Debra Walker and Genevieve Miller receive honors from Illinois State Bar Association

CARTHAGE, Ill. — Debra B. Walker, a native of Carthage, and Chicago attorney Genevieve E. (nee Niemann) Miller, a native of Quincy were recently honored by the Illinois State Bar Association. Miller received ISBA’s Young Lawyer of the Year Award, while Walker received ISBA’s Carole Bellows Woman of Influence Award.

These awards, among others, were presented during the association’s annual awards ceremony on May 15 at the Morton Arboretum, a nature preserve area in DuPage County. The ISBA awards recognize outstanding achievement in various areas.

The Young Lawyer of the Year Award acknowledges early-career attorneys who demonstrate exceptional legal and leadership skills and have made significant contributions to the legal profession, including advocacy, community service and advancement of the bar. Miller received this award after being nominated by numerous peers and mentors.

In addition to the Chicago-land area, Miller recently started practicing in Adams County where she serves families in domestic relations cases and as a guardian ad litem, representing the best interests of minor children.

Justice Debra Walker, originally from Carthage, was truly honored to receive the Carole Bellows Woman of Influence Award. This award is named for the first woman to be elected president of the Illinois State Bar Association in 1977, former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Carole Bellows, who had previously served as Walker’s presiding judge when she served on the trial court in Chicago.

The award is annually bestowed on women in the legal profession who have raised awareness to the unmet legal needs of women, advocated for action addressing women’s issues or promoted involvement by women in the legal community at all levels.

Walker is a former President of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Illinois Bar Foundation and the Illinois Judges Foundation.

Justice Walker has been proud to serve as a mentor and friend to miller ever since she was a student at DePaul Law School in Chicago, figuring that women from West Central Illinois ought to stick together. ISBA gatherings have provided a much appreciated venue for just that.

The ISBA hosts educational programming, offers professional development resources for attorneys, engages in legislative advocacy and provides ethics guidance. The ISBA empowers its members to grow and serve with integrity. Whether helping young lawyers find their footing or honoring the lifelong contributions of seasoned jurists, the ISBA fosters a vibrant legal community dedicated to fairness, learning and civic duty.

As these accolades illustrate, the legal profession in Illinois is thriving with principled leadership. From Quincy to Carthage to Chicago, attorneys and judges like this year’s honorees are shaping a more just and equitable future for all Illinoisans.