Administrative Law Section Honors NCSOS General Counsel Ann Wall
Ann Wall, who serves as General Counsel for the N.C. Department of the Secretary of State, was honored on March 24 as the sixth recipient of the NCBA Administrative Law Section’s Administrative Law Award for Excellence.
Section Chair Bain Jones presented the award during the section’s annual meeting and CLE at the N.C. Bar Center. His remarks are accessible on NCBarBlog.
“I am deeply honored,” Wall said, “both humbled and proud, and most of all, grateful for the recognition you give to me through this award.”
Wall is a past chair of the Administrative Law Section and the Government & Public Sector Section, which honored her in 2007 with the Grainger Barrett Award for Excellence.
“If there was a definition of public servant in the dictionary, Ann Wall’s name and picture would be next to it,” said Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, who attended the ceremony. “Ann has dedicated more than three decades of her life to serving the people of North Carolina every day with distinction, honor, and excellence.
“At the core of her being is to make sure things are done fairly and justly – which is why she is so richly deserving of this distinct honor from the North Carolina Bar Association.”
Ann Wall, center, displays award with Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Section Chair Bain Jones.
Wall is a graduate of Meredith College and the University of North Carolina School of Law. She served as a field attorney for the National Labor Relations Board from 1978-87 and has worked for the State of North Carolina ever since. She held numerous positions within the Department of Labor from 1987-2001, served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice from 2001-06, and has held her current position in the Office of the Secretary of State since 2006.
In accepting the award, Wall thanked Marshall, Jones, and others in attendance.
“Many of you here in this room have played a part in my receiving this award, including my boss, sitting up there, Secretary of State Marshall,” Wall said. “I’ve certainly learned a lot from her. I thought about listing you, but it would take us long past lunch.
“I hope that those of you who know me, know how very much I appreciate you all for: what you have taught me; for the friendship and encouragement you’ve offered me; and of course, for the occasional times Jeff Gray or Clark Wright or Jack Nichols pulls me up short and says, ‘now wait a minute, Ann.’ I am more grateful to each of you than I can express.”
An earlier conversation with her sister, who has received numerous awards, helped Wall express her appreciation for this honor.
“What she said was true enough to quote,” Wall said. “She said ‘it isn’t the fact of the award that’s important and valuable – it’s knowing that our peers, the people we respect and hold in high esteem, have acknowledged something in us, recognized something we have done, our work and our expertise. That’s what makes the award shine for us.’”
Wall provided a textbook definition of what it means to be an administrative lawyer.
“Let’s face it, administrative law is not one something most law students aspire to do,” Wall said. “We tend to luck into administrative law practice in the course of our careers. And when we do, we stay because administrative law is so very important to the rule of law and our Constitution – to ensuring 14th amendment rights of due process and equal protection under the law.
“As administrative law practitioners, we work to protect and promote the public health, safety and welfare in areas where few people – including me – have the time or resources or knowledge to protect themselves because of the complexity of modern life. As administrative lawyers, we also protect the Constitution and the public by ensuring that Americans don’t end up like characters in one of Kafka’s novels – never knowing what they’ve done wrong or even what the rules are or why they are being punished.”
In a similar vein, Wall expressed her appreciation for being a member of the Administrative Law Section.
“I am proud to be a member of this section,” Wall said. “I have never been to a Section Council meeting, a CLE, or an event with Section members when I have not walked away from with something almost immediately useful to my administrative law practice and my clients.”
The Administrative Law Award for Excellence is designed to honor an attorney who:
- has practiced administrative or regulatory law for at least ten years and who has continuous experience in this practice;
- is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the Administrative Law Section;
- has an exemplary record and reputation in the legal community and follows the highest ethical standards; and
- has an exemplary record of active participation in the efforts to improve the administrative and regulatory process for regulators, the regulated public, the citizens of North Carolina and in the interests of justice.
Previous recipients of the award are Judge Fred Morrison (2017), Jack Nichols (2018), John N. (Nick) Fountain (2019), Daniel F. McLawhorn (2020) and Judge Julian Mann (2022).
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.