Congratulations, Kamesha Laurry, on Being Awarded the Plaxen Adler Muncy Civil Trial Advocacy Scholarship
(L-R): Josh Plaxen, Kamesha Laurry (scholarship award winner), David Muncy, Sara El-Shall and Bruce Plaxen
Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. is pleased to announce that this year’s Civil Trial Advocacy Scholarship has been awarded to Kamesha Laurry. Ms. Laurry will start her first year at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law this fall. We awarded Ms. Laurry her $2500 scholarship at our office in Columbia, MD, and were even more impressed meeting her in person. We are honored to be able to help Ms. Laurry pursue her career at one of the finest law schools in the country.
About Kamesha Laurry
Kamesha Laurry is a Maryland native, who graduated magna cum laude from Oakwood University in Alabama, with a degree in Pre-law/Political Science. During her four years, Ms. Laurry was an active member of her college community, working as a Teaching Assistant in the English and Foreign Language Department, serving as the Senior Class Coordinator for Oakwood University’s United Student Movement, as well as the Treasurer and Fundraising Committee Chair for Phi Alpha Delta, a professional service organization composed of pre-law students, law students, legal educators, attorneys, judges, and government officials.
In 2016, Ms. Laurry was granted the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Education Reform Fellowship, an initiative aimed at building a pipeline for African-American engagement in education reform. During that time, she interned with Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), a non-profit organization with 30,000 members, which strove to increase education equity through advocacy and policy change.
It was during this experience that Ms. Laurry’s true leadership skills shined through. Her team of Fellows participated in a case competition in which they researched racial disparities in the K-12 education system for the Atlanta City School District. Based on their findings of racial disparity in regard to suspensions and expulsions in the ACSD, her team proposed the creation of a non-profit organization, All-in-For-Education (AIFE), which would help improve disciplinary practices in the Atlanta district by formulating suspension and expulsion alternatives. The vision of AIFE was to eliminate suspension and expulsion as a form of punishment and replace it with rehabilitation and conflict resolution programs. This project earned Ms. Laurry and her team second place in the competition.
Committed to justice, equality and integrity
“I believe that integrity is one of the most important qualities an attorney can have, because it displays the authenticity and genuineness of an attorney’s character,” said Ms. Laurry. “It is important for attorneys to be honest and obtain moral principles for our justice system to operate the way that it is intended: fair and equal.” This commitment to authenticity and integrity is one of the reasons Ms. Laurry chose Northwestern. Their law students learn to collaborate with classmates in order to foster success, and the best way to accomplish this is to work honestly with one another.
Ms. Laurry also has first-hand experience with the civil justice system. In 2016, she was hit by a driver under the influence of drugs. The collision had enough force to flip her car, and she suffered extensive injuries to her legs. She also spent months in outpatient therapy, fighting for 100% recovery.
It is this fighting spirit that drew us to Kamesha in the first place. Not only did she understand, truly, what personal injury victims go through – the pain, the hard work, the fights with the insurance companies – but she refused to give up on her goals. This, along with her impressive resume and leadership experience in and out of school, made her an excellent choice for this year’s scholarship award.
About the Plaxen Adler Muncy Civil Trial Advocacy Scholarship
Every year, Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. awards a $2500 scholarship to a current or incoming student at an accredited law school in the U.S. The student must demonstrate his or her commitment to civil trial advocacy, diversity and inclusion, and be interested in a career as a civil trial attorney. We look for applicants who will fight for justice on behalf of the injured and for those whose rights have been placed in jeopardy.
We are proud to help contribute to Kamesha Laurry’s future. We expect great things from her. All of us at Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. would like to say “Congratulations” to Kamesha, and we wish her the best in her endeavors.
Bruce Plaxen was honored as the 2009 Maryland Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Maryland Association for Justice. For more information on his legal background, please visit his attorney bio.