Blair Ballard Massey named S.C. Bar Law Related Education Lawyer of the Year
May 13, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – May 13, 2013 – Blair Ballard Massey of Aiken has been named the 2013 Lawyer of the Year by the S.C. Bar Law Related Education (LRE) Division. The award will be presented to Mrs. Massey at the Bar’s House of Delegates Meeting on May 16 at the Sand Dunes Club on Sullivan’s Island.
Mrs. Massey is a 2001 graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law and is an associate at Nance, McCants & Massey in Aiken. This award stems from Mrs. Massey’s devotion to the S.C. Bar Mock Trial program. She has been the Strom Thurmond High School Mock Trial attorney coach for more than 10 years, dedicating countless hours to preparing her team for competition. Mrs. Massey also works with Mock Trial on the middle school level, coaching the Merriweather Middle School and JET Middle School Mock Trial teams, which feed into Strom Thurmond. In the past three years, Mrs. Massey’s teams have placed second, first and third in the Mock Trial State Competition, respectively.
“Her relentless devotion to Strom Thurmond’s Mock Trial team is infectious and unifying,” said Denise Jackson, social studies teacher at Strom Thurmond High School. “[She] is passionate about the law and her Mock Trial team members and knows what the experience does to develop young high school students.”
Her passion for serving extends past Mock Trial. From 2003 to 2005, Mrs. Massey presided over trials with the Mecklenburg County Teen Court, a philanthropic program of Assistance League of Charlotte in which jurors hear actual cases of juveniles with no previous convictions who have admitted guilt to committing a misdemeanor offense.
Kaitlyn Pugh, Strom Thurmond High School Mock Trial team member, said: “Mrs. Massey helped me make a decision as to my own career path. After spending time under the wing of Mrs. Massey, I decided to pursue a career in the law as a prosecutor. She has served as a mentor to me throughout the past three years and I will be forever grateful for that.”
Each year, a member of the S.C. Bar who has either been nominated or self-nominated is awarded the honor of LRE Lawyer of the Year. The recipient of this award is one who has fostered public understanding of the values of our legal and judicial system; stimulated a deeper sense of individual responsibility by helping students recognize their legal duties and rights; encouraged and supported effective LRE programs; and increased communication among students, educators and those working in the legal system.
The S.C. Bar LRE Division, which was developed to improve the ability of teachers to instruct law related education, has been part of the Bar since 1976.
The South Carolina Bar, which has a membership of more than 14,000 lawyers, is dedicated to advancing justice, professionalism and understanding of the law.
