Our Colleague Jason Ballum

We are grieving the loss of our friend and colleague Jason Ballum, who passed away on September 16.  Jason was a beloved attorney on our School & Education team who was remarkable in every way – from his interactions with colleagues, to the care and focused attention he gave clients, to his comprehensive knowledge of school law. We invite you to read the touching tribute to Jason written by Anne Mickey, our colleague, below.

We admired Jason’s vision for the future and his ability to prioritize the things that really matter. We will greatly miss his leadership and his ability to acknowledge, lift, and serve everyone around him.

A Tribute to Jason by Anne Mickey

I am deeply humbled and honored to be asked to share some words about my dear colleague, and even dearer friend, Jason Ballum.  I met Jason when I was only 22 years old, a rising second year law student, interviewing for a summer associate position on the education law team at Reed Smith where Jason had recently been promoted to partner.  During our first meeting, Jason’s incredible intellect and passion for his work were immediately apparent, but it was his kindness and genuine care when talking to me about my future that left a lasting impression.  Jason spoke to me like a peer, despite my very clear inexperience; demonstrated sincere interest in my ideas and goals; and offered to provide whatever assistance he could towards helping me pursue my goal of becoming a school board attorney, regardless of whether I was ultimately selected or decided to work for the firm.  I left his office that day feeling so excited about the possibility of working with Jason for a summer, not knowing that this meeting would mark the beginning of a long partnership and friendship that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Jason began his legal career at Reed Smith in 2003, where he joined the education law practice group founded by Kathleen Mehfoud and D. Patrick Lacy Jr.  Jason sought out a position with Reed Smith because he was passionate about supporting the work of the public school system and wanted to work alongside teachers, administrators, and School Board members to support their mission of providing a high-quality education for students.  It was not long before Jason established himself as a highly trusted advisor for school divisions across the Commonwealth and after moving to Sands Anderson in 2020, Jason would go on to become the practice group leader for the largest k-12 school law team in the state.

Jason was an attorney of the highest caliber.  He was an incredibly gifted writer and oral advocate, his knowledge and analysis of the laws impacting public schools was highly respected, and he was an extremely thoughtful mentor to many young attorneys.  In moments of crisis for his clients, Jason was unmatched in his ability to lay out a clear plan of action and help explain the legal implications of a situation in a way that was understandable and approachable.  But what Jason’s colleagues, clients, and even those attorneys who worked opposite of Jason will tell you is that Jason’s kindness and respect for others is what made him exceptional.  Jason was a truly zealous advocate for his clients, but he led with integrity, always seeking to do the right thing, take the high road, and find ways to work across the table to see how differences could be creatively resolved.  As one attorney who had cases with Jason for many years stated, Jason “always bore in mind that while we were representing different parties, we were always trying to do the same thing—make sure children got the education they needed.”

For those of us fortunate to know Jason in both a professional and personal capacity, we can attest that Jason’s generosity and genuine care for others permeated all aspects of his life.  Jason was the first to organize meal trains for others following illness or a tragedy; he drove out of state over a weekend to help a sick colleague’s child move into her college dorm room; he attended a sporting event to cheer on a friend’s child when she herself couldn’t attend due to illness…and these are just recent examples.  One of the gifts I will always treasure from Jason was his constant affirmations and words of encouragement.  I always knew that if I had a tough meeting or big presentation that I would have a text message or phone call from Jason that day cheering me on and letting me know that he believed in me and was proud of me.  Even in his final months, Jason always prioritized asking his friends how we were doing and letting us know he was thinking of us despite his own challenging circumstances.  He was a truly selfless individual who lived to help and support others.

But it is impossible to talk about Jason without mentioning his absolute devotion and unconditional love for his family.  Jason was often very private about his personal life, but when it came to his family, he was never shy about sharing how much he loved them and how incredibly proud he was of them.  In the various offices that we worked in, Jason covered his walls with family pictures and his children’s artwork, including a wall calendar his family lovingly made him each year to highlight pictures from their past adventures across the country and world.  Jason established a culture amongst our work team that family should always be prioritized, and lived that lesson regularly by setting his schedule so he could attend his children’s dance recitals, volleyball games, baseball games, and other activities.  We are so grateful to the Ballum family for sharing Jason with us for so many years, and we grieve with them during this exceptionally difficult time.

While I have tried my best, there are no adequate words to appropriately describe how exceptional Jason Ballum was as a human being or to express how deeply loved and respected he was by his family and friends.  But in this moment of profound sadness, I am trying my best to move forward with optimism and gratitude.  Going forward, I hope to honor Jason by making an extra effort to find ways that I can help my family, friends, and neighbors in need and to remind my family and friends about how much I love them and am proud of them.  Through even one small act of kindness or by sending even one message of affirmation to someone we care about, we can all continue Jason’s legacy and keep his memory alive.  Thank you for everything, Jason.