[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 26, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E585-E586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING MELVIN V. PRIESTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Councilman Melvin V. Priester, Jr., who is a proud alum of Murrah High 
School (valedictorian, class of 1997). In 2001, Councilman Priester 
graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude with a degree in social 
studies. Councilman Priester wrote his honors thesis on the use of 
religion by progressive political activists. While at Harvard, Mr. 
Priester was active: in the Black Students' Association and student 
government; he was a jazz DJ at WHRB; and he served as a research 
assistant for then, director of the Children's Studies Program, Kiku 
Adatto.
  Concilman Priester obtained his juris doctorate from Stanford Law 
School in 2004. While at Stanford, Councilman Priester was a member of 
the board of the Stanford Technology Law Review and participated in 
Stanford's civil rights clinic under noted scholar, Michelle Alexander, 
and the cyber law legal clinic under internet privacy activist, 
Jennifer Granick. Upon graduating from law school and until he joined 
Jackson's Priester Law Firm in 2008, Councilman Priester was a 
litigation associate in the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster 
LLP, where he advised clients in financial services, intellectual 
property, and governmental investigations. Councilman Priester has done 
pro bono and volunteer work for clients including: the Innocence 
Project of Northern California, the North Midtown Art Center, and 
numerous indigent clients.
  At Priester Law Firm, a family firm, which has been opened since 
1988, Councilman Priester represents a diverse set of clients in 
business litigation, governmental affairs, real estate, personal injury 
law, family law, and medical malpractice. Since 2011, Councilman 
Priester has been a regional producer for the Figment Arts Festival 
(www.figmentproject.org), a nationwide arts festival with significant 
events in New York City, Boston, Detroit, Jackson, Washington, D.C., 
and Pittsburg.
  Councilman Priester is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and 
California. He is a member of the Charles Clark Inns of Court, the 
American Bar Association, the Magnolia Bar Association, and the Capital 
Area Bar Association.
  In 2013, Councilman Priester graduated from the Mississippi Black 
Leadership Institute. He is a proud member of New Hope

[[Page E586]]

Baptist Church in Jackson and resides in the Woodhaven neighborhood of 
Jackson's Ward II. In his free time, he enjoys working at his studio in 
the North Midtown Arts Center and mentoring local school children. Mr. 
Priester's priorities for the council include: updating Jackson's 
stormwater master plan to address flooding, potholes and 
infrastructure; and providing quality educational enrichment 
opportunities for children.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Councilman 
Priester for giving back to the community in which he was born and 
reared.

                          ____________________