Respect for the Individual is a core value at Womble Carlyle, and that respect extends to an individual’s gender identity.
With that core value in mind, Womble Carlyle announced today that the firm will serve as pro bono North Carolina counsel for the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund’s Name Change Project.
TLDEF’s Name Change Project offers free legal name change services to transgender individuals. Through this partnership, Womble Carlyle will provide those legal services to North Carolina residents, at no cost to the client or to TLDEF.
The change is more than symbolic—according to TLDEF, “lack of appropriate identity documents can deter people from applying for jobs, school, and public benefits, and can lead to discrimination.” But navigating the legal system is challenging for many people—and that is where Womble Carlyle attorneys can help.
“Through the Name Change Project, we can help transgender North Carolinians get the documentation they need to live their lives on their own terms,” said Womble Carlyle Chair and CEO Betty Temple. “What’s more, we want transgender individuals to know that Womble Carlyle’s unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion includes them, too.”
Womble Carlyle’s commitment to equality is further evidenced by being named a “Best Place to Work” on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. The HRC Corporate Equality Index measures corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, and Womble Carlyle earned a perfect score of 100 in both 2015 and 2016.
About Womble Carlyle
Womble Carlyle is a 550-attorney law firm that corporate clients rely on to provide core legal services, such as Complex Business Litigation, Mass Torts, Intellectual Property, Corporate & Securities, Finance and Real Estate.
Our focus is the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Silicon Valley markets, and from this footprint, we serve clients in matters across the country and across the world. Clients trust us because we understand their businesses, focus on their successes, demonstrate a commitment to help, and deliver value for their dollars they spend on us.
Thanks to Womble Carlyle’s partnership with Lex Mundi, the world’s largest association of independent law firms, we can offer clients access to quality-tested local counsel in more than 120 countries. Lex Mundi provides seamless access to local attorneys and market knowledge throughout the globe.
Womble Carlyle’s offices are located in: Atlanta; Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, S.C.; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, and Winston-Salem, N.C.; Silicon Valley, Calif., Washington, D.C.; Charlottesville and Tysons Corner, Va.; Baltimore; and Wilmington, Del.