Press Release

WINSTON SALEM, NC -- Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC today announced that two lawyers in the firm's Winston-Salem office have taken on major roles in promoting pro bono work throughout the law firm, and throughout the state of North Carolina. Tripp Greason has been named Womble Carlyle's full-time pro bono director and Cal Adams has been appointed to serve as chairman of Legal Aid of North Carolina. "Womble Carlyle has a long-standing tradition of providing persons of limited means with access to legal services. Tripp Greason and Cal Adams have never wavered in their support of our firm's pro bono programs," said Keith Vaughan, Womble Carlyle managing member. "I'm certain that Tripp and Cal, in their new roles, will work very hard to provide continued positive benefits for our clients, our profession and all of the communities we serve." Greason will be responsible for the creation, implementation and management of a formal pro bono infrastructure for all of the lawyers in each of the firm's nine offices. He will handle the day-to-day management and initiation of all of the firm's pro bono activities; develop pro bono portfolios with each attorney in the firm; monitor the quality, quantity and diversity of the firm's pro bono activities; and support the goals and programs developed by the firm's Pro Bono Committee. Womble Carlyle's Pro Bono Committee -- of which Adams is chairman -- sets the firm's pro bono goals, monitors the progress in reaching those goals, and ensures proper administration of the pro bono program. Greason will take on much of the program administration, and will continue working with the Committee to effectively implement its pro bono initiatives throughout the firm. "I've been committed to the legal profession's obligation to provide access to the justice system to those otherwise unable to afford it since my year-long internship with Montana Legal Services Association nearly ten years ago. Since then, I have learned the importance of providing pro bono legal advice to community and charitable and other organizations, including those dedicated to meeting the legal needs of the disadvantaged," Greason said. "Taking on this new role will allow me to put 100 percent of my efforts into working with some of the most talented lawyers in the country in institutionalizing Womble Carlyle's pro bono practice. We will develop a program that not only provides a valuable public service, but also contributes to the personal and professional development of each of our lawyers." In his new role, Greason will continue to practice law. He is a member of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association and was recently appointed to serve on the North Carolina Bar Association Public Service Advisory Committee for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. He, along with several other Womble Carlyle attorneys, received the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Award for their pro bono work on behalf of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Adams, as the new chairman of the Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) Board of Directors, hopes to educate people both inside and outside of the legal profession about the work done by LANC lawyers. "I am extremely proud of the role I have been given with Legal Aid of North Carolina," Adams said. "Because of this organization, there is a tremendous amount of good work happening every day in our state for the benefit of our citizens who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford legal services. I am very much looking forward to telling the story of this good work throughout North Carolina to help people understand exactly how Legal Aid contributes to the betterment of our communities." Adams is a founding director of LANC, a three-term president of the Legal Aid Society of Northwest North Carolina and a member of the American Bar Association's Pro Bono Advisory Committee. He was the first recipient of Womble Carlyle's Irving Carlyle Pro Bono Publico Award.

About Womble Carlyle
Womble Carlyle serves global business clients and operates nationwide from 9 offices in four states and the District of Columbia. It ranks among AmLaw's 100 leading firms in the country. The firm is the 2003 recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Corporate Leadership Award, making Womble Carlyle the first law firm ever to receive the highest honor given to a company in recognition of its support of the Fund and its 45 member institutions.