NCBA names Smith Anderson Attorney James Dorsett “Citizen Lawyer”

Smith Anderson Attorney James Dorsett, III has been named a recipient of the 2021 North Carolina Bar Association Citizen Lawyer Award. Jim is among nine esteemed honorees selected across the state, including Cheri Beasley, former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, Judge Richard Dietz of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Judge Karlene Turrentine of the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings, according the Bar Association’s latest e-bar newsletter. 

The award was established in 2007 to recognize 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, and who serve as role models who inspire other lawyers to invest their time and talents in service-oriented activities,” according to the association. 

Jim has spent decades serving the community and our state, supporting local charities such as Loaves & Fishes and Food Runners Collaborative; civic organizations such as the Rotary Club of Raleigh, the Fifty Group and City Club Raleigh; schools including Ravenscroft and Davidson College; and professional organizations such as the North Carolina State Bar and its Foundation and the North Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society – having served as president or board chair for a number of these organizations. Jim has also served as a North Carolina Delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, as State Chair of the American Bar Foundation and of the International Society of Barristers, and as president of the American Counsel Association. 

The NCBA’s Citizen Lawyer Award is a way for peers to recognize some of the work that fellow attorneys do through and outside of the profession. The award will be presented at the NCBA’s Annual Meeting on June 17 at 5:00 pm during a virtual ceremony.