Governor O'Malley Appoints The Honorable Sally D. Adkins to Court of Appeals
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 27, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced the appointment of the Honorable Sally D. Adkins to represent the First Appellate Circuit (Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico & Worcester Counties) on the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the State’s highest court. Judge Adkins will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Dale R. Cathell. Prior to her appointment, Judge Adkins served for ten years as an Associate Judge of the Court of Special Appeals, the State’s intermediate appellate court.
“Judge Adkins represents the highest standards of excellence in the legal profession and I am honored to appoint her to the Court of Appeals,” said Governor O’Malley. “Judge Adkins is highly regarded for her keen intelligence, her meticulous preparation, her genuine concern for the parties who appear before her, and her willingness to keep an open mind. She will be an asset to the State’s highest court.”
Judge Adkins has served on the Court of Special Appeals since 1998, during which time she has written over 140 published opinions and approximately 750 unpublished opinions. From 1999 to 2006, in addition to serving on the Court of Special Appeals, Judge Adkins was the Chair of the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities. From 1996 to 1998, she was an Associate Judge for the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, where she initiated and developed a child custody mediation program.
Prior to her service as a judge, Judge Adkins worked in private practice, where she handled diverse civil law matters for individual and corporate clients. She handled divorce, custody, and estate planning matters for individuals, including seniors and lower- to middle-income women. She also handled a variety of business law matters – including contract disputes, corporate and real estate transactions, tax planning, and employment cases – for small and medium-sized businesses. Her pro bono work included cases for indigent clients and charitable groups concerning wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, small estates, and contracts.
Judge Adkins has been very involved in civic life. From 1995 to 2005, she served as a Director and Secretary of O.U.R. Community, Inc., a non-profit corporation to improve racial understanding and provide training for developing diversity in community leadership. She has also served as a Director of Mid-Delmarva Family Y.M.C.A., Inc.; a member of the Wicomico County Ethics Commission; a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Bureau, Inc; a Director of Coastal Hospice, Inc.; and a member of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce. She has also lectured at various Continuing Legal Education and Maryland Judicial Institute programs.
Judge Adkins is a recipient of several awards, including the Dorothy Beatty Memorial Award from the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, Inc. and the Rita C. Davidson Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Inc. Judge Adkins was named a Woman of the Year by the Salisbury Business and Professional Women in 1998 and has received a certificate of recognition from the Wicomico County Commission for Women. She was also recognized by the Mid-Delmarva Family Y.M.C.A. for her extraordinary service and leadership as its legal counsel from 1985-1989.
Judge Adkins received her undergraduate degree from Lawrence University in 1972 and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1975.
