2018 Citizen Lawyer Award Winner Linda Reid Oldham

The Citizen Lawyer Committee of the NCBA Young Lawyers Division, in conjunction with the NCBA Local Bar Outreach Committee, provides expanded coverage of the 2018 Citizen Lawyer Awards in recognition of their volunteer service and leadership in their communities and beyond.

By Raina J. Wallace

SOUTHERN PINES – The North Carolina Bar Association is pleased to honor Linda Reid Oldham as a 2018 recipient of the Citizen Lawyer Award.

Oldham, a Managing Partner at Crockett, Oldham, Pope & Donadio, has been described as an “upstanding citizen” and “notable lawyer” by her colleagues on the NCBA Women in the Profession Committee. Gary Faircloth, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, described Oldham as “a tremendous servant who gives freely of her time, talents, and treasures to help improve the lives of so many individuals.”

Oldham is the daughter of Clyde and Alma Reid of Aberdeen, and her family stressed the importance of education.  Oldham chose the legal profession to honor her family; she believed that “being in a profession that helps other people was what was meant by doing well.”

Oldham has been heavily involved in her community through numerous organizations (including The Aberdeen Lions, Moore4Jesus, and Teen Court), but she is most devoted to her work advocating on behalf of children through Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina. Oldham was first introduced to the Homes when her local Jaycee chapter travelled to the Lake Waccamaw campus to plant azaleas around the cottages and interact with the children who lived there. She went back home that day; but her heart never did. She eventually became chairman of the Boys and Girls Homes Board of Trustees, and continues to work to ensure that abused and neglected children have a safe haven to call “home.”

David G. Crockett, founding partner of Crockett, Oldham, Pope & Donadio, most admires Oldham for “the long black veil refrain acts – the ones that nobody knows and nobody sees…These include those long nights at the rest homes or hospitals with the aged and lonely and dying, frequently widows, who just need to share prayers or holding hands for human comfort in their last hours.”

Oldham is a member of Aberdeen First Baptist Church, and she cherishes her mission opportunities in North Carolina and throughout the Middle East and East Asia. Her faith in God has greatly impacted her career, and she has a prayer closet next to her office. She writes prayers for clients and hangs them on the wall; doing so “sustains [her] strength as an attorney.”

Oldham sees her career as her ministry. She enjoys being a part of the restorative process for clients, and she embraces having “the opportunity to share with people during some of their most stressful and darkest times.” She relieves stress for her clients “by being prompt, listening intently, and validating their concerns.” She cheerfully describes herself as an “Attorney and Counselor at Law.”

Oldham seeks to fulfill the scripture in Luke 12:48 (KJV): “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” She concluded: “I believe my cup runneth over for a reason, so that I can be poured out and shared with others.”

Raina J. Wallace is a case reviewer for Synthesis Expert Support Services.