He was an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C. from 1905 to 1908.

[1] Adkins was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on June 6, 1930, to an Associate Justice seat on the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (Associate Justice of the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia from June 25, 1936, now the United States District Court for the District of Columbia) vacated by Associate Justice Alfred Adams Wheat.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 17, 1930, and received his commission the same day.

He assumed senior status due to a certified disability on October 15, 1946.

His service terminated on March 29, 1955, due to his death in Washington, D.C.[1]