By Jo Mathis
Legal News
Angela Walker is a shareholder with the Ann Arbor based civil rights and employment firm, Nacht, Roumel, Salvatore, Blanchard & Walker. In addition to litigating employment cases, she provides advice and counseling to employees facing discrimination and harassment.
Walker focuses on helping employees with disabilities enforce their rights with regard to ADA accommodations, FMLA leave, and employee benefits. She also advises executives making job transitions and handles complex severance negotiations. Walker grew up in Lansing and is a 2004 Michigan Law graduate. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband, James, and daughter, Jocie.
Currently reading: “Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
My mother always told me … Be true to yourself.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Be thoughtful about your career goals before you enter law school. Make connections with attorneys who are working in jobs that interest you, and talk to them about what they do. Make sure it’s a good fit for you, and find someone who is interested in mentoring you.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be? Social worker.
Favorite local hangouts: Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Coffee House Creamery.
Your proudest moment(s) as a lawyer? I am most proud of the cases where I have helped clients avoid job loss, or where I have helped clients transition out of their jobs with a severance and without damage to their reputation. I will never forget how big of a “win” it was for one of my clients when his employer agreed to throw him a retirement party in the company conference room—after he had been fired.
What is your happiest childhood memory? Late night star-gazing trips with my dad.
Which things do you not like to do? Lose at anything, especially board games.
What’s your greatest achievement? Walking out of the Cancer Center on my last day of chemo.
At Thanksgiving dinner, would you rather talk politics, religion or the weather? Politics.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? You’re grounded.
What one thing do you wish people knew about your work? I am not just a litigator. I spend a lot of my time counseling employees on their rights and helping them strategize about how to protect their careers.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? I would eliminate inequality in educational opportunity.
Must-see TV: “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Daily Show.”
What’s your favorite animal? My dog, Cody.
What’s your biggest regret? Waiting so long to get an iPhone
First gig: Scooping ice cream at Tate’s Freeze.
What’s one thing you would like to learn to do? Quilting.
What is something most people don't know about you? I was the 2002 women’s nine-ball champion at U of M.
If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? Michelle Obama, Albert Einstein, and Toni Morrison.
Favorite movie: “Life is Beautiful.”
What’s the best advice you ever received? Don’t wait for “the right time” – it may never come. Do what you want to do, and don’t second-guess yourself.
What do you drive? What would you drive if money were no object? 2004 Pontiac Vibe. If money were no object, I would own a Tesla.
Favorite place to spend money: High-end grocery stores.
What is your motto? Never stop challenging yourself.
Where would you like to be when you're 90? Sitting on the porch with my husband drinking coffee/wine and doing crossword puzzles.
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