2023
Beth Walker
Chief Justice , Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Photo by Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia .
ELLIS WILLARD
BETH WALKER , chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia , was told in seventh grade she should be a lawyer because she liked to argue . Years later , that is exactly what she decided to do .
Walker worked hard in every aspect of her life growing up . She was valedictorian in high school , earned the highest award during her 12 years as a Girl Scout , received a significant scholarship to attend college and became her family ’ s first lawyer .
Walker attended Hillsdale College in Michigan , where her parents met and earned their degrees . She double majored in English and political science with a minor in history and graduated in 1987 . By 1990 , she graduated from the Ohio State University College of Law with her Juris Doctor .
After graduating law school , Walker moved to West Virginia for her first job as a lawyer — where she worked for 26
years in Charleston and Morgantown — and never looked back .
“ I am a West Virginian by choice , having discovered this state 33 years ago ,” she says . “ I am thankful for the rewarding and fortunate career I have had so far , for my dear husband who is a West Virginian and for all the other cherished professional and personal relationships I have in this state .”
When Walker joined Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love in 1990 in Charleston , she worked in several practice areas and eventually gravitated toward labor and employment law . Drawn to the variety and complexity of the work , she was able to foster a deep understanding of litigation and provide day-to-day consulting on a wide variety of personnel and human resources issues .
As a partner , Walker held several law firm leadership positions , including practice group leader , human resources chair and member of the executive committee .
“ Working closely with other leaders in the law firm , I developed strong leadership and management skills that I still use today ,” she says . “ I was mentored by excellent lawyers and am grateful that I learned not only how to practice law but how to excel in serving clients of all sizes in many different industries .”
It wasn ’ t long before Walker started pursuing community and public service roles . In 1999 , she participated in Leadership West Virginia . Later , she served as chair of the program ’ s board of directors . Her commitment to Leadership West Virginia not only taught her about her adoptive state , but also instilled the inspiration to pursue public service .
As a political newcomer , Walker lost her first race for Supreme Court justice in 2008 .
“ Losing my first race was tough ,” she says . “ But I learned many valuable lessons that would come in handy later during the 2016 campaign when I won by a large margin .”
Prior to running again , Walker joined the West Virginia United Health System , now known as WVU Medicine , as associate general counsel in 2012 where she provided labor and employment counsel to seven hospitals and gained instrumental knowledge of the health care industry .
Walker became a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia in 2017 . Through this role , she
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE