Alumni Highlight: Sheila R. Spence

Alumni Highlight: Sheila R. Spence, Esq.

Sheila R. Spence ’17 was recently honored as the recipient of the Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award by the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD) for her distinguished and meritorious community service to the bar. Sheila has been an active member of the NCBA since starting law school in 2014. During her tenure, she served as the YLD Division Director for Community Service Programs and led as the Legal LINK program chair. She has also served in various NCBA sections, including the Corporate Counsel Section, CLE committee, the Minorities in the Profession committee and the Sports and Entertainment section, which she chaired.

Sheila has also been awarded as a 2019 American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Scholar—a highly coveted and competitive leadership program that highlights successfully driven attorneys across the nation. She has served on several committees of the ABA YLD including the following: Credentialing Board, Membership Board, National Conference Team, Air and Space law committee, and the Legal Technology and Innovation committee. Sheila serves as Corporate counsel for a health care technology company with headquarters outside of Los Angeles. Previously she worked as a staff sttorney and strategic policy consultant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. She provides transactional support for various business areas concerning privacy, data security, technology, corporate, and employment law.

Outside of legal work, Sheila enjoys serving the Durham community. She is a Young Professionals Board member for the Caring House, a nonprofit residence that houses cancer patients with long commutes to their treatment centers. As a cancer survivor, she believes in the nonprofit’s mission of providing patients at Duke Cancer Institute with a peace of mind by helping them to secure affordable housing, and developing a positive and supportive community.

Sheila received her bachelor’s degree in English and African American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed her law degree with honors from NCCU School of Law.