Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Photo by Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
By 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 and her colleagues resolve disputes and decide cases that come before them, as well as manage administrative decisions and processes necessary for judicial branch operations.
“Since winning the election, I have been highly motivated to ensure the judicial branch in West Virginia maintains the trust and confidence of the citizens we serve. I continue to prioritize transparency and accountability in the administration of the courts,” she says. “The challenges facing our court early in my tenure also taught me the crucial importance of respect and civility with my colleagues, teamwork and close-working relationships with the other two branches of government.”
Now serving as chief justice, Walker is the administrative leader of the entire West Virginia judiciary. She is responsible for the branch’s 1,500 employees who work in every county and serve West Virginians in the trial courts, including circuit court, family court and magistrate court, and the appellate courts—which includes the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Appeals.
“I am honored to serve in a public role,” she says. “I love my job. Upholding the rule of law and deciding the cases that come before us in a fair and impartial way is meaningful and rewarding. It is a great honor to be chief justice.”
Walker’s dedication to West Virginia doesn’t stop with public service. She continues to take leadership roles that propel the Mountain State forward. She’s been inducted as a fellow of the West Virginia Bar Foundation, served on the education committee of the Appellate Judges Education Institute and chaired the West Virginia Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being since 2018, which promotes cultural change in the legal profession to prioritize well-being among lawyers and judges and better serve clients.
She is also a member of the board of trustees for the University of Charleston and has served in various leadership roles on the board of directors of Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council and as chair of the board of directors of Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center.
Walker is active on social media and is passionate about public engagement and civics education. Along with Justice Rhonda Wood of Arkansas and now-retired Michigan Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, she is a founding co-host of “Lady Justice: Women of the Court,” a podcast discussing the judicial branch of government and their personal experiences within their states’ highest appellate courts.
“I have always been committed to doing excellent work—first for my clients and now for the citizens of West Virginia,” she says. “It is crucial for women to serve in leadership roles in our communities and state, and I try to set a good example of that.”
While some in the profession may have one mentor, Walker says she has had many, all of whom have had a significant impact on her.
“While I appreciate that some folks have one primary mentor for their entire careers, I personally think that personal and professional growth results from learning from a wide variety of people and relationships during different stages of a career,” she says.
Walker is highly motivated to make a positive difference in West Virginia and the legal profession.
“I have lived in both Charleston and Morgantown and the reason I have stayed in West Virginia all these years is the quality of people here,” she says. “My public service and community service is in gratitude for the professional and personal opportunities I have had in West Virginia.”
