RALEIGH – Campbell Law School Dean Emerita Melissa Essary and two alumnae have been named among the 50 Most Influential Women in the state by N.C. Lawyers Weekly.
Adrienne S. Blocker ’98 of DeMayo Law Firm in Charlotte and Administrative Law Judge Melissa Owens Lassiter ‘90 of the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings are also being honored at an event the publication is hosting on Thursday, Oct. 24, in Charlotte.
The 50 Most Influential Women event spotlights the important role women leaders play in North Carolina’s legal and business community, according to organizers. Honorees are selected for their leadership, business acumen, mentoring and community involvement.
“It’s an honor to receive this award on behalf of the thousands of women across our state who are impacting their communities, large and small, for good,” Essary said.
The keynote speaker will be Carianne Fisher, executive director of N.C. Lawyers Weekly’s 2025 charitable partner, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In her current role, she strives to advance the work of the coalition and ensure that every survivor receives the appropriate support and resources whether they turn to a shelter, a therapist, the courts, law enforcement, or a friend for help.
Essary has taught employment courses since 1990, after practicing law for five years. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas, then earned her law degree from Baylor Law School, finishing second in her class. For 16 years, she taught law at Baylor Law School, where she won awards for teaching and scholarship. In 2006, she moved cross-country to become the first female dean at Campbell Law School. She led the school to its new home in Raleigh in 2009. She returned to full-time teaching at Campbell Law in 2012. Essary has held various leadership roles in the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) since 2006. At the state level, she has served on the North Carolina Justice Center Board of Directors and the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. And at the national level, she has served as a site reaccreditation team member for the American Bar Association (ABA) and through her service with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) on its Emerging Markets and Innovation and Finance and Legal Affairs committees. She has also published a textbook, “Client Interviewing, Counseling, and Decision-Making: A Practical Approach.”
Blocker is the Managing Trial Attorney at DeMayo Law Offices in Charlotte. She has been practicing plaintiff’s personal injury law for over 25 years, according to her firm’s website. Blocker is an advocate for giving back to the community. She is heavily involved with the North Carolina Mock Trial Program where she serves as Secretary of the Board. This organization sponsors a state-wide high school mock trial competition and teaches students life-long skills in self-assurance and public speaking. She enjoys traveling and has traveled to Australia, Guam and Russia. Prior to graduating from Campbell Law School in 1998, she earned her bachelor’s in business managment at Minot State University.
Lassiter has served as an Administrative Law Judge in Chapel Hill with the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) since March 1998. The OAH provides an independent forum for prompt and impartial resolution of administrative law contested cases involving citizens and state agencies, investigation of alleged unlawful employment practices in state government and codifying administrative rules.She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1987 and Campbell University School of Law in 1990. Lassiter, who lives in Chatham County, recently served as chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Administrative Law Section from 2020-2021.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.