Jefferson County Judge Anne Lamkin Durward died on Saturday. She was 54. Durward was also the sitting President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation (AAML).
The AAML Foundation made the announcement on their Facebook.
“With profound sadness, I must share the news that Anne Lamkin Durward, President of the AAML Foundation, passed away unexpectedly on May 27. She was at home with her husband John and their dogs Duke and Laney. We express our deep sorrow and condolences to John and Anne’s family. Her funeral arrangements will be shared when they are finalized.”
“Anne was a brilliant ray of sunshine who was loved and respected by everyone she met. I honestly can’t remember when a frown or a cross word ever passed her lips. She earned the title “The Honorable” in a landslide election a few years ago, and no one was more deserving. Anne was the benchmark of professionalism, enthusiasm, grace, and charm. She had a knack for putting others at ease.”
“Social media can’t express my affection for Anne, but if you want to know a little more about her, scroll through Anne’s Facebook feed. She had literally hundreds of friends in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and International Academy of Family Lawyers. As President of the AAML Foundation, Anne traveled tirelessly as a goodwill ambassador to state chapters. She was proud to be a winning coach of the Cumberland School of Law moot court team, and an active member of the Birmingham Bar Association Women Lawyers Section. She was the second-most enthusiastic Alabama college football fan in her household (Roll Tide!). Anne touched our lives in a gentle, positive way. Her impact will be strong and lasting. We will miss her terribly.”
Judge Durward presided over cases in the domestic relations division.
Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Durward in 2020 to serve as domestic relations judge in Jefferson County, and she was elected in her own right in the 2022 election.
She is a native of Mountain Brook, a graduate of Mountain Brook High School, and an alumnus of Washington and Lee University in Virginia as well Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.
Anne is survived by her husband of twenty-three years, G. John Durward Jr.; her parents Dr. Thomas G. Lamkin and Mrs. Anne Lamkin; her younger brothers Thomas G. Lamkin, Jr. (Kelly), and Robert F. Lamkin (Angelina); her father-in-law Gerard J. Durward, her brother-in-law Michael P. Durward (Melissa); her niece Annelise and nephew Griffin Lamkin, and nephews Robert Jr., David and Daniel Lamkin and her canine children Duke and Laney.
Prior to serving as a judge, Judge Durward practiced for 25 years in the area of family and domestic matters at Massey, Stoser & Nichols, P.C., where she was a shareholder and authored Child Custody: Modern Trends and Observations published in Child Custody Litigation and Settlements (Aspatore 2013). In addition to the State of Alabama, Judge Durward is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama.
At Cumberland School of Law, Judge Durward was the Managing Editor of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy and served on both the Henry Upsom Sims Moot Court Board and the Cumberland Trial Advocacy Board.
She was awarded as one of the Cumberland School of Law’s Top 20 Female Lawyers for 2020, the Cumberland 2021 Alumni of the Year Award, the Cumberland 2022 Community Affairs Committee Award for Outstanding Community Service, and the Pro Bono Service Award recipient.
Judge Durward is a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation and a Life Fellow and past President of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Bar Foundation, having co-led the founding of the organization’s Fellows program. Judge Durward was an active member in the Birmingham Bar Association, serving as a Past Secretary-Treasurer of its Executive Committee, an active member in the Family Law, Women Lawyers (Board member) and Probate Sections and Entertainment Committee of the organization, and was a member of the Magic City Bar Association. Judge Durward twice served as President of the Legal Aid Society of Birmingham, served on its Board of Trustees, and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program. Judge Durward was recognized by the Birmingham Bar Foundation with the 2018 Excellence Award. She has served as a speaker for multiple continuing legal education seminars for the Alabama State Bar, the American Bar Association, and other national and international organizations.
Judge Durward was selected to Class IV of the Leadership Forum of the Alabama State Bar. She served as President and remains on the Advisory Board of DELTA, Inc., which is a charitable organization formed by members of the Birmingham Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority to maintain a life development center in Birmingham’s Green Acres neighborhood and support community programs for youth and adults.
She also served on the Community Affairs Committee, as a Sustainer of the Birmingham Ballet Guild, a member of the Washington & Lee University Alumni Chapter Board, and as a member of the Women’s Committee of 100. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Men’s Hall of Fame and on the Dean’s Executive Council at the Orlean Beeson School of Education at Samford University. Judge Durward also is a member of the United Fellowship Breakfast Forum, Inc., Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, and the Judge James Edwin Horton American Inns of Court. Judge Durward has been listed for multiple years in the Best Lawyers in America for Family Law, the Top Attorneys and Top Women Attorneys in Birmingham, and in SuperLawyers, and is AV Rated in Martindale Hubbell.
There will be a Celebration of Life service on June 8, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 3736 Montrose Rd., Mountain Brook, AL 35213. Visitation will be at 2:00 p.m. in Graham Hall at the church.
Memorials can be sent to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation, the Birmingham Bar Foundation, or a charity of your choosing.
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