Adams and Reese Columbia Partner Kirby D. Shealy, III has been named the inaugural recipient of the Anne Thornhill Weston Award given by Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, South Carolina. The award is named for longtime Heathwood Hall teacher and administrator Anne Weston. It honors a Heathwood alumnus who has followed in Anne’s footsteps, sharing her belief in the dignity of all people and the mission of Episcopal schools to serve with faith, hope and love.
Shealy is a Healthwood Hall alumnus and parent, and is an active member of the Heathwood Board of Trustees. Additionally, he serves on the boards of Growing Home Southeast and Thompson Child & Family Focus, two agencies that care for children with emotional and psychological issues. Shealy also serves as the chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina and is an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 8 of the Indian Waters Council, BSA.
“Kirby has been a tireless member of the board and keenly focused on helping the school move forward,” said Heathwood Head of School Chris Hinchey in Heathwood’s award announcement. “I find his insights and advice invaluable. The only time that he is unable to attend a Board or Board Committee meeting is when he has another commitment to another non-profit. I’m amazed at well he balances his professional, personal and community service/non-profit commitments.”
At Adams and Reese, Shealy is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group with a wealth of jury trial and appellate experience in personal injury actions and commercial contract disputes. He has handled copyright and trademark infringement claims, construction defect suits, products liability claims, title defects and catastrophic injury and death claims against trucking, manufacturing and other commercial enterprises. He also advises homeowner associations and corporate entities on governance issues and advocates for charter schools by assisting students, teachers and administrators with school discipline and employment problems.
Shealy is an active member of several professional organizations including the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a past president of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, an organization of lawyers and judges whose mission is to promote the highest standards of civility, professionalism and competency in the legal profession. He also serves on the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness, which is charged with determining the suitability of applicants to the South Carolina Bar.
In 2015, Shealy received the Gold Compleat Lawyer Award from the University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Council. The award recognized his significant contributions to the legal profession and his embodiment of the highest standards of professional competence, ethics and integrity.