Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC on Wednesday announced that it has tapped shareholders in Dallas and Houston to lead its women's initiative group, a program designed to support the advancement, retention and public profile of female lawyers across the firm.

Claire Carroll and Casey Minnes Carter, shareholders in the firm's Dallas and Houston offices, respectively, will serve as co-chairs of the group, taking the reins from Deborah M. Perry, a Dallas-based bankruptcy and restructuring shareholder who had chaired the group since 2018.

Carroll told Law360 Pulse in an interview Thursday that she was approached earlier this year about taking over leadership of the group and "felt it was really important, as did the firm, to have someone in Houston who could be that advocate and be present with them on a more day-to-day basis, and I couldn't think of a better person than Casey Carter to do that."

Carroll used her own life experience as an example to illustrate the unique challenges professional women face. She said that her husband, a firefighter whose schedule leaves him free on more school days than hers, is listed as the first contact with their child's school.

"But regardless of that, the school calls me 12 times if there's an issue before they ever reach out to my husband," Carroll said. "It's just hard to learn how to juggle and do all the things that go with being a working woman, let alone a working mother."

Carroll said she and Carter have had some initial "brainstorming sessions" and recently conducted their first speed-networking event, noting that studies have shown women are typically "not socialized to brag on themselves."

Carroll said that while she isn't fond of the comparison to speed-dating, "that's probably the easiest example" to use when describing a speed-networking event.

"It's sometimes uncomfortable to toot your own horn and that can hinder a woman's ability to go out and sell herself, and that's part of what a lawyer does," Carroll said. "There's no reason they shouldn't be doing what all of their male colleagues in this industry are doing, promoting their work and successes."

To give women "practice in a safe environment," the new WIG leaders were meticulous in arranging seating at the event to mix up women lawyers from different practice groups and offices. The participants gave each other their "elevator pitches" and practiced delivering them "succinctly and confidently, explaining what they do, sharing their successes and learning to sell themselves as attorneys," Carroll said.

"I'm so excited by the results I've seen," Carroll said. "We've also seen women who are able to more effectively cross-sell each other from that."

Carroll said she and Carter are passionate about elevating women at the firm and giving them the tools they need to compete. Following the speed-networking event, Carroll said she has seen confidence increase in younger female attorneys who "felt uncomfortable asking for business."

"I think we have some of the most talented attorneys in the legal industry at Munsch Hardt," Carroll said. "They are fierce advocates for their clients and they deliver incredible results. I would love it if more people knew about them and thought of them when they have a need for legal services. This group is really designed to empower women to go out there and get business of their own and to network and practice effectively."

The women's group hosts roundtable discussions, interactive panels, client engagement events and open forums that foster honest conversations about growing a practice, balancing competing priorities and navigating the challenges unique to women in the legal
profession, the firm said.

"As co-chairs, we're committed to making WIG programming practical, engaging and relevant," Carter said in a statement Wednesday. "We hope to create real value for the women at our firm, whether through targeted development, business generation opportunities or peer support."

Carroll and Carter are both litigators. Carroll has been with the firm for over a decade and Carter for more than six years, their LinkedIn profiles show.

Munsch Hardt is a full-service business law firm in the Lone Star State with locations in Austin, Dallas and Houston. The firm is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

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