BOSTON, Aug. 1, 2016—A prosecutor assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s Juvenile Unit has been as honored as one of the country’s top young rising attorneys by the American Bar Association.

The ABA today recognized Assistant District Attorney Brett Walker as one of the nation’s Top 40 Young Attorneys.  Walker was selected for the inaugural list of honorees for his leadership, professionalism, and dedication to service in both the courtroom and the community.

Walker joined the Suffolk DA’s office in 2013 and was assigned to the Boston Municipal Court, one of the busiest courthouses in New England.  In addition to his duties as a line prosecutor, he took on an additional role in the Boston Veteran’s Treatment Court, an innovative specialty court launched two years ago for qualifying defendants whose low-level offenses stem from service-related substance abuse or mental health issues.

This latter position allowed Walker, a major in the Army National Guard who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to draw on his military experience in order to help fellow veterans and the community as a whole.   Staff assigned to the program from Conley’s office, the Trial Court, and the Probation Department received the Outstanding Advocacy Award from the Department of Veteran Affairs in June.

Walker is currently assigned to the DA’s Juvenile Unit, which emphasizes intervention and diversion over incarceration in an effort to prevent young offenders from further contact with the criminal justice system.

“Brett has shown a commitment to our goal of seeking the best and fairest results, inside and outside the courtroom,” Conley said.  “He’s truly a rising star in this office and the wider legal community, and I’m so proud of his accomplishment.”

Walker was nominated for the ABA honor by faculty of his alma mater, Boston College Law School.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.