Durham Bar Foundation:  Adam Lischer Memorial Scholarship Awards
 
In December 2002, the Durham County Bar Association created a scholarship fund to honor two attorneys who were retiring from public office. This effort then developed into a way to honor the service and history of recently departed members of the Durham Bar. In 2003, the non-profit organization, the Durham Bar Foundation, Inc., was formally established to raise funds each year, to award and administer the scholarship program and to fund other charitable endeavors.  In 2006, the scholarship was permanently named in memory of Adam Lischer, who died on July 17, 2005, after a brief struggle with cancer.

Adam Lischer was a member of the Fourteenth Judicial District Bar.  He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Washington College of Law at American University.  The scholarship honors his career as a public service lawyer: following graduation he served as a judicial clerk to the honorable Linda M. McGee on the North Carolina Court of Appeals; he was awarded the Clifton W. Everett Community Lawyer Fellowship, which he discharged with Easter Carolina legal Services; for four years he served as Assistant District Attorney for Nash, Edgecombe, and Wilson Counties; as a Durham attorney he received cases from the Office of the Capital Defender.

The purpose of the scholarship fund is to provide assistance to residents and/or natives of Durham County who are attending law school, who can demonstrate a significant connection to the Durham community. Since its inception the scholarship program has enjoyed strong support from the Bar as a way of both recognizing and supporting such students. To date 18 scholarships have been awarded.

Tax-deductible donations can be made by check payable to Durham Bar Foundation, Inc, PO Box 593, Durham, NC 27702.

The Foundation’s scholarships are awarded based on three criteria: connection to Durham County, financial need, and professional or academic achievement. The deadline for applications for the 2012 scholarship is Friday, March 16, 2012. We anticipate announcing the awards in mid-April. The students who are awarded the 2012 scholarships will be invited to attend the April or May luncheon meeting of the Durham Bar and will be introduced at the luncheon.

CLICK HERE to download the application.

Should you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Bonnie Biggs, Executive Director, at 919-682-2012 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
2010  Award Results
2010 Adam Lischer Memorial Scholarship Winners

Raina Haque and Johanna Jennings are the 2010 recipients of the Durham Bar Foundation’s Adam Lischer Memorial Scholarships.

Raina Haque has completed her first year at UNC School of Law, carrying a 3.65. She graduated from Wellesley in 2007. She worked for Merrill Lynch for two years before law school, participates in pro bono clinics -- 90 hours last year (low income wills, powers of attorney, etc.), and will work for BlueCross BlueShield of NC this summer. She will also serve on the Pro Bono Board at UNC, where she will act as a liaison between UNC Law Students and Attorneys who need assistance with their pro bono projects.  She has lived in Durham for 25 years and was recommended to us by UNC Law Professors Maxine Eichner and Ruth Ann McKinney.
 
Johanna Jennings has completed her second year at Duke Law School, has a GPA of 3.44, and graduated from Rice, Phi Beta Kappa, in 2007. She volunteers with a youth home here in Durham and is involved with the Children's Law Clinic. She has volunteered with the ACLU Cap. Punishment Project and the Texas Innocence Project. She has lived in Durham for 13 years and was recommended to the Bar by Duke Law Professors Stella Boswell and Jane Wettach.
 
2009 Award Results
2009 Adam Lischer Memorial Scholarship Winners
Catherine McLean and Carolyn Willer are the 2009 recipients of the Durham Bar Foundation’s Adam Lischer Memorial Scholarships.

Catherine Lee McClean is a Durham native and a 2006 graduate, with Distinction, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated this month from the Wake Forest University School of Law, where she maintained an 86 point average and was recommended to us by Professor Charles Rose. Her volunteer commitment has been demonstrated through her work with the homeless shelter and through tutoring and mentoring at Eastway Elementary school.
 
Carolyn Wade Willer was born in Durham. She graduated from Wake Forest University, Magna Cum Laude,  in 2006, and is in her second year at Duke University School of Law, where she has earned a 3.53 average, and comes to us with a recommendation from Professor and Former Dean Kate Bartlett. Her commitment   to the community is evident in her work as a Guardian Ad-Litem volunteer, and a Durham County Teen Court Advisor and Mentor.
 
Ms. Willer and Ms. McClean both attended the May 13th DCBA Luncheon.
 
Where are they now?

2004: Suzanne Begnoche served as a staff attorney at Legal Aid-Durham and then opened her own practice serving Durham and Orange counties.

2006: LiBria Stephens opened her law office in Durham and continues to practice here.

2008: Ryan Connolly currently practices in Durham, with Pulley, Watson, King & Lischer, PA.

2010: Johanna Jennings will join the Fair Trial Initiative in Durham, as an Osborn Fellow, following her graduation from Duke Law.

2010: Raina Haque is currently in her second year at UNC Law. She is serving as the Spring Break Pro Bono coordinator, organizing a variety of pro bono opportunities for UNC law students in the Durham area.