Citizen Lawyer Wade Harrison
Article Date: Friday, June 26, 2009
Written By: by Frankie Jones, Jr.
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Wade Harrison, left, accepts award from President Charles Becton.
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The North Carolina Bar Association recently recognized Burlington attorney Wade
Harrison as one of 12 outstanding Citizen Lawyer Award winners honored for
extraordinary service to the community outside of the legal profession.
A life-long civil servant, Harrison credits his participation in
Boy Scouts as the formative experience that developed his passion for service.
In fact, the Boy Scout credo, “To Help Other People at All Times,” is a
philosophy that Harrison continues to apply to his daily life. One of the key
lessons that Harrison learned from his service in Boy Scouts is that “it’s
appropriate and fulfilling to be of service to others.”
That lesson taken to heart, Harrison has participated in a number
of capacities in various service organizations throughout his life. Harrison
devotedly raises money for Alamance Community College Foundation. The
foundation’s mission is to make it possible for every person aspiring to attend
Alamance Community College to be able to do so regardless of that person’s
financial circumstances. Therefore, every dollar the foundation raises directly
pays for someone’s tuition.
“When you are working in service to others, the people who are
involved with you are some of the greatest folks you will ever meet. It’s a
real blessing to be involved with something to help other people.” He sees law
as a “helping profession” full of people with “the skill and talent that can
really be helpful in communities – and that is what we are supposed to use it
for, to make things better around you.”
His past community leadership roles include: chair of the Alamance
County Strategic Planning Task Force; chair of the Alamance County United Way;
chair of the March of Dimes Steering Committee for Alamance County; Professional
Division chair for the Alamance County Arts Council capital campaign; deacon and
elder in the First Presbyterian Church; and assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout
Troop 9.
Harrison is an equity member of Wishart, Norris, Henninger and
Pittman where he concentrates his practice in the area of family law. Harrison
has been named in Best Lawyers in America and North Carolina Super Lawyers
publications. He is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and a Fellow of
the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Additionally, he was inducted into the American Academy of
Matrimonial Lawyers in 2000 and is a certified AAML Arbitrator. Harrison
received both his bachelor’s degree (1976) and his law degree (1979) from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife of 33 years, Ellen,
have two children, Evan (28) and Allison (23).
Provided by the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina
Bar Association in conjunction with the Citizen Lawyer Task Force in recognition
of recipients of the 2009 Citizen Lawyer Awards. The awards were presented on
Friday, June 26, at the NCBA Annual Meeting in Asheville.