Members

Login | Register | Member List

Syndicate

Online Poll

Site Statistics

Making her own place in history

By Robin L. Gardner
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Kia N. Scott has only been a lawyer for a little under two years and has already become the Cabarrus County Bar Association’s vice president and president-elect.

This means Scott, who is only 27, will serve as vice president this term and then take over in November as the first minority president of the Cabarrus County Bar Association, after being elected for the honor over two other lawyers who ran against her. 

Chris McCartan, a fellow attorney and the chairman of the Republican Party for Cabarrus County, has known Scott since she began practicing law a year and a half ago. He thinks she is “great,” and that she goes above and beyond in all her responsibilities.

“Kia handles her cases well,” McCartan said. “She is an excellent communicator and a real go-getter. The last four presidents have been under 35. It has to be someone with a lot of energy. 

“It helps to be energetic. I’m proud to have her as an officer. She has a desire to make a difference. That’s what she is all about.” 

Scott talked about 2009 being a year for firsts, such as President Barack Obama’s election and Penelope Cruz being the first Hispanic to win an Oscar.

“It made my accomplishment intensify and my appreciation for being elected by my colleagues, my comrades, also intensify,” Scott said.

Scott talks about pictures the bar takes every 10 years of its members. She points out the changes that occur over time.

“Every 10 years, they take pictures. You can see the changes. From 1969 compared to 1979, you can see a woman, Barbra Hollingsworth; she was one of the first women to practice in this area. In 1989, you had more women come in, Amy Zacharias, Amy Davis, Amy Cain. They started to enter into the area. Of course, now we have 20 to 25 percent women. You can see the dynamic change,” Scott said.

Scott graduated from Campbell University Law School in 2007 after spending her undergraduate years at UNC-Chapel Hill. Scott passed the bar exam on the first go around, and decided it was important to come to Concord, where she grew up and where her family resides, to give back to the community. 

“I have tons of family. I try to be hard-nosed, but I have to remember my people are here. I have to help. I have a duty,” Scott said.

Her mother, Terry, is a retired Central Cabarrus High School teacher, and her father, Robert, was the sixth person hired at Phillip Morris, where he still works. 

When asked about how proud her parents must be, Scott laughed. 

“Yes, they’re proud, but they still get on me,” Scott said. 

Scott’s grandfather had a huge influence on her. 

“My grandfather is one of my biggest mentors,” Scott said. 

“People say I’m too sentimental, but like I feel I’m a part of history. Like I’m a piece of that work of art. A dot. I tell people all the time, like Maya Angelou said, ‘I stand on the backs of giants,’” Scott said.

Scott has a strong loyalty to her family and community. 

“My grandparents didn’t go to college. That means a lot to me. My grandfather is very proud. I still attend my local church. He always persists, ‘Kia, go see so and so, she needs a will, or go see so and so they are about to sign a contract.’ He always reminds me I have a strong tie to this community,” Scott said.

“I feel a strong desire for our bar to increase its presence, and to help people. It’s important for us to reach out to the underprivileged. There are so many here who need help,” Scott said.

“We are a friendly bar, and from what I hear that isn’t the norm. We are starting to use all the tools and assets we have in our body to help people. We are doing more pro bono work, and are trying to come up with a pro bono project,” Scott said.

The bar is involved with several projects. They are working on projects to mentor new attorneys and also to mentor kids in the area. The bar association helps prepare wills, at no cost, for law enforcement and fire personnel in the community. They sponsor Law Day in May, in which the bar association works with the Sheriff’s Office, Concord Police, Kannapolis Police and the City of Concord. 

“We have an oratorical contest with local high school students, we give out an award for Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and the Liberty Bell Award, which we give to a public advocate active in the community,” Scott said.

Her new law practice is located in what was President Obama’s election office, at 30 Church St. S. Scott says she feels the “good karma.”

Her new position may take up a lot of time, but Scott still finds time to work with other organizations in Cabarrus County. She is a member of the graduate chapter of her college sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and a member of the Concord Junior Charity League, which has a clothing room set up for underprivileged children. They also sponsor “Safety Town,” which helps kindergarten kids learn about all aspects of safety, from bike riding to stranger danger.

“I just want to have an effect. I want to help. There are not many role models who look like me in my community,” Scott said.

• Contact reporter Robin L. Gardner: 704-789-9140