Christine Walker, a partner with Fowler White Burnett in Miami.

Christine M. Walker was in the courtroom, reaching for her jacket when she collapsed on the floor. Her colleagues knew she was a "klutz," but that moment was actually an early warning of the severe effects of a syndrome that would leave her paralyzed.

Walker, a partner at Fowler White Burnett in Miami, who focuses her practice on maritime law, had no intention of going to court that day. A judge had a list of the cases he would call that week, and Walker's was listed near the end, unlikely to be called for trial unless several cases before her were "eliminated." Despite the short-term notice, Walker would be victorious at trial.

"She just finishes a trial with one of our partners on Thursday, and they get a defense verdict at this trial," said James N. Hurley, a partner at Fowler White, who chairs the Admiralty and Maritime Law Practice Group. "It is supposed to be happy time and I see her in the emergency room the next day."

Hurley hired Walker after a childhood friend and a client encouraged him to meet with her several years before. Soon after Walker arrived at the meeting, Hurley could tell she was special.

"Some people just hold themselves in ways that they know what it takes to be a professional," Hurley said. "There was a quiet confidence and respectfulness. It was a whole different presentation that caught me off guard."

Walker earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, her law degree from Nova Southeastern University, and a master's degree in admiralty law at Tulane University Law School.

Admiralty and maritime law is a traditionally male-driven practice area, so hiring Walker was somewhat unusual. Walker started as an hourly employee at the firm, progressing from part-time work to full-time employment within three months.

"I had to show my value to the firm from day one," she said.

Her efforts weren't in vain.

"The first thing you notice is a work ethic," Hurley said. "An incredibly hard worker."

Four-and-a-half years later, Walker became a partner at Fowler White. She would make an impact at the firm, but just as she was thriving, her life would soon drastically change.

'All of a sudden, I was on the ground'

Following her collapse, the Miami lawyer was ultimately diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. It is a rare disorder that causes the immune system to damage the nerves in the body, which causes muscle weakness, and in some cases can result in paralysis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the syndrome affects one in 100,000 people per year.

When Walker fell from her chair, she had no idea what was happening to her body. The then-31-year-old thought it was partly due to stress and partly due to her general clumsiness.

"All of a sudden, I was on the ground," she said. "As a litigator, one of the primary things you have to figure out how to do is to recover, be good on your feet and organically respond to different circumstances. I was in front of my client and acting on behalf of my firm and I wanted to make a strong showing that that was a really funny moment. I didn't want anyone to know something was wrong."

After court that day, Walker talked with her family. She asked them for advice about the odd problems her body was experiencing. While they recommended she go to the hospital, she decided she would wait until after the verdict.

The next evening, she woke up in the middle of the night in extreme pain. That's when Walker took an Uber to the hospital.

"Within 72 hours, I was completely paralyzed," Walker said. "I was a quadriplegic on a ventilator."

Christine Walker, a partner with Fowler White Burnett in Miami, regains strength in rehab at Shepherd Center in Atlanta while recovering from the Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Walker was in the hospital for the next three months. She eventually transitioned from being without movement to where she is now, walking without the assistance of a walker.

"I was hit with one of the most severe versions of GBS," Walker said, referring to the Guillain-Barré syndrome. "It went all the way up to my breathing mechanism. Without advanced medicine, I would have died because everything would have been paralyzed."

Walker has not recovered completely. She says most people take more than two years to get to the level of functionality she has gained within one year.

She works a nearly full-time schedule for Fowler White. As Walker continues to recover, she also eyes the day when she will be back to life as she knew it before Guillain-Barré syndrome.

"My first goal is to get back to work full time," she said.

One of the ways she improves her mobility is by riding a horse twice a week. Walker, who was volunteer of the year in 2009 for the United Way of Broward County, has plans to help people with neurological, multiple sclerosis and other muscular maladies through hippotherapy. The horse movements can help patients plan their movements by stimulating the nervous system.

Walker said, "It has helped me with the confidence knowing that I'm not going to fall, or as soon as I fall, I will get back up."

Christine M. Walker

Born: Toronto, Ontario

Education: Tulane University, LL.M.; Nova Southeastern University, J.D.; University of Miami, B.B.A.

Work Experience: Fowler White, 2013 to present