[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5132-5133]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 5133]]

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 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.

                          ____________________