Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney,
Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
By Amanda Larch
An interest in law seems to be part of the fabric that makes up Maryclaire Akers’ family. Her father has practiced as a lawyer for more than 50 years, her brother is an administrative law judge, and her husband, JB, owns his own law firm. Akers, a Kanawha County senior assistant prosecuting attorney, knew her path would lead to law school, and she graduated from the West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law in 1999.
Today, her career revolves around criminal law, and she has built it on prosecuting murder cases, many of which have generated national media attention.
“My belief was this type of work would allow me to help keep my community safe,” says Akers. “It has, and I’m very thankful for the work I do.”
Akers is assigned to all felony cases in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Charles King in the Thirteenth Circuit, and she also assists law enforcement in Kanawha County during homicide investigations by offering legal advice.
“I take that role very seriously because law enforcement officers rely upon my advice while my co-workers rely upon good investigative work in files that land on their desks,” she says.
Perhaps what is most meaningful to Akers is being an advocate and working to protect victims of crime, which she says gives her the most personal satisfaction.
“As a professional, I’ve had a very rewarding career, and I feel fortunate to have worked on very difficult but very meaningful cases,” she says. “I assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and robbery and the families of murder victims. It is important to listen to them. Victims are individuals, and justice is not a one-size-fits-all concept.”
Akers is a co-founder of the Kanawha County Victim Services Center and a board member for the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice and West Virginians Against Violence Committee. She also serves on the criminal law committee of the West Virginia State Bar and as a member of the West Virginia Governors Committee on Crime, Delinquency and Correction and West Virginia Sentencing Commission.
“I am also part of a group of prosecutors who follow legislative changes and emerging trends in the criminal justice system,” she says. “We realize that punishment isn’t always the answer, and sometimes reform is needed. As an example, I supported the recent expansion of the expungement law so qualified people who served their time can lead productive lives.”
Akers and her husband have never considered living and working anywhere other than the Mountain State, and it is important to both of them to give back to their home state as much as they can.
“When we graduated law school, we could have decided to go anywhere as two people with law degrees. We wanted to stay,” she says. “I have always been thankful to have been born and raised here. Both of us wanted to raise our kids here with our family and friends, who are people we know and trust. I’m not just saying this as a cliché, but people from West Virginia share a special bond.”
