Josephine Hicks remembers exactly how she felt when she heard she was the second recipient of the Catharine Biggs Arrowood Women’s Achievement Award.

“I was completely stunned and deeply honored because Catharine is such an icon, not only in our law firm but in the state of North Carolina and beyond in terms of her trailblazing and leadership among women lawyers,” Josephine said.

Parker Poe created the award in 2021 to recognize the achievements of women in the legal profession. Catharine – the first female partner at Parker Poe and one of the first female chairs of an executive committee at a major law firm in the Southeast – was its inaugural recipient. The award is now named after her and is presented every year.

Josephine is also a female pioneer in North Carolina’s legal community. She practiced law at Parker Poe for over 30 years before following her faith and passion for community service to become the vice president for Episcopal Church Programs at Episcopal Relief & Development, where she works to build supportive relationships across The Episcopal Church and raise awareness of the transformative work of this international relief and development agency. She now serves as chief church relations officer.

Our entire firm came together virtually for Josephine’s award ceremony, which featured a candid conversation between her and Catharine about their lessons in leadership, diversity, community service, and the practice of law. Josephine shared her perspective as an openly gay woman who blazed the trail for people to be open about their identity and embrace their differences.

“In the conversation we had as part of the award ceremony,” Josephine said, “it was humbling and very heartening to hear some of the stories women shared about the impact I had on them. I expect I’ll remember that much longer than I remember any specific case I worked on.” Josephine said the Catharine Biggs Arrowood Women’s Achievement Award is another demonstration of Parker Poe’s commitment to DEI.

“It shows the firm’s commitment to advancing careers for women and creating an environment in which women can be their whole selves and succeed,” Josephine said. “It’s not easy – the whole profession knows it’s not easy. But Parker Poe is committed to it, and I think this award is a tangible manifestation of that and a wonderful celebration of women who have made a difference.”