Richard H. Walker ’75 talks with Temple Law students.

Temple Law School proudly announced the creation of the Richard H. Walker ‘75 Chair in Business Law, funded through the generosity of Mr. Walker and his family. The Walker Chair will support the activities of a member of the law school’s highly respected business law faculty.

Mr. Walker is a former Enforcement Director and General Counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission and a partner in the Special Matters and Government Investigations group at King & Spalding. He is the only person ever to serve the SEC as both Enforcement Director and General Counsel. As part of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Enforcement practice, he specializes in crisis management, government and internal investigations (including cross-border), complex financial litigation matters, including litigation assessment, corporate governance, and compliance issues. 

“Temple provided me the tools, and more importantly the values, that I’ve adhered to during my career,” said Mr. Walker. “My objective in establishing this Chair is to support broad-based studies in business, securities, and compliance law and to open new doors for students to pursue opportunities in these fields.”

In celebration of Mr. Walker’s gift and many contributions to the school, Temple Law hosted a panel of alumni who have served as Enforcement Directors at the SEC: Mr. Walker, Stephanie Avakian ‘95, currently the Chair, Securities and Financial Services Department at WilmerHale, and William R. McLucas ’75, currently a partner at WilmerHale. The panel focused their discussion on hot topics in securities law, including insider trading, crypto scams, and the evolution of securities enforcement past, present, and future. Professor Tom Lin, an expert in securities regulation, served as moderator. “This generous gift and what it will help make possible here at Temple Law is a wonderfully fitting way to celebrate the remarkable career and achievements of Dick Walker in securities regulation and business law,” said Professor Lin. 

Dean Rachel Rebouché also expressed gratitude for the gift and enthusiasm about its impact on Temple Law School’s business law programs. “Dick Walker’s ongoing support for business law here at Temple has been transformative. With this gift we can build upon our already exceptional business law offerings. I’m delighted, too, that this Chair will bear the name of someone who has contributed to Temple Law in so many important ways.”