Jefferson County Judge Anne Lamkin Durward was mourned by friends and family on Thursday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook as a strong civic leader, an oustanding attorney and a jurist who strived to be “just and fair.”

Durward died at her home on May 27 after a sudden illness. She was 54.

Durward was president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation at the time of her death.

“Anne had a goal to be a judge,” said her brother, Tom Lamkin Jr., who spoke at the service.

Lamkin said his sister worked to “overcome misogyny in the legal profession.”

A standing-room-only crowd filled St. Luke’s Church on Thursday afternoon. “As evidenced by this large crowd, she had a lot of friends,” Lamkin said.

She lived a life full of meaning and leadership, he said.

“It’s not the number of years but the quality of years that matters,” he said. “Anne lived a lot in her years.”

Judge Durward was born Feb. 1, 1969 to Dr. Thomas G. Lamkin and Mrs. Anne Lamkin of Mountain Brook. She is survived by her husband of 23 years, G. John Durward Jr., her parents, younger brothers and others.

Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Durward in 2020 as a judge in the Jefferson County Circuit Court of the 10th Judicial Circuit, Domestic Relations Division, Place 1. She ran for the post and was elected in 2022.

“Anne was a perfect fit for this job,” said her longtime friend since first grade, Allison O’Neal Skinner.

Although she was a Democrat, “she convinced Trump supporters to put her sign next to theirs in their yards,” her brother Tom said.

Judge Durward was involved in many civic groups and she and her husband were active together in the betterment of the community, Skinner said.

“They were volunteers of their time, givers to their community,” she said.

“Anne was a great friend to all,” Skinner said. “She loved people. She loved getting to know people, how she could support you. Anne was confident in who she was and what she had to offer.”

Prior to serving as a judge, Durward practiced law for 25 years, specializing in family and domestic law for Massey, Stotser & Nichols, where she was a shareholder and wrote “Child Custody: Modern Trends and Observations,” published in Child Custody Litigation and Settlements in 2013.

She graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 1987, then earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington & Lee University in 1991 and a law degree from Cumberland School of Law in 1995. At Cumberland, she was managing editor of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy. She served on the Henry Upson Sims Moot Court Board and the Cumberland Trial Advocacy Board. She taught law students as National Moot Court Team Coach Cumberland. Cumberland named her among the Top 20 female lawyers for 2020 and she received a 2021 alumni of the year award. She also received a 2022 Community Affairs Award for outstanding community service and a Pro Bono Service Award.

“There’s a huge hole in our community with her untimely passing,” said Skinner.