Distinguished Paralegal Award Recipient Melissa “Missy” Donovan Honored for Outstanding Career
The most rewarding facet of Melissa “Missy” Donovan’s 35-year career has been the network of relationships she has built. She has fostered these relationships over the years by supporting colleagues, mentoring new paralegals, and advising in matters of appellate law at Cranfill Sumner. She has given back to the legal community by serving as the paralegal liaison for the NC Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee and as paralegal liaison to the Appellate Practice Section.
For these reasons and for her impact on others at the firm, Donovan was selected to receive the 2024-2025 Distinguished Paralegal Award. She was recognized on June 27, 2025, during the NCBA Awards Dinner and Presidential Installation. Alice Johnson, past chair of the Paralegal Division, provided remarks and presented the award. The event was held as part of the Annual Meeting in Asheville.
Celebrating the Distinguished Paralegal Award winner, from left, Executive Director Jason Hensley, honoree Missy Donovan, Paralegal Division Chair Alice Johnson, and President Kim Stogner.
Donovan feels grateful to have received this award.
“I am definitely honored and grateful, but I don’t really believe that I’m the most distinguished or best paralegal because there are a number out there who are better, and with a greater skill set, I’m sure. My running joke with everybody has been, the pickings must have been slim this year,” she said.
“But anyway, I am very honored and very appreciative of all the mentors and all the great people that I’ve worked with for a lot of years now, ‘cause I’ve been at this for a while.”
At Cranfill Sumner, where Donovan has worked for the past 21 years, she assists all attorneys at the firm as the case manager for all appeals. Before joining the firm, she became well-versed in appellate procedure through a 14-year career at the Court of Appeals.
During her presentation remarks, Johnson spoke of Donovan’s exceptional talents and generosity of spirit.
“Her knowledge and experience in navigating complex appellate procedures make her an invaluable asset to her firm and the broader legal community,” said Johnson.
“Missy is a leader and mentor at Cranfill and is always willing to assist colleagues and share her insights to strengthen the profession. It is not uncommon for attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants to seek Missy’s guidance when faced with a procedural question, and it is even rarer that she does not have the answer. She is a pillar of the firm and a vital part of its knowledge base.”
Donovan, who has worked in the legal field for her entire career, became interested in it while in college at the University of North Carolina. Recalling how she initially was drawn to the legal world, she reflects on that pivotal season during her junior year. At the time, she was majoring in Industrial Relations and working part-time at the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill. As she was thinking through the direction she wanted her career to take after college, she had a conversation with her mom, who worked in the clerk’s office at the NC Court of Appeals. In that conversation, Donovan shared with her mom how much she enjoyed working at the Institute of Government. Because Donovan expressed interest in finding a full-time role related to government work, her mom said she would ask around to see what positions might be available.
And this was how Donovan learned about a secretarial role in the Court of Appeals – a role that launched her career trajectory and helped her to discover the area in which she wanted to focus. She applied for the role and got the job, and when the summer was over, she knew she had found a special place.
“The judge that I was working with at the time, Judge Hedrick, when I left that summer, he’s said, ‘Well, when you find yourself in a position where you don’t have a job when you graduate in May, call me.’ I just went ahead and committed to him on the spot and said, ‘If you’ll take me, I’ll come back.’ It was just nice to go through your senior year knowing that you already had a job,” said Donovan.
Following college, Donovan began as a legal assistant for Staff Counsel and later became a paralegal, working with Chief Judge Robert Hedrick and Chief Judge John Martin and honed her abilities there for the next 14 years. Reflecting on her experiences, she recounts it as an amazing opportunity.
“I’ve got to give the court and all the judges I worked with there the credit for teaching me appellate procedure and being able to assist all the new attorneys and take them by the hand and say, ‘We’re going to get through this. I will march you through the process,’” said Donovan.
The position shaped her interest and experience in appellate law, and at the same time, gave her the chance to make contributions to the paralegal profession. As she continued to acquire detailed experience in appellate law, she observed how legal assistants for Staff Counsel were going beyond the expectations of their job descriptions, and scope of their responsibilities.
As a result, Donovan began to advocate for providing these legal assistants greater benefits and expanding their titles to that of paralegals.
“I would have to go spend an afternoon in the library pulling books and checking citations in the opinions, just to make sure citations were right. I said, ‘Hey guys, I think we need a little more money and a little more respect. Judge Hedrick agreed, and we worked with the Administrative Office of the Courts to get those positions upgraded to paralegal positions,” said Donovan.
As a whole, her role with the court was meaningful because she was able to facilitate added benefits for legal assistants and gain significant experience in appellate procedure. The people she met through this position were important from both a personal standpoint, as well as a professional one.
“I even ended up meeting my husband while I was there. He came in shortly after I started there as an attorney on staff counsel. At one point, my mom and my husband and I all worked at the Court of Appeals together,” she said.
“I loved my job at the court, but really, I loved my relationships with the law clerks who came along that I got to know. Then, they would go on to law firms, and then they would try to get me to come to the firms to work with them there.
“So that ultimately happened. One of my great friends and former law clerks for Judge John Martin, she was at Cranfill, and she was the chair of the firm’s Appellate Section. And she said, ‘Hey, don’t you want to come over here and help me? You know, the procedures and the workload are pretty significant.’”
After considering this new opportunity, Donovan decided to say yes. Now, more than two decades later, she hasn’t looked back.
“When I first joined Cranfill, they really needed somebody who could act as a case manager and keep up with all the deadlines, and so I agreed to do that. Then, at the same time, I got a bunch of great experience as a civil litigation paralegal and got to add that to my resume as well.”
Beyond acquiring new skillsets, the role has made it possible for her to continue honing her skills in appellate law, which she is passionate about.
“Appellate Law is a specialized little area that gives you some firepower because not many people do it. So it makes you somewhat indispensable, because it’s just such a small group of appellate lawyers and appellate paralegals who really jump in and love it and do it every day, because I think you have to do it every day to be knowledgeable,” said Donovan.
“I think it’s a fun field if you’re detail-oriented and really like to get down to the nitty gritty with the rules. The appellate courts are very specific and have a lot of requirements, and you can get away with more in state court, but you can get your appeal dismissed at the Court of Appeals if you don’t follow the rules. If you are rule-driven and really detail-oriented, I think it’s a fun way to go.”
As a paralegal with extensive experience, she has not only been influential in her firm, where she has mentored others, but also in the legal community. Donovan served as the first paralegal liaison for the NC Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee.
She was thrilled to serve in this capacity because she enjoys finding ways to enhance what the profession has to offer.
“It’s fun to be on the inside and know what’s going on with the Rules Committee,” she said. “I always felt like I had a little something to contribute there. I thought, I can contribute to what’s involved because I’m putting records on appeal together. I’m formatting these briefs. I’m following the rules every day. That part was really cool as I felt like I could make a contribution. But I think the best part about being on those committees is getting to know other folks in that practice group and getting to make those connections and getting to meet the appellate specialists.”
Donovan’s relationship-oriented attitude has carried her far in her career, and it has also helped others.
“I probably reach out to somebody or use that knowledge that I gained working on those committees every day. You can’t beat the connections you make,” said Donovan. “The paralegals I got to know – I have people calling me all the time based on being on those committees and just being able to network. I get phone calls from people I’ve never met who are like, ‘I heard you’re the person to reach out to about an appeal. Can I ask you some questions? I love that. I’m always happy to talk to people.”
When asked why it has been valuable for her to be connected to others in the division and volunteer with the legal community, she lists the many rewards.
“It’s as much as you put into it. You’re going to get plenty back, I think. Some people are hesitant because they don’t want to take on the extra work, but I think it makes you a better paralegal, furthers your organizational skills, and like I said, the networking will stay with you for years and years. Those connections you make will get you jobs later down the road and help you with other committee work.”
For the time she has given to support her colleagues in her firm, her fellow members in the Paralegal Division and the NCBA, and the broader legal community, we applaud Donovan for her bountiful goodwill and service. Her efforts are a testament to her bright spirit, hard work and determination to make a difference – and she has done exactly that.
Jessica Junqueira is communications manager for the North Carolina Bar Association.