Media Mention: Mike McIntyre Featured for Work Supporting Law Day and Youth Leadership Challenge

Ward and Smith attorney Mike McIntyre was featured in coverage of the North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and North Carolina Bar Foundation’s annual Law Day celebration, held Friday, May 1, 2026, in downtown Raleigh.

Ashley Oldfield, Co- chair of the McIntyre Youth Leadership Challenge, Vaishnavi Tummalapalli, the winner, former Congressman McIntyre, and Co-Chair Sarah Mink

The event included the final round of the McIntyre Youth Leadership Challenge, now in its ninth year. McIntyre founded the program through the NC Bar Foundation in 2016, drawing on his nearly two decades of service in the U.S. House of Representatives and a longstanding commitment to civic engagement and youth leadership. The program gives North Carolina students in grades 6–12 the opportunity to identify issues in their communities, research solutions, and present their findings through video submissions. The top four finalists were invited to present before North Carolina Court of Appeals Chief Judge Chris Dillon, Judge Donna Stroud, and Judge April Wood.

This year’s finalists addressed topics including political efficacy, homelessness, senior loneliness and cognitive health, and youth mental health. Vaishnavi Tummalapalli of Apex High School earned first place, and Avalina Frankenstein of Hilburn Academy placed second. Through the Douglas Carmichael McIntyre II Justice Fund, a $1,000 donation will be made to Tummalapalli’s nonprofit of choice, Generation Citizen.

The article recognized McIntyre among those who helped support this year’s Law Day celebration and youth leadership program. McIntyre serves as Senior Advisor for Government Relations and Economic Development at Ward and Smith. Click here to read the full article.