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Lucey recognized for distinguished service to families

CHARLOTTE — It’s hard to surprise a seasoned attorney, but the Mecklenburg County Bar managed to pull off an unexpected award presentation for Diocese of Charlotte attorney Richard Lucey on April 19, just after he delivered an hour-long address at a juvenile law conference at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center.

Lucey, a parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte and a veteran juvenile law practitioner, also works full-time providing counsel to the diocese.

The diocese became his client in 1981 at the invitation of Bishop Michael J. Begley. Lucey was in private practice at that time, so the diocese became one of his regular clients.

In 1992, Bishop John F. Donoghue “made him an offer he couldn’t refuse” and Lucey accepted a full-time position representing the diocese. One of the conditions of his acceptance was that he would be allowed to continue serving families in juvenile law cases.

After Lucey’s recent address at the conference April 19, attorney Matthew McKay, vice chair of the Juvenile Law Section of the Mecklenburg County Bar, surprised Lucey by presenting him with the distinguished service award.

McKay has known Lucey for almost 10 years and shared that when the committee was considering who would be the best candidate for this merit-based award, “Everybody had the same thought: Mr. Lucey.”

“He’s the kind of person, the kind of professional, the kind of human being and the kind of man, that it is a struggle to come up with the right words for Mr. Lucey,” McKay said.

“He’s a great attorney and a good man and I don’t say that about many people. He’s a shining example of someone who really does honor to our profession. He is the kind of lawyer that every lawyer should be.”

“It just blew me away,” Lucey said later. “You don’t usually get things like this. He said it was for my long-standing commitment to juvenile court.”

Mecklenburg County District 26 Family Court Judge, Louis A. Trosch Jr., also spoke a few words on Lucey’s behalf. The two have regularly faced one another in the courtroom during Lucey’s career in juvenile law. He commented that Lucey is an “‘OG’ – an ‘original gentleman.’”

Lucey was very touched by the presentation. “It’s the kind of things people usually say at your eulogy. You don’t normally get to hear things like that. I was very appreciative.”

Lucey said he has felt a great deal of personal satisfaction from donating his legal services to assist families in juvenile court over the past three decades. Juvenile law focuses around working with children and identifying families with problems, trying to work out those issues so that families can be reunited.

“The purpose of juvenile court is different from the other courts. There’s something very gratifying if you work for months on a case and you see the result of a family being reunited the way they should be,” he explained.

Ginny Haas, Lucey’s administrative assistant, has served with him since 1984, assisting him with his efforts to help families.

“It makes you feel good when occasionally you get a good result,” Haas said. “Those are the ones you remember.”

The pair sometimes hears back from the families they serve, thanking them for their help.

They joke that they don’t do it for the money, as their work is a ministry.
Lucey emphasizes, “It’s not a monetary benefit, but knowing you have made a difference that can impact the rest of the families’ lives.”

— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter

Pictured: Diocesan attorney Richard Lucey is pictured in his office in the Pastoral Center with the Distinguished Service Award he received from the Mecklenburg County Bar on April 19. Lucey, who has represented the Diocese of Charlotte since 1981, has also donated his time assisting families in juvenile court for decades. (Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald)