Carter didn’t set out to be trailblazer

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Eugenia “Gina” Carter’s resume has some achievements many people thought weren’t possible for women 20 years ago.

She’s attained shareholder status at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. in Madison. And she’s the head of litigation for intellectual property, a field dominated by men.

Her colleagues call her a trailblazer, but that isn’t what she set out to be.

“I don’t think anybody is consciously a trailblazer,” said Carter, who joined the firm in 2005. “When I entered the profession, there were not very many women choosing private practice and staying to the point of becoming partners and shareholders.”

After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 1986, Carter became part of the State Bar Committee for Participation of Women in the Bar, helping other women through mentoring and finding a work-life balance.

“Early in my career I was living those issues,” Carter said. “I had one child [while I was] in law school and one while working in the law firm. I was progressing in my career while raising babies.”

Her two sons are now 24 and 18.

She also used ALFA International as a venue to increase the visibility and retention rates of women in law. The organization is a worldwide legal network with more than 9,000 lawyers.

When the organization met in Milwaukee in 2007, Carter created its first diversity program. She also created the ALFA Women’s Initiative to increase the number of women exposed to ALFA conferences so that they can build relationships with the corporate counsel members. Carter now serves as the group’s co-chair.

“I want to help women and minorities succeed in law,” Carter said.

When she’s in the office, she finds time to mentor young attorneys. And she continues mentoring when she leaves the office.

“A lot of my time in community and civic work is mostly related to projects related to enhance the lives of women and girls,” Carter said.

Ten years ago, she helped launch Girls’Biz, a program that teaches entrepreneurism to girls, and served on the Girl Scouts board for six years. She’s now on the executive committee of the Fund for Women and a board member for the YWCA in Madison.

While Carter says the attrition rate for female lawyers is still too high and there aren’t many women leading litigation practices, she does see one positive spot.

“A lot of men — the current generation of leadership in law firms — get that there are still disparities and they still have to pay attention to make the environment so that everyone can be successful,” she said. “I don’t have to apologize for working on these issues.”

— Rosland B. Gammon