Christopher K. Walters, senior pro bono counsel at global law firm Reed Smith, eceived the 2024 Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award, the most prestigious honor bestowed annually by the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR).
Walters was honored at the organization’s 28th annual awards gala dinner in Washington, D.C.
SCHR is renowned for fighting the death penalty in southern U.S. states. Walters’ journey from being a successful commercial litigator to a nationally recognized champion of individuals accused of capital crimes was inspired decades ago by one of the nation’s civil rights icons.
“I heard Martin Luther King deliver a sermon on a college campus,” Walters said. “It was an inspiration to me like no other.” In the years since, Walters has rallied many teams of Reed Smith lawyers and marshalled his own resources to tackle a range of capital cases, now including six post-conviction matters in Alabama in which juries had voted against death sentences subsequently imposed by judges.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Chris, who has spent his career pursuing justice in many diverse arenas,” said Stan Perry, Reed Smith’s director of pro bono and community service and leader the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. “We applaud SCHR for recognizing Chris’ significant and ongoing contributions to its mission and his unfailing commitment to promoting equality, dignity, and justice for individuals adversely impacted by the criminal justice system in the nation’s Deep South.”
Walters founded Reed Smith’s Philadelphia Litigation Group in 1978 and served as its leader for a decade. He was named the firm’s Senior Pro Bono Counsel in 2005, a full-time position overseeing the day-to-day operations of its firmwide pro bono program. In this role, he has been actively involved in the firm’s pro bono work, supporting its attorneys who last year dedicated 85,000 pro bono hours worldwide to issues including protecting voting rights, providing refugee settlement and immigration services, meeting the needs of children in underserved communities, combating human trafficking, providing natural disaster relief, and obtaining justice for individuals wrongly convicted or sentenced.
This year, Walters is receiving the Veterans in Business Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal, which honors local military veterans who have achieved successful civilian careers, contributed to the community through volunteer work, and given back to active-duty military members and veterans.
Walters served with the U.S. Army, including two years of full-time active duty with a one-year deployment to Vietnam, and three years of reserve duty. He achieved the rank of captain and is a recipient of the Vietnam Service Medal and the Bronze Star for his military service. Walters has taken a leading role in Reed Smith’s pro bono programs supporting military veterans through the National Veterans Legal Services Program, including collaborating with the NVLSP to assist veterans with their legal challenges and appeals to secure the disability and retirement benefits to which they are entitled.
Walters also has personally led a number of significant litigations, including a housing discrimination lawsuit, a 16-year-long death penalty case, and a 2004 high-profile election integrity case in Pennsylvania.
In addition to his pro bono leadership at Reed Smith and his ongoing work with SCHR, Walters is a founding board member of Advancing Real Change, Inc. (ARC), and previously served as the organization’s vice chairman. ARC works within the criminal justice system to achieve fairer sentences in capital criminal cases, assists with investigations to gather mitigating information, and provides mitigation training to legal professionals.
“I’m honored to receive this honor which equally belongs to all the lawyers at Reed Smith, who year after year, do amazing work to level the playing field in seeking justice and help so many people along the way,” Walters said. “And especially honors the firm’s pro bono commitment and the many lawyers who year after year volunteer to fight death penalty cases.”
This event allows the organization to celebrate and highlight the accomplishments of its allies – like Walters – who share its vision and commitment to a more just society. Proceeds from SCHR’s annual gala support its work to protect the civil and human rights of people ensnared by the criminal legal system. The Fredrick Douglass Human Right’s Award was previously won by civil rights champions such as Bryan Stevenson, U.S. Senator John Lewis, Steve Bright, the Rev. Joseph Lowery and Ruth Friedman.
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