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Media Contact: Bruce Buchanan – (336) 728-7027

Already recognized as a "Top Law Firm for Women," Womble Carlyle is taking additional steps to develop and promote the talents of its women attorneys.

Womble Carlyle has formed a Women's Advisory Council, consisting of some of the Firm’s top attorneys and senior professional staff members, to examine issues related to business development, attorney attrition and leadership. The goals of the Council are to help Womble Carlyle’s women attorneys maximize their productivity, to reduce attrition and to increase the number of women attorneys in Firm leadership roles.

As part of that process, Womble Carlyle held its first-ever Women's Forum January 11-13 in Cary, NC. More than seventy-five percent of the Firm's women attorneys participated in the forum. Discussion topics included communicating strengths in networking conversation, the history of women's leadership at the Firm, and a panel discussion with a diverse panel of women attorneys, who shared the business practices that have worked for them, client development strategies, importance of mentors, and resources that have helped them build a successful practice.

In addition, the Firm is working with The Gallup Organization to build a strengths-based organization and improve the engagement of all employees. Representatives from Gallup, Vandana Allman and Joy Plemmons, were facilitators for the forum.

Future efforts include mentoring for young women attorneys at the Firm and a detailed look at attrition of women attorneys. The Women's Advisory Council also plans to conduct quarterly education events firm-wide.

Marilyn Forbes, practice group leader for the Smoking & Health Team and member of the Firm Management Committee, said, "This is a business-focused initiative. By improving the work environment, reducing attrition and expanding our base of leaders, we hope to make Womble Carlyle an even stronger Firm."

In August 2007, Womble Carlyle was recognized as one of the "Best Law Firms for Women" by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. The award honored 50 winning firms for their commitment to the retention and advancement of women attorneys.

Working Mother magazine selected law firms based on survey data collected by Flex-Time Lawyers LLC and Working Mother Media. For this inaugural survey, Working Mother measured firms on a variety of factors, including representation of women in leadership positions, compensation and benefits, parental leave, childcare, flexibility options, treatment of women staff as well as women lawyers, and programs to help train, retain and advance women.