CHARLESTON – Maryclaire Akers has been appointed as a Kanawha Circuit Court judge, taking over the seat left by the death of Judge Charles King.
Akers, who has practiced law for 21 years, currently is a Senior Assistant Prosecutor with the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. She also has served as that office’s chief of staff. In addition, she was a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, general counsel for the state Ethics Commission and an assistant state Attorney General.
She will serve the rest of King’s term, which expires in 2022. Senior Status Judge Dan O’Hanlon has been filling in for King.
Akers
“I am deeply honored and humbled by this appointment to fill a seat previously held by a great judge and dear friend, Charles E. King,” Akers said in a statement. “I sincerely thank Governor Justice for another opportunity to serve the people of Kanawha County. I am likewise appreciative of the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission’s confidence in me when it forwarded my name to the governor for his consideration.
“Finally, thank you to all my professional peers and personal friends who supported me in this process. I said a prayer of thanks for all of you. I am truly grateful.”
Akers is an alumna of George Washington High School. She graduated from the West Virginia University School of Journalism in 1995 and the WVU College of Law in 1999.
Akers is married to J.B. Akers, owner of Akers Law Offices in Charleston. They have three children.
On February 11, the state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission submitted four names to Justice’s office last month for the opening after meeting with nine applicants. Those nine were Akers, Kevin Baker, Kenneth Ballard, Mark Browning, Christine Fox, Travis Griffith, Elizabeth Kavitz, Samuel Marsh and Benjamin Mishoe.
The commission submitted four names to replace King, who died December 28. They were Akers; Ballard, a Kanawha Family Court judge; Fox, who was King’s law clerk; and Mishoe, a Charleston attorney.
