Campbell Law Dean Emerita Melissa Essary, two alumnae recognized among N.C. 50 Most Influential Women

September 24, 2024

RALEIGH- Campbell Law School Dean Emerita Melissa Essaryand two alumnae have been named among the 50 Most Influential Women in the state by N.C. Lawyers Weekly.

Adrienne S. Blocker '98 of DeMayo Law Firmin Charlotte and Administrative Law Judge Melissa Owens Lassiter '90 of the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings are also being honored at an event the publication is hosting on Thursday, Oct. 24, in Charlotte.

The 50 Most Influential Womenevent spotlights the important role women leaders play in North Carolina's legal and business community, according to organizers. Honorees are selected for their leadership, business acumen, mentoring and community involvement.

The keynote speaker will be Carianne Fisher, executive director of N.C. Lawyers Weekly's 2025 charitable partner, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In her current role, she strives to advance the work of the coalition and ensure that every survivor receives the appropriate support and resources whether they turn to a shelter, a therapist, the courts, law enforcement, or a friend for help.

Essary has taught employment courses since 1990, after practicing law for five years. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas, then earned her law degree from Baylor Law School, finishing second in her class. She taught law at Baylor Law School for 16 years where she won awards for teaching and scholarship. In 2006, she moved cross-country from her native Texas to become the first female dean at Campbell Law School. She led the school to its new home in Raleigh in 2009. She returned to full-time teaching at Campbell in 2012. Essary has been involved in the North Carolina Bar Association in various leadership roles since 2006. She currently serves at the national level as a site reaccreditation team member for the American Bar Association, ensuring that law schools meet ABA accreditation standards. She has served on site teams six times, chairing the last three of those teams. She also represents Campbell at the national level through her service with the Law School Admissions Council's (LSAC). The LSAC appointed her in 2019 to serve as a member of its new Emerging Markets and Innovation Committee. For the previous four years, she served on the LSAC's Finance and Legal Affairs Committee. At the state level, she serves on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Justice Center, a leading research and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring the economic security of all North Carolinians. Most recently, the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court appointed her to serve a second term as a member of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, a unique state commission that hears claims of actual innocence. She also recentlypublished a textbook on client counseling entitled, "Client Interviewing, Counseling, and Decision-Making: A Practical Approach."

Blocker is the Managing Trial Attorney at DeMayo Law Offices in Charlotte. She has been practicing plaintiff's personal injury law for over 25 years, according to her firm's website. Blocker is an advocate for giving back to the community. She is heavily involved with the North Carolina Mock Trial Program where she serves as Secretary of the Board. This organization sponsors a state-wide high school mock trial competition and teaches students life-long skills in self-assurance and public speaking. She enjoys traveling and has traveled to Australia, Guam and Russia. Prior to graduating from Campbell Law School in 1998, she earned her bachelor's in business managment at Minot State University.

Lassiter has served as an Administrative Law Judge in Chapel Hill with the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) since March 1998. The OAH provides an independent forum for prompt and impartial resolution of administrative law contested cases involving citizens and state agencies, investigation of alleged unlawful employment practices in state government and codifying administrative rules.She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1987 and Campbell University School of Law in 1990. Lassiter, who lives in Chatham County, recently served as chair of the North Carolina Bar Association's Administrative Law Section from 2020-2021.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation's top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation's best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.

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