Visiting Professor of Law
B.S., Northwestern University
J.D., Howard University School of Law
E-mail:
tmevans-walls@widener.edu Tonya M. Evans-Walls is a Visiting Professor of Law at the Harrisburg Campus of Widener University School of Law and managing member of a Philadelphia-based boutique law firm that represents clients in the areas of entertainment law (literary, music and film), intellectual property (copyright and trademark), estate planning, and municipal finance. Professor Evans-Walls has also served as Adjunct Professor of copyright, publishing and licensing at York College of Pennsylvania.
She is a published author of an award-winning series of legal reference guides for writers and publishing industry professionals that is distributed internationally and was selected by Writer's Digest Book Club as a club selection for its members. Professor Evans-Walls is also a nationally recognized speaker who presents to various audiences regularly on publishing law, intellectual property law and estate planning issues.
Professor Evans-Walls attended Northwestern University on a four-year tennis scholarship, and thereafter she competed on the women's professional tennis circuit and played most notably in the US Open, Virginia Slims of Philadelphia, and Lipton in 1993. After retiring from the tennis circuit in 1995, she attended Howard University on an academic scholarship. During law school, Professor Evans-Walls interned with the Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr. in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, with U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah and with the Honorable Theodore A. McKee in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Professor Evans-Walls also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal (1997-1998).
After graduating with honors, Professor Evans-Walls clerked for the Honorable Theodore A. McKee in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for one year and thereafter worked at two national firms in Philadelphia until establishing her own firm in 2002. During that time, she also founded an independent publishing company now known as Legal Write Publications.
Professor Evans-Walls is also a performance poet and author of two poetry books: Seasons of Her: A Collection of Poetry and SHINE! (book/CD). Additionally, her short story, Not Tonight appears in an anthology titled Proverbs for the People, published by Kensington.
Professor Evans-Walls is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and currently serves as Chair of its Sports, Entertainment and Art Law Committee. She is also a member of the following professional organizations and associations: Author's Guild, National Writer's Union, PMA: The Independent Book Publishers Association, National Association of Women Writers, National Association of Bond Lawyers and Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers.
Professor Evans-Walls is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania (1998), District of Columbia (1999), New Jersey (1998), Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1999), the Third Circuit (1999) and New York (2006).
Professor Evans-Wall's appointments consist of Finance Committee Member of the Philadelphia Mayoral Education Task Force, from September 2006 to January 2007 and Board of Director for Wireless Philadelphia, from September 2005 to October 2006.
Selected Recent Publications
- In the Title IX Race Toward Gender Equity, the Black Female Athlete Is Left To Finish Last: The Lack of Access for the "Invisible Woman," 42 How. L.J. 105, 105 (1998)
- Contracts Companion for Writers (2007, Legal Write Publications)
- Copyright Companion for Writers (2007, Legal Write Publications)
- Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark and Contracts in Plain Language (2003, 2005, Legal Write Publications)
- SHINE: Inspirational Poetry (2001 Book/CD, FYOS Entertainment)
- Seasons of Her: A Collection of Poetry (1999, FYOS Entertainment)
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