Hon. Ann Claire Williams (Ret.), of counsel in the Firm's Issues and Appeals Practice in the Chicago Office, has been honored by The American Lawyer with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes lawyers who have "left an indelible mark on the legal profession through their substantive area of work as well as a strong public service component." Additionally, Williams was awarded an American Bar Association (ABA) Presidential Citation at its recent annual meeting in Chicago.
Williams heads the Firm's pro bono efforts to advance the rule of law in Africa. As a jurist and in her current role, she has partnered with judiciaries, lawyers, NGOs, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and State to lead training programs and justice initiatives in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
"We are immensely proud of all that Ann Claire has accomplished in her role directing the Firm's initiative to advance and strengthen the justice and legal systems across Africa with Jones Day lawyers traveling to the continent, as well as partnering with important NGOs, universities, and governments," said Managing Partner Greg Shumaker. "As a jurist, appellate lawyer, ABA chair, mentor, and trailblazer, she has consistently set the greatest of examples, and we are truly honored to have been a part of, and a witness to, her lifetime of extraordinary achievements. She really is one of a kind."
Williams recently concluded her third consecutive term as chair of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which conducts peer review evaluations of all lifetime appointed federal judges. She is the only chair in the last forty years to serve three consecutive terms. In its citation, the ABA highlighted her judicial experience and experience as a successful nominee of two Senate judicial confirmations, and affirmed that "her reputation for bipartisanship and outstanding judgment have been invaluable in navigating the committee's demanding workload."
President Ronald Reagan nominated Williams in 1985 to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, making her the first woman of color to serve on a district court in the 7th Circuit. In 1999, President Bill Clinton's nomination made her the first judge of color to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and the third Black woman to serve on any federal circuit court.
Williams has served on many U.S. judicial committees and, as treasurer and president of the Federal Judges Association, was the first person of color to become an officer. She is the founder of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship program which has funded more than two thousand fellowships. She also taught prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Locally, she helped to found Just The Beginning—A Pipeline Organization, the Black Women Lawyers' Association of Chicago, Minority Legal Education Resources, and the Jumpstart pre-law school preparation program for first-generation law students and those from groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession at all nine Illinois law schools.
The 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Williams at The American Lawyer's Industry Awards in New York on November 13.