President of the Illinois Bar Foundation, Hon. Debra B. Walker, was humbled to receive the 2017 NCBF Excellence Award.
As we at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism have said time and time again, service is the foundation of our legal profession. It lies at the heart of what we promote at the Commission every single day. That’s why it was no surprise to learn of Judge Walker’s award.
According to Jayne Reardon, Executive Director of the Commission on Professionalism, the Commission is fortunate to have her serve as Chair.
Judge Walker exhibits the highest values of our profession in connection with her bar foundation work as well as with various other organizations to which she somehow finds time to lend her time and talents.
Judge Walker will be presented with this service award at the NCBF midyear meeting in Miami this February.
Hon. Debra Walker currently serves as a judge in the Domestic Relations Division, where she sits in Expedited Hearings. She hears disputes pertaining to custody, visitation, property division, maintenance, child support, and domestic violence.
Judge Walker has served on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, since its inception in 2005. In fact, she was even a “founding member”, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Special Supreme Court Committee on Civility which recommended the establishment of the Commission.
Aside from serving as Chair to the Commission on Professionalism, Judge Walker was also appointed to the Access to Justice Commission by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2012. She also was elected to the Illinois Judges Foundation board of directors and has served on the board of the National Conference of Bar Foundations since 2013.
In addition to this, Hon. Debra Walker is a past president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and the North Michigan Avenue Business & Professional Women’s Network, and an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Judges Association, and the Economic Club of Chicago.
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About the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
The Commission on Professionalism was established by the Illinois Supreme Court in September 2005 to foster increased civility, professionalism and inclusion among lawyers and judges in the State of Illinois. By advancing the highest standards of conduct among lawyers, we work to better serve clients and society alike. These duties upheld by the Commission are defined under Supreme Court Rule 799(c). For more information, please visit 2Civility.org, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism’s website.
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