(CHARLOTTE, N.C.)—The Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) named William L. Esser IV as the 2011 Pro Bono Outstanding Individual Attorney. The award, presented at the MCB's annual meeting on May 19, recognizes the extraordinary efforts of Mecklenburg County lawyers who have contributed a significant amount of time and energy towards pro bono work over the past year.
“Congratulations to Will on this outstanding achievement – he is most deserving,” said Mary Jordan Samuel, MCB Volunteer Lawyer Program Coordinator, in a letter announcing the award. “We look forward to recognizing Will’s tremendous contribution to our community as a volunteer attorney.”
A partner with Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Esser’s practice includes commercial litigation, bankruptcies, foreclosures and loan servicing. He serves on the Parker Poe Pro Bono Committee in which he has performed various roles including coordinating the Firm’s representation of landlord/tenant matters and estate files through Legal Aid of North Carolina and Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont.
“We are proud of Will for receiving this notable recognition for his pro bono work over the last year,” said Bill Farthing, Parker Poe Managing Partner. “Will’s many achievements, his dedication to his work, and his strong commitment to both his clients and the community raise the bar for all attorneys in our firm and in Mecklenburg County.”
Esser has participated in numerous capacities with the Bar at the local, regional and state levels. He has also served as the co-chair of the Impact Fund for the Foundation for the Carolinas. In addition, he is a past president of Room at the Inn, Inc., a safe haven for pregnant women and their children. As a board member, he helped initiate a capital campaign to build the nation's first college-based maternity and after-care residential facility to be housed near Belmont Abbey College.
Esser is co-founder and past president of the Saint Thomas More Society and a member of the National Alumni Board of Belmont Abbey College. In 2010, he was named as a recipient of Belmont Abbey’s 2010 Brother Gregory Corcoran Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award. Esser served as an adjunct professor at the College in 2006, and was named a recipient of the “40 under 40” award by the Charlotte Business Journal in 2009.
He is a graduate of Belmont Abbey College (B.A., summa cum laude, 1995) and the University of Notre Dame (J.D., magna cum laude, 1999).
About Parker Poe
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has 230 lawyers in six offices located in major markets across North Carolina and South Carolina. The Firm provides legal counsel to large commercial and public organizations on litigation, corporate and regulatory matters. It has been recognized in recent years as one of the fastest growing law firms in the United States and as an award-winning leader in the use of technology to provide better and more efficient service to domestic and international clients.