Event Detail

The D.C.-area Tournament Pairs Minority Law Students with Womble Carlyle Attorneys and Local Business Leaders for a Day on the Links

Everything an aspiring lawyer needs to know can’t be found in a textbook.

Some lessons are best learned from a experienced mentor or a potential client, and those lessons often are taught on the golf course, not in the classroom.

The firm’s D.C. office held the first annual Womble Carlyle Diversity Open golf event on Monday, Oct. 16, at the award-winning Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, Va. The event, organized by attorneys Samantha Ahuja and Kevin Pigott, gave minority law school students a chance to play golf with—and learn from—Womble Carlyle attorneys, firm clients and minority business leaders.

"The Diversity Open proved successful well beyond our expectations," said Pamela Rothenberg, managing member of Womble Carlyle’s D.C. office. "At the event, I saw dozens of promising law students learn networking skills, develop invaluable contacts, and have a great time on the golf course. And most of the credit for making it happen goes to several of our associates who helped make this idea a reality. We are definitely planning to make this an annual event."

In all, 107 golfers participated in the inaugural event. Twenty-nine of those were D.C.-area minority law school students. Ahuja said organizers hoped to have as many as 25 students and were pleased to have beaten that target.

Twenty-five Womble Carlyle attorneys, including the firm’s managing partner, Keith Vaughan, also participated. The remainder of the field was made up of clients, prospective clients and minority business leaders, all of whom are valuable contacts for aspiring young attorneys.

"Many of the business leaders made a sacrifice to be here," Pigott said. "But from what I heard, they said they were glad to participate."

Since many attorneys and clients like to mingle on the golf course, organizers felt a golf event would give law students an important networking opportunity. Minorities traditionally have been underrepresented on golf courses, so the event also helped introduce the law students to an activity that might help their careers after graduation.

"Our purpose was to create an environment where students, lawyers and business leaders could interact," Ahuja said. "I heard from the students that they were able to converse about important topics, like school, career and life decisions."

"Diversity is important to Womble Carlyle and the best way to promote diversity is to make sure everyone has the same opportunities to succeed from the very beginning. By introducing these young people to business leaders and established attorneys who can act as mentors, we are giving them an opportunity to get their legal careers off to a strong start. I’m proud the firm organized this event and, on a personal level, I’m glad I had the opportunity to participate," Vaughan said.

In addition to the golf tournament, the event also featured a silent auction, cocktail party and dinner. Organizers donated $2,500 to the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), a non-profit group that aids minority law students.