On May 27, 2023, the Honorable Anne Dahlene Lamkin Durward pἀssed away quietly in her home. She was born in Mountain Brook on February 1, 1969, to Dr. Thomas G. Lamkin and Mrs. Anne Lamkin. Her parents, her younger brothers Thomas G. Lamkin, Jr. (Kelly) and Robert F. Lamkin (Angelina), and her father-in-law Gerard J. Durward.
Her brother-in-law Michael P. Durward (Melissa), her cherished niece Annelise, nephew Griffin, and nephews Robert, Jr., David, and Daniel Lamkin, as well as her canine children Duke and Laney, survive Anne.
The Honorable Anne Durward served as a judge in the Circuit Court of the 10th Judicial Circuit of Alabama, Domestic Relations Division, Place 1, after being appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in 2020 and elected in 2022. Because of her breadth of knowledge and experience in divorce law, Judge Durward was renowned for rendering fair decisions.
Judge Durward has dedicated her professional life to advancing and significantly enhancing justice delivery in Alabama and her community. Judge Durward practiced family and domestic law for 25 years as a shareholder at Massey, Stoser & Nichols, P.C.
She also wrote Child Custody: Modern Trends and Observations, published in Child Custody Litigation and Settlements (Aspatore 2013). Judge Durward obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Washington & Lee University in 1991 after graduating from Mountain Brook High School, and she then earned her Juris Doctor from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 1995.
Judge Durward is qualified to represent clients in the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama as well as the State of Alabama, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
While attending the Cumberland School of Law, Judge Durward served on the Henry Upson Sims Moot Court Board and the Cumberland Trial Advocacy Board. He was also the managing editor of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.
Judge Durward has continued to assist the legal profession by instructing law students on how to effectively advance justice in her capacity as the National Moot Court Team Coach at Cumberland School of Law.
Her tireless and devoted work with the Cumberland students earned her recognition as one of the Top 20 Female Lawyers for 2020 by the Cumberland School of Law, as well as the Alumni of the Year Award in 2021, the Community Affairs Committee Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2022, and the Pro Bono Service Award.
Judge Durward, dedicated to the practice of family law, held the coveted positions of Judicial Fellow of both the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and the American Academy of Family Lawyers (AAML). Judge Durward presided over the Alabama Chapter while serving on numerous AAML committees.
She was once the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation’s President of the Board of Directors. With these organizations, Judge Durward and her husband were well known for traveling the world with close friends and colleagues from all across the country.
Judge Durward co-led the establishment of the Birmingham Bar Foundation’s Fellows program and is a Fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation, a Life Fellow, and a former President of the Board of Directors of that organization. Judge Durward participated actively in the Family Law, Women Lawyers (Board member), Probate, and Entertainment Committees of the Birmingham Bar Association and the Magic City Bar Association.
He served as the organization’s past secretary-treasurer of its executive committee. Judge Durward served on the board of trustees and twice as President of the Legal Aid Society of Birmingham. He was also a board member that oversaw the Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program.
The Birmingham Bar Foundation presented Judge Durward with the 2018 Excellence Award. She has spoken at numerous seminars for continuing legal education on behalf of the American Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar, and other domestic and foreign organizations.
Judge Durward was chosen for Class IV of the Alabama State Bar’s Leadership Forum. She held the position of President and continues to serve on the Advisory Board of DELTA, Inc., a nonprofit organization established by members of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Birmingham Alumnae Chapter to support youth and adult community programs and maintain a life development center in Birmingham’s Green Acres neighborhood.
Judge Durward participated in the neighborhood community by working on the Community Affairs Committee, supporting the Birmingham Ballet Guild, serving on the board of the Washington & Lee University Alumni Chapter, and being a part of the Women’s Committee of 100.
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She is a Dean’s Executive Council member at Samford University’s Orlean Beeson School of Education and on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Men’s Hall of Fame. In addition, Judge Durward belongs to Judge James Edwin Horton, American Inns of Court, the United Fellowship Breakfast Forum, Inc., and the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham.
The Best Lawyers in America for Family Law, the Top Attorneys and Top Women Attorneys in Birmingham, SuperLawyers, and Martindale Hubbell all list Judge Durward on many occasions. She also has an AV rating. Despite her dedication to the community, Judge Durward had time to mentor numerous lawyers and friends, always doing so while beaming.
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