CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund celebrated 10 years of The Happening, the Fund’s annual fundraiser luncheon, and Womble Carlyle once again was there.

The firm was a sponsor of The Happening, which took place Wednesday, May 24 in Charlotte. Firm clients who were major sponsors of the Happening included Reynolds American, Compass Group, and PepsiCo. 

Attorneys Alison Bost, Alysja Carlisle, Chad Ewing, Clark Goodman, Sterling Laney, Diana Quarry and Claire Rauscher and Director of Client Service Stephanie Hinrichs represented the firm at the event. Also, Rauscher’s client Jennifer Sadoff, the General Counsel of ASSA ABLOY, attended and sat at the Womble Carlyle table. 

The vision of the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund is to cultivate one community with the belief that all people should be treated with dignity and respect.

The Fund awards grants to organizations that support the LGBTQ community, as well as bridge building initiatives that seek to cultivate alliances and support with the non-gay community. In 2016, the Fund awarded $134,000 to community organizations supporting LGBTQ people in the Charlotte area.

lesbian and gay fund

Alison Bost is Womble Carlyle’s Deputy General Counsel and is the Vice Chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. 

Alysja Carlisle advises corporate clients in general corporate matters such as contracts, acquisitions, and merger and sale transactions. She also assists entrepreneurs and start-up companies in formation and private Regulation D offerings.

Chad Ewing is a litigator in Womble Carlyle’s Charlotte office with over 10 years’ experience representing banks and other financial institutions in a variety of matters in federal and state courts across North Carolina.

Clark Goodman is a veteran litigation attorney who focuses his practice on financial services litigation, complex commercial disputes, and claims asserting violations of rights secured under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Sterling Laney is a financial services litigation attorney, with experience in consumer credit and financial regulatory compliance cases. Before joining Womble Carlyle, Laney was VP and in-house counsel for a major consumer financial services company.

Diana Quarry is an experienced real estate attorney who has represented financial institutions, developers and borrowers in real estate acquisitions, sales, development and financings. 

Claire Rauscher brings more than 25 years of courtroom experience to Womble Carlyle’s White Collar Criminal Defense and Cyber & Privacy Law teams. Rauscher focuses her practice on complex white collar litigation, and has represented clients in all phases of state and federal proceedings, including pre-indictment investigations, grand jury practice and criminal trials.

Stephanie Hinrichs initiates and builds client relationships, and works with Womble Carlyle attorneys to provide the highest quality client service. She brings more than a decade of experience in marketing and sales, specifically in the legal, economic development, airline, and transportation industries.