Moore & Van Allen PLLC is pleased to announce that Litigation Member M. Cabell Clay was selected to receive the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) Young Lawyers Division’s (YLD) 2016 Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award. Clay will be formally presented with the award during the NCBA Annual Meeting, which will be held in Charlotte in June.

“Congratulations to Cabell on this highly deserved honor,” said Moore & Van Allen Litigation and Management Committee Member Alton (Larry) L. Gwaltney. “Her tireless devotion to our profession and community service reflect great credit upon her, our firm, and our Bar.”

“I was extremely pleased to learn that Cabell Clay has been selected by the Young Lawyers Division to receive this year’s Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award,’ said NCBA Communications Director Russell Rawlings. “It has been my good fortune to work with Cabell on a number of the projects with which she has been involved. At every turn, she has provided exceptional leadership, communication and organization.”

The Blanchard Award was established to recognize young lawyers for their distinguished and meritorious service and is named in honor of Charles Blanchard, founding chair of the YLD who served in 1953-1955.

“When you see Cabell’s name attached to a project, you know that it will be a success. She is thorough, dependable and, perhaps most importantly, always conducts herself in a professional manner,” Rawlings said. “It comes as no surprise to me that the qualities that have made her an invaluable volunteer leader have also helped make her an outstanding young attorney.”

In her general commercial litigation practice, Clay has assisted clients with trade secret and restrictive covenant litigation, class action defense, regulatory defense, internal investigations, securities and mortgage fraud defense, contract claims, civil appeals, and Department of Labor agency disputes, among other matters. Clay, a published author and recognized speaker within the legal community, was elected to firm membership in January 2016. In 2013, Clay was selected internally for a six-month special assignment with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, the largest in the state. During this period, Clay served as an assistant district attorney prosecuting primarily misdemeanor and drug crimes.

Since 2012, Clay has contributed more than 1,600 hours to pro bono and public service initiatives, placing particular priority on causes surrounding domestic violence, regional hunger, and human trafficking. In recognition of her efforts, Clay received the Sally and Bill Van Allen Public Service Award in 2014 and was recognized with Safe Alliance’s Commitment to Justice Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Clay completed a two-year term as co-chair of the NCBA’s North Carolina Legal Feeding Frenzy. She currently chairs the NCBA YLD’s new How to Practice Law Taskforce, a project designed to provide practical “how-to” knowledge to young attorneys. Clay also currently serves on the NCBA YLD Executive Committee and is the District 9 (North Carolina) representative to the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. She served on the Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) Board of Directors from 2012-2015 and belongs to the MCB’s Young Lawyers Division, where she has served on the Community Service Committee since 2008. Clay is a member of the Charlotte Women’s Bar and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Council for Children’s Rights.

Clay earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia and her J.D. from the College of William & Mary.