In Memoriam: Anthony R. Simon

This article originally appeared in The Bar Examiner print edition, Summer 2026 (Vol. 95, No. 2), pp. 37–38.

This piece is adapted from Darin Scheer’s remembrance of Anthony at the 2026 Annual Bar Admissions Conference in Philadelphia.By Darin B. ScheerI have the great, but difficult, privilege of honoring the life and service of Anthony Simon, a member of the NCBE Board of Trustees who passed away unexpectedly in April. Anthony was my dear friend. He was a friend to many in the bar admissions community.

Anthony was a proud double graduate of Howard University, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting; he subsequently earned his juris doctorate after returning there for law school.  He began professional life as an accountant but often said that becoming a lawyer gave him something he valued deeply: the ability to live life on his own terms. To choose who he would fight for. To decide how he would serve. He built a career that reflected these principles.

Anthony had a promising career ahead of him in Washington DC. But when his father became ill, he made the life-changing decision to relocate to Mississippi to be closer to him. When I think of the impact of that single decision, both on his local community of Jackson, Mississippi, and on the wider bar admissions community in the state, I am truly inspired.

Anthony began his legal career at one of the oldest firms in ­Mississippi—Wise Carter Child & Caraway—where he was only the second African American ever to be hired by the firm. After a few years, he decided to start a new firm with Pieter Teeuwissen, a longtime NCBE volunteer many of you know. It was a partnership, and a friendship, that would last for three decades.

Anthony was a respected litigator, trailblazer, trusted advisor, and, for many, neighborhood lawyer. He represented the City of ­Jackson pro bono in various complex litigation matters. With his accounting background, the city hired Anthony as bond counsel on multiple occasions. He was special counsel to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, where he oversaw the county’s youth detention center consent decree compliance.  Anthony also participated in arguments to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Federal ­Circuit and the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Anthony balanced high-stakes work with pro bono service and gave his time generously to his community. He was active in the Mississippi Bar and Capital Area Bar Associations. He served on the Mississippi Committee on Character and Fitness, where he was well known for reading every page of every file. He applied that same ethic while serving on the ­Mississippi Board of Bar ­Admissions, on various NCBE committees, and, ultimately, on the NCBE Board of Trustees.

Anthony often said that his work with NCBE was among the most important of his career. That tells you how much this community meant to him. His meticulous preparation was exceeded only by his warm personality. He had a quick wit, an easy smile, and a genuine way of connecting with people. He paid attention. He made people feel seen. In his thoughtful way, he championed the voices of those not heard.

We will miss Anthony’s presence. We will miss his voice. And we will miss the care he brought to this work and to this community. But we will carry forward this work that was so important to him, inspired by the example he set.

Anthony was a good man, and a good friend. He used his talents to make a real difference. He will be remembered with deep respect, with gratitude, and with affection by all who knew him.

Our thoughts are with his wife, Pam; his longtime legal partner, Pieter; the Mississippi legal community; and the entire NCBE and bar admissions community that is feeling his loss.

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