Walt Wilkins was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. In 1996 he graduated from Wofford College and received his law degree from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law in 1999.

Walt began his professional career as an attorney with Lockheed Martin Aircraft in Argentina, and in 2000 he joined the Greenville law firm of Leatherwood, Walker, Todd and Mann. He also served as an adjunct professor at Greenville Technical College. In 2003, he was selected Young Lawyer of the Year by the American Board of Trial Advocates.

In 2005, Walt was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Greenville Office. While there he handled several noteworthy cases including one of the largest mortgage fraud cases in the district, a large scale gambling operation which resulted in one of the largest forfeiture cases in the Upstate, and a high profile human trafficking case. In 2006 Walt received the United States Secret Service Award for Outstanding Prosecution and the United States Attorney's award for Outstanding Prosecutor. In 2007 he was recognized for Outstanding Contribution to the Asset Forfeiture Program.

On May 7, 2008 President George W. Bush appointed Walt the United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina, and he was subsequently confirmed by the US Senate. As the forty-ninth United States Attorney for South Carolina, Walt served as the chief federal prosecutor for the state of South Carolina and chairman of the District's Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee. When he became US Attorney, Walt's main prosecution priorities were violent crimes, gangs and white collar crime. Through his cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies some of the most serious and violent gangs operating in the state were dismantled. In November, 2010 Walt was elected Solicitor of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and was sworn in for a four year term beginning on January 12, 2011.

After his election, Walt was appointed to serve on the Commission on Prosecution Coordination by Governor Nikki Haley. In March 2011 he established a Worthless Check Program for Greenville and Pickens that helps local businesses by collecting money on bad checks and transferring the funds to the victim. Walt also established a Sex Crime Prosecution Unit within his office to target and effectively prosecute sex crimes, particularly those against children. He also expanded the Juvenile Arbitration Program to include Greenville County. Solicitor Wilkins was re-elected to office in November 2014 and began his second term in January 2015. Walt was also reelected in November 2018 and began his third term in January 2019.

In August 2019, Walt along with Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown and the Greenville County municipalities Chiefs' of Police, launched the Greenville County Multi-jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU). The objective of the DEU is to conscientiously strive to provide professional drug enforcement on all levels in Greenville County and the cities within Greenville County with the goal of providing a safe and secure living environment to all citizens.

Walt is married to the former Donyelle Burton and they are the parents of three children.