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The Women and the Law Division of the Indianapolis Bar Association awarded Deborah J. Daniels the 2005 Antoinette Dakin Leach Award on October 11th. Daniels began her legal career after graduating cum laude from the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis in 1977. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed her to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice, a job she held until 2005. Her responsibilities included several functions directly related to the nation's response to the September 11th attack on the U.S., and the nation's ability to detect, prevent and respond to future terrorist acts.

Daniels, who is the sister of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, is currently a partner at Krieg DeVault LLP. Daniels also previously served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and as Chief Counsel at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

Among her accomplishments are establishing the first Child Advocacy Center for child abuse victims in Indiana while working as a prosecutor in Marion County, and serving as director of the national “Weed and Seed” neighborhood revitalization program. She now serves as a principal of the Council for Excellence in Government, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., that works to improve the performance of government at all levels.

Antoinette Dakin Leach became one of the first women to be admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1893; she was also a leader in national and local suffragist movements. Every year, the Women and the Law Division gives this award to an outstanding female attorney who has assumed roles of leadership within the Indianapolis legal community, who serves as a mentor for other attorneys, and who demonstrates commitment to helping the area’s citizens.