Angela L. Walker
Top rated Employment & Labor attorney in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Blanchard & Walker PLLCPractice Areas: Employment & Labor, Employment Litigation, Civil Rights; view more
Licensed in Michigan since: 2004
Education: The University of Michigan Law School
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734-929-4313
Blanchard & Walker PLLC
221 North Main StreetSuite 300
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Visit website
Details
Angela L. Walker is a co-founder of Blanchard & Walker, an employment law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She focuses her practice on helping employees assert their rights, protect their careers, and maximize their financial potential.
Ms. Walker’s employment law practice includes representing executives and physicians during contract negotiations and job transitions. She has experience negotiating seven-figure contract deals for C-Suite professionals. She takes strategic legal action to protect her clients’ careers in high-stakes situations. She regularly handles complex severance negotiations, and she is skilled at helping clients navigate sensitive issues.
Ms. Walker has been a strong advocate for women in Michigan’s workforce throughout her career. Her practice includes protecting women’s rights in cases involving sex discrimination, pay discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, and sexual harassment. For the past two decades, she has been active in organizations such as the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM), where she served on the board and as chair of its Gender Equity Committee. She is a past president of WLAM’s Washtenaw chapter. She is a recipient of the Mary Foster Award which is bestowed annually to a member whose leadership, talent, and significant contributions to women provide a role model for women in the legal profession and women in general.
Ms. Walker is also active in the disability community and she represents people with disabilities in legal disputes involving ADA accommodations, FMLA leave, and employee benefits matters. She helps clients enforce their rights under discrimination laws, including employees with chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Outside of her legal practice, she is in her third year as board chair for the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, a local non-profit dedicated to providing emotional support and education to people with cancer.
Using her knowledge and experience to educate others, Ms. Walker has co-authored articles and delivered lectures for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She regularly lectures to business owners and community organizations on various employment law subjects.
Ms. Walker earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. She received her license to practice law in 2004, which qualified her to appear before all Michigan state courts.
Before becoming a licensed attorney, Ms. Walker worked for the former State Bar of Michigan Open Justice Commission. She gained her initial legal experience by interning for Legal Services of South Central Michigan, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and the Maya Angelou Public Charter School.
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor: board chair (2021-present), board member (2015-present)
- Washtenaw County Trial Court Case Evaluation Committee (2019-2021)
- Women Lawyers Association of Michigan: Director at Large for statewide board (2018-2020), Chair of Gender Equity Committee (2018-2020), Regional Representative for statewide board (2016-2018), President of Washtenaw Region (2011), and Board Member of Washtenaw Region (2006-2011)
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- National Association of Women Lawyers
- Michigan Association for Justice
- Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw
Practice areas
Employment & Labor: Employee, Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Civil RightsFocus areas
Americans with Disabilities Act, Discrimination, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law - Employee, Race Discrimination, Retaliation, Sexual Harassment, Wage & Hour Laws, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
- 50% Employment & Labor: Employee
- 30% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
- 20% Civil Rights
First Admitted: 2004
Professional Webpage: https://bwlawonline.com/attorneys/
- Women Lawyers Association of Michigan: Director at Large for statewide board (2018-2020), Chair of Gender Equity Committee (2018-2020), Regional Representative for statewide board (2016-2018), President of Washtenaw Region (2011), and Board Member of Washtenaw Region (2006-2011)
- Michigan Association for Justice
- National Association of Women Lawyers
- Washtenaw County Trial Court Case Evaluation Committee (2019-2021)
- Washtenaw County Bar Association’s Employment Law Section
- Michigan Employment Lawyers Association
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw
- Disability Awareness Coordinator, Abbot Elementary (2016-2021)
- Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor: board chair (2021-present), board member (2015-present)
- J.D. from University of Michigan Law School (2004), 2004
- The Mary Foster Award which is bestowed annually to a member whose leadership, talent, and significant contributions to women provide a role model for women in the legal profession and women in general., Mary Foster Award, Women Lawyers Association of Michigan - Washtenaw Region, 2016
- Ms. Walker participated in a panel discussion on the unique challenges posed by dealing with health issues in the legal profession. The panel discussed how they successfully navigated professional obligations while dealing with their own or a family member's serious health issue and provided tips to other lawyers on how to be prepared if faced with a similar situation., Panelist, Life Happens & Work Doesn't Stop—Practicing Law While Navigating Unexpected Health Issues, State Bar of Michigan Employment Law Section, 2017
- In 2023, Ms. Walker presented at ICLE's Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute on case law developments for employment law practitioners under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). , Presenter ("ADA Updates"), ICLE's Labor & Employment Institute, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2023
- From 2016 to present, Ms. Walker has been a chapter editor of Employment Litigation in Michigan, a publication of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, providing guidance to employment law practitioners on litigating claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). She also frequently lectures to lawyers and community groups on ADA and FMLA issues., Editor of FMLA Chapter, Employment Litigation in Michigan (Guidebook for Employment Practicioners), Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2023
- In February 2022, Ms. Walker participated as a panelist for LELS discussing issues related to disclosure of a disability in the workplace, legal rights for employees, and how the context is shifting for those in remote and hybrid work settings., Panelist, Disclosing a Disability in the Age of COVID, State Bar of Michigan Employment Law Section, 2022
- In October 2020, Ms. Walker presented in a panel discussion about unique challenges facing employers and employees in navigating public health, social justice, and political issues in the workplace in 2020. , Panelist, Overcoming the Crossroads of COVID-19, Race Equity, & Political Speech in the Workplace, State Bar of Michigan Employment Law Section, 2020
- Ms. Walker presented a workshop for legal aid attorneys on identifying and responding to sexual harassment, including an overview of the law and how to pursue legal remedies. , Presenter, Tools and Tips for Responding to Sexual Harassment, Michigan Advocacy Program, 2018
- The Committee on Regional Training (CORT) is a four state training consortium that provides substantive law and skills trainings for legal services providers in Indiana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio. CORT organizes multi-day training events each year for legal aid attorneys. Ms. Walker presented for CORT in August 2016 by conducting a training on disability rights protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") and the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA")., Presenter, Discrimination and Employment: the FMLA and the ADA, CORT regional training for Legal Aid Attorneys, 2016
- Ms. Walker participated in a panel discussion with other practitioners about overlapping issues and varying definitions of "disability" under various disability law statutes, such as the ADA, FMLA, Social Security Act, and Worker's Compensation laws. , Panelist, "Disabilities Across Disciplines" Seminar, Washtenaw County Bar Association, 2016
- In 2021, Ms. Walker presented at ICLE's Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute on case law developments for employment law practitioners under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). , Presenter ("ADA Updates"), ICLE's Labor & Employment Law Institute, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2021
- In 2020, Ms. Walker presented at ICLE's Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute on case law developments for employment law practitioners under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). That same year, Ms. Walker also participated in an ICLE seminar providing updates for lawyers on ADA compliance issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic., Presenter ("ADA Updates" and "ADA Updates in the COVID-19 Pandemic"), ICLE's Labor & Employment Law Institute, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2020
- In 2019, Ms. Walker presented at ICLE'S Annual Labor & Employment Law Institute on the topic of Reasonable Accommodations for under the Americans with Disabilities Act., Presenter ("Reasonable Accommodations under the ADA"), ICLE's Labor & Employment Law Institute, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2019
- From 2016 to present, Ms. Walker has been a chapter editor of Employment Litigation in Michigan, a publication of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, providing guidance to employment law practitioners on litigating claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). She also frequently lectures to lawyers and community groups on ADA and FMLA issues., Editor of FMLA Chapter, Employment Litigation in Michigan (Guidebook for Practitioners), Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2022
- Admitted to U.S. Supreme Court 11/27/23, 2023
Office location for Angela L. Walker
221 North Main Street
Suite 300
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Phone: 734-929-4313
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2024