News Article

Balancing a thriving legal practice with raising a family and service to the community isn't easy. But it's a juggling act Womble Carlyle attorneyChris Douglas has performed successfully for years.

Now she can add another title to her resume—one of the Triad's "Forty Leaders Under 40."

The "Forty Leaders Under 40" award is presented annually by the Triad Business Journal and recognizes outstanding young leaders for their contributions to both their professions and the community. The awards ceremony was held Wednesday, Feb. 27th, at the Embassy Suites in Greensboro. Past winners of the award include Womble Carlyle attorneys Alison Ashe-Card and Will Joyner. Melody Ray-Welborn was a 2007 recipient of the Triangle's "Forty Leaders Under 40," given by the Triangle Business Journal for young leaders in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region.

As a member of the firm's Case Management Facility (CMF) practice team, Douglas works with corporate legal departments on strategic planning, helping them manage litigation portfolios in the most effective and cost-efficient manner possible. Before coming to the Case Management Facility, Douglas represented clients in numerous trials in areas such as product liability, municipality defense, personal injury and civil rights. Her biggest challenge in transitioning from a traditional litigation practice to an ongoing relationship focused on her clients' business interests was also the biggest reward.

"Clients now look to me as part of the business team, working with them to find the best solution, as opposed to just another outside counsel working on a legal resolution to one particular problem or lawsuit," she said.

The Case Management Facility practice is growing, both in national reputation and numbers of engagements. The CMF is an entire practice team devoted to backing state-of-the-art technology that organizes, tracks, searches and synthesizes "the paper" into information attorneys can use. To date, the CMF has worked with more than 100 law firms, including more than 30 of the nation’s 100 largest firms. In 2006 alone, the CMF handled more than 30,000 active cases and two million litigation-related documents. Douglas said that "being a part of the leadership team that is helping grow the practice with local, national and international clients is an honor."

Douglas also has extensive experience as a litigator herself, having tried cases in a wide variety of fields, including product liability, civil rights, personal injury, medical malpractice and workers compensation. This courtroom experience is an invaluable asset to the CMF as team members serve clients.

But even with this demanding career, Douglas still has found time to serve numerous charitable and community service organizations. She spent five years on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of Forsyth County. In that capacity, she focused on education and outreach. In particular, Douglas was involved in the association’s Court Assistance Program, which provides technical assistance and information to families and patients during involuntary commitment hearings.

She also has worked with the American Heart Association. In 2003, she chaired Womble Carlyle’s American Heart Walk campaign, establishing a firm record for donations.

Currently, she is on the Board of Trustees for Historic Bethabara Park, a 175-acre wildlife preserve and historic site of Winston-Salem’s 18th-century Moravian settlement. She serves on the park’s Budget and Film committees. In 2008, she already has volunteered to participate in the North Carolina Bar Association's "Justice 4 All" campaign, which works to make legal services available to every North Carolinian, regardless of income level.

Douglas' dedication to community service also includes a great deal of pro bono legal work. She volunteered her time and skills to help with Womble Carlyle's Hurricane Katrina project. This project sought to help low-income homeowners receive legal title to their storm-damaged homes, so they could be eligible for federal and state relief as well as insurance reimbursements. She traveled to New Orleans and spent a week working with clients there.

"I was just overwhelmed by the number of people who needed help a year after the Hurricane. Unless you can prove home ownership, you can't get FEMA assistance, insurance payments, or even a loan. My week's contribution didn’t make a dent. Fortunately, the firm continued to work with many of the clients I met in New Orleans and helped while I was there." she said.

Douglas has made leadership a priority, too. She is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Winston-Salem and now helps that organization by planning programs for young, aspiring leaders. Douglas also takes an active leadership role at Womble Carlyle, having served on the firm’s Diversity Committee since its inception. She also is active in Maple Springs United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem.

Despite her busy schedule, Douglas still finds time for her two young children, Jack and Sarah. She credits her husband, Rick Douglas, with his support in helping her balance her busy schedule.