Parker Poe

As part of our Atlanta office's rapid growth, our attorneys there took what tends to be a stodgy process in law firms and infused it with meaning: naming conference rooms.

"In 2022, we nearly doubled the number of lawyers we have while also increasing our diversity," Atlanta Office Development Partner Ellen Smith said. "Our office is now up to approximately 40 lawyers, the majority of whom — overall and at the partner level — are women."

That growth led the firm to nearly double the size of the Atlanta office as well. We completed the expansion in 2023, taking over a second floor in our Midtown building.

"The conference rooms I've been in around Atlanta either draw their name from some natural element — a tree or flower — or are named after famous Georgia men or Georgia landmarks or parks, with those landmarks and parks also being connected to famous Georgia men," Atlanta partner Elizabeth Story (pictured above) said. "I suggested we name our new conference rooms after famous Georgia women who have made a significant impact in our state."

The entire office rallied around the idea. Our attorneys and business professionals proposed names of women to honor and ultimately landed on five.

"One that sticks out to me is Minnie Anderson Hale," Atlanta partner Brandon Moulard (pictured above) said. "She was one of the first female lawyers in Georgia. It's a fitting tribute to recognize her in an office that has such strong female leadership. I think the decision to honor Hale and other trailblazers is reflective of a lot of things that make the Atlanta office special."

In addition to Ellen Smith leading the office, Atlanta partner Christian Torgrimson serves on the firm's board of directors. Two more Atlanta partners, Traci Bransford and Nina Gupta, lead Parker Poe industry teams. And Atlanta partner Suzann Wilcox serves on the firm's Policy & Planning Committee.

Both Christian Torgrimson and Elizabeth Story have been leaders within a nonprofit that Minnie Anderson Hale founded in 1928: the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL).

The Atlanta office also named conference rooms after:

• Martha McChesney Berry, who founded schools for academically talented but economically poor children in the rural South.
• Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who was a leading advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood immunization, human rights, and conflict resolution.
• Grace Towns Hamilton, who was the first Black woman elected to the Georgia state legislature.
• Coretta Scott King, who was a leading participant in the Civil Rights Movement and traveled the world to advocate for racial and economic justice.

Each conference room has a QR code that people can scan to learn more about each woman's story.

"We wanted this to become an opportunity to highlight women who may not have had as bright a spotlight in our state history," Elizabeth said. "It’s a great conversation starter, not only with colleagues but also the clients and everyone else who visits the office."

In sum, Elizabeth describes the unanimous support of the naming effort as "another example of the firm’s overall commitment to diversity and inclusion."