Young Lawyers Division Announces Award Winners
The article below has been updated as of August 2020.
The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association, convening via webcast on Thursday, June 25, announced the recipients of its three annual awards:
Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award
Sheila Renee Spence, Durham, Blue Cross NC
Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award
R. Bryan Norris Jr., Raleigh, N.C. Court of Appeals
Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award
Tiffany Burba, Raleigh, Parker Poe
(previously announced with NCBA Pro Bono Awards)
Sheila Renee Spence
Sheila Renee Spence of Durham is the winner of the Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award. The award was established to recognize young lawyers for their distinguished and meritorious service and is named in honor of Charles Blanchard, founding chair of the YLD who served in 1953-55.
“It was a pleasure to work with Sheila Spence this past year,” said 2019-20 YLD Chair Cabell Clay. “She is a hardworking, visionary leader who has used her talents to better our profession and our communities. The NCBA YLD is lucky to have Sheila dedicating her time and energy on our behalf!”
Spence has been involved with the YLD’s Legal LINK program since law school, and has chaired the project the past two years. Legal LINK (Leadership, Information, Networking, and Knowledge) is designed to increase interest in legal careers among high school students who are underrepresented in the legal profession.
“I am very honored and excited to receive this award from the YLD,” Spence said. “It means a lot to me, especially as a young lawyer. I grew up in the small town of Spring Lake, right outside of Fayetteville/Fort Bragg. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major in English and African and Afro-American Studies.
“Additionally, I received my law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2017, so I can’t believe all of the success I’ve achieved before the age of 30! This award means so much to me because it’s a symbol of all of the work I’ve done with the YLD over the years, and it is a reminder of how rewarding it is to give back to the community.”
Volunteer service, Spence added, has enhanced her legal career by increasing her leadership skills.
“I started out in the YLD as a law student member and served on the Legal LINK committee. During my first year out of law school, I became chair of the Legal LINK committee and revamped the entire program. Legal LINK consists of one-hour sessions focused on each of the LINK building blocks and includes a field trip to a local law school or courthouse. Over the past three years, I’ve enjoyed watching the program expand from two schools in Durham and Roxboro to several schools across the Triangle and in Charlotte.
“I am honored to serve as the Division Director for Community Outreach next year, overseeing several committees including Legal LINK, Legal Feeding Frenzy, Diversity and Inclusion, and Law Week and Liberty Bell. The leadership skills I have attained as part of becoming a member of the YLD will certainly further assist me in my professional legal career. Additionally, the networking and collaboration among other young lawyers, judges, and community members has been invaluable to my career as well. I look forward to continuing to lead and grow within the organization!”
Spence also served as an ABA YLD Scholar last year. She joined Blue Cross NC as a staff attorney in 2018, and has served as Strategic Policy Consultant since 2019. Spence began her legal career as a contract attorney with the Fayetteville Public Works Commission.
R. Bryan Norris Jr.
R. Bryan Norris Jr. of Raleigh is the winner of the Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award. The award was established in 2010 in honor of Judge Everett, a Duke law professor and former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces who died in 2009.
“When I was planning for my chair year,” Clay said, “I asked Bryan what he was interested in doing for the year. And his response was, ‘I am happy to help wherever you need me.’ That sums up Bryan to a tee. He is always willing to help in whatever way is needed.
“And whatever he does, he does it well and with a wonderful, can-do attitude. He always treats everyone with grace and respect. He is a standard all young attorneys should aspire to meet in terms of professionalism.”
For 2019-20, Norris served as co-chair of the new Civic Engagement Committee, which was designed to encourage young lawyers to become more engaged within their communities through civic activity. He has also served two years as a YLD Division Director and ABA House of Delegates Representative, and previously chaired the YLD Legal Feeding Frenzy and Bar Exam Committees.
“I can say without reservation that my time with the NCBA and the YLD has been a highlight of my legal career,” Norris said. “Every project I’ve been involved with has had a tangible positive impact on the profession and the public, and the folks I’ve worked alongside have been dedicated, diligent, and deliberate in ensuring that’s the case. From Bar Association staff like Jacquelyn Terrell and Lauren Colvard who work behind the scenes and alongside the membership to facilitate the YLD’s mission, to the volunteer attorneys, committee members, and YLD executive leadership who draft and execute the Division’s goals, all have made contributions that enrich the community and the practice of law.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve beside such talented people. I am humbled that Cabell Clay – the latest contributor to a long legacy of exemplary leadership as YLD chair – saw fit to recognize me with the Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award. Needless to say, I am excited to continue working with the NCBA and the YLD under our new chair, Kristen Kirby, and beyond.”
Norris is a graduate of Davidson College (2010) and the University of North Carolina School of Law (2013). He previously served as an associate with Wishart Norris in Burlington and Sharpless & Stavola in Greensboro, and presently serves as a law clerk to Judge Lucy Inman of the N.C. Court of Appeals.
Tiffany Burba
Tiffany Burba of Raleigh is the winner of he Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award. The award is presented by the NCBA Young Lawyers Division to a YLD member who has made extraordinary contributions by providing exemplary legal services without a fee and increased access to justice on behalf of persons of limited means and/or charitable groups or organizations.
Tiffany Burba is an NCBA Young Lawyers Division member who has provided exemplary pro bono legal service. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland (2014) and Vanderbilt University, where in 2017 she earned the Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School and the Master of Science in Management from the Owen Graduate School of Management. She joined Parker Poe in 2018, and despite her billable workload as a corporate and intellectual property attorney, over the past several years she has consistently demonstrated a passion for and commitment to pro bono legal service, including becoming accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans with filing VA-benefits claims and appeals. In 2019, Tiffany completed 75.5 hours of pro bono service, and in 2018 completed over 50 hours of pro bono service.
This article is part of the August 2020 issue of North Carolina Lawyer. Access a curated view of NC Lawyer or view the table of contents.