SC Bar Young Lawyers Division receives top honors at ABA Annual Meeting

COLUMBIA, SC – The SC Bar Young Lawyers Division (YLD) won three Awards of Achievement and was named the “Overall Outstanding Affiliate” at the American Bar Association (ABA) Annual Meeting on Aug. 5 in San Francisco, CA. The Awards of Achievement included first place for comprehensive programming and the Division’s newsletter, S.C. Young Lawyer, and second place in diversity for the “Diversity, Inclusion, and Leadership in the Law” lunch program with ABA President Paulette Brown. Additionally, past president of the SC Bar YLD, Will Johnson of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA was named an ABA YLD Star of the Year, and SC Bar YLD member Trey Ingram of Smith Moore Leatherwood, LLP was given the ABA YLD Child Advocacy Award.

“I am so proud of all the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division accomplished during this past year and that its successes led to the ABA recognizing it as the most outstanding YLD in the country,” said Patrick Wooten, immediate past president of the SC Bar YLD. “This is a tremendous honor for our state and is attributable to the excellent work of the many young lawyer leaders across South Carolina who selflessly give their time to serve the public and improve the legal profession.”

Comprehensive Programming
The SC Bar YLD won first place in comprehensive programming in recognition of its broad range of outstanding programs in 2015-16, including committees and projects such as the Annual Bar Convention Committee’s wellness and public service programming; Voices Against Violence Shelter Refurbishment Project; Special Olympics Bowling Buddies; wellness events as an alternative to traditional networking; The Cinderella Project; disaster relief efforts following statewide flooding; and more.

Newsletters: S.C. Young Lawyer
Winning first place in newsletters, S.C. Young Lawyer is a quarterly publication that includes substantive articles and information on the SC Bar YLD’s ongoing events. The S.C. Young Lawyer falls under the Publications and Marketing Committee, co-chaired by Jonathan Knicely of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Carmel Matin of American Progress.

Diversity: “Diversity, Inclusion, and Leadership in Law”
In conjunction with the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, the Diversity Committee’s “Diversity, Inclusion, and Leadership in Law” luncheon won second place in the diversity category. The CLE luncheon celebrated Paulette Brown, the first woman of color elected as American Bar Association President. At the event, Brown participated in a panel discussion about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. The Diversity Committee was co-chaired by Nichole Davis of the S.C. Department of Social Services, Marguerite Willis of Nexsen Pruet, LLC and Sidney Evering of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP.

For more information about YLD programs, visit www.scbar.org/yld.