Charlotte Partner Lance Lawson was recently honored with a 2019 Citizen Lawyer Award by the North Carolina Bar Association. The Citizen Lawyer Award recognizes lawyers who exemplify the ideals of a “citizen lawyer” by their involvement in the community. Lance was one of 11 recipients to receive the award this year, all who will be honored at a special dinner on June 20^th at the Biltmore in Asheville.

At Burr Forman McNair, Lance serves as the firm’s Charlotte Office Managing Partner and is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group. A licensed Professional Engineer, Lance focuses his practice on patent infringement and other intellectual property litigation including trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, and trade secrets, as well as commercial disputes involving technology.

Prior to pursuing law, Lance served nine years on active duty as a civil engineer officer with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, including three years as chief of engineering and design in a construction unit, and one year commanding a construction unit in both Iraq and Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Lance served as an attorney at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserves, while performing duties as the general counsel to several military units in the Southeast. Lance also serves as a college liaison counselor to high school students interested in attending a service academy.

About the Citizen Lawyer Award:

The Citizen Lawyer Award was established to recognize and thank lawyers who, in addition to their legal work, exemplify the ideals of a citizen lawyer by volunteering their time for worthy community or civic causes to improve the quality of life of those in their local or statewide communities. This award recognizes role models who inspire other lawyers to invest their time and talents in service-oriented activities. Criteria: Nominations are encouraged for lawyers who are NCBA members and work outside their law practice to help others. The lawyer’s service can be in a local community or on a statewide basis, including:

• Military service
• Elected or appointed service in local or state government
• Service on boards of community agencies or nonprofit organizations
• Leadership in public service projects, such as Habitat for Humanity, scouting or youth sports
• Significant volunteer involvement with schools, faith-based programs, or other service-minded organizations

The full list of the 2019 honorees can be found on the North Carolina Bar website.