YLD Awards Presented at Annual Meeting
The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association presented the Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award and the Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award on Friday, June 21, at the NCBA Annual Meeting in Charlotte.
The awards were presented during the Awards Dinner and Presidential Installation by Jonathan Bogues, outgoing YLD chair. The Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award, which is presented annually to a YLD member, was also presented during the Pro Bono Awards component of the ceremony.
Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award
Sidney Thomas
The Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award was established to recognize young lawyers for their distinguished and meritorious service. The award is named for the late Charles F. Blanchard, who served as founding chair of the Young Lawyers Division from 1953-55.
This year’s winner is Sidney Thomas, who serves as an attorney in the N.C. Office of the Commissioner of Banks. She is also an appointed member of the North Carolina Financial Literacy Council and a former employee of the N.C. Department of Commerce and the N.C. General Assembly.
Sidney has served as co-chair to the YLD’s Law Week and Liberty Bell Committee and YLD Liaison to the Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights Section.
“For the last few years,” Bogues stated, “Sidney, along with her co-chair, has seamlessly pulled off the Law Week and Liberty Bell celebration, and the event has grown each year. Sidney exemplifies distinguished and meritorious service to the Young Lawyers Division.”
Sidney is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (B.A., political science and government, 2011), North Carolina Central University (master’s in public administration, 2016), and North Carolina Central University School of Law (juris doctor, 2016). She served as a volunteer with Durham County Teen Court, the Elder Law Clinic and the VITA Tax Clinic while in law school, and has been a volunteer attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina since 2018.
Robinson O. Everett Award
William Walton
The Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award was established in 2010 in honor of Judge Robinson Everett, a Duke law professor and former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. The award recognizes young lawyers who embody the spirit of legal professionalism and service.
This year’s winner is William Walton, who serves as Assistant General Counsel for the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections. Will previously served in the N.C. Department of Justice as an attorney and Assistant Attorney General.
“Will is the ultimate professional,” Bogues said. “Prior to serving as Community Outreach Division Director, Will has graciously served in numerous other roles within the YLD. Will has consistently shown up and completed any task asked of him or that would continue to propel the YLD forward.”
Will is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A., economics, 2009) and North Carolina Central University School of Law (Juris Doctor, cum laude, 2013).
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.