Carolina Harding

I attribute my success to perseverance, learning through experience, and having someone believe in me. My biggest accomplishment has been coming this far without a lot of formal schooling - it was really the school of the streets, learning everything as a paralegal and working my way up. I had to develop thick skin in this demanding field, and I've heard people tell me in the past that I was too weak, that I'd never be a leader, that people would walk all over me. But I pushed through that. I really believe that if I did it, anybody can do it. What made the difference was landing with the right person at the right company. When I came here three years ago from a place that didn't appreciate me, my attorney James Banks saw my value and said, 'I know what you know, you got this,' and he trusted me so much to do what I knew. He's been coaching me ever since, giving me free range and always supporting me to enroll in classes and pursue whatever I need for my growth. I think sometimes people just need someone to believe in them, and then they will fly. That's what happened for me, and that's what I try to do now for everybody that I hire - empower them the way I was empowered.

One of the best pieces of career advice I’ve received came from my mentor, James Banks, who had a significant impact on my leadership development and professional growth. His guidance helped shape my operational approach and pushed me to think more strategically about decision-making and execution. Most importantly, he encouraged me to step confidently into executive responsibilities and trust my ability to lead.

I would tell young women to continue to push through and not give up, no matter who you come across - whether it's attorneys or other peers who say this is hard, that you don't have the thick skin for it. I will say you can develop all of it, because I've heard that in the past myself - people telling me I was too weak, I'd never be a leader, that people would walk all over me. But it's not that. You gotta really know that everybody can do this. I feel like if I did it, anybody can do it. You can really do it by pushing through. And I think the biggest mistake people make in this field, and many others I'm sure, is that you question yourself because of other people. But you just need to land with the right person or the right company, and you can really accomplish everything you want. You have to be very empathetic in this field because you're working with people who are injured and going through a really hard time, but you can learn to handle that. There's so much opportunity - you can start as a receptionist and end up in a really high place if you put in the work.

The biggest challenges in personal injury law are the emotional demands of the work. It's a very tough field because you're helping people who are injured and going through a really hard time. You have to have a lot of empathy and be a people person, or train yourself to become one. You also have to learn not to take things personally, which is a challenge you have to overcome when you're working with people going through the worst thing in their lives. You're trying to make people's days better when they're already in such a difficult situation. On the opportunity side, there's so much potential in this field. You can start as a receptionist and end up in a really high place if you put in the work. The opportunities are there - you can make your way up with really hard work and by understanding what you're doing. For us in personal injury, it's really about focusing on people, on your clients, and what they need from you to provide everything they need.

In my work, I value empathy, empowerment, and creating a positive culture where people can thrive. I'm very intentional about the people I hire and finding the right people to fit in with our culture. One of my biggest accomplishments is creating a really great environment where people don't want to leave this job. We're very focused on culture, and I especially care about empowering women. We have 18 women and 7 men on our team, and I want to empower everybody to be their best and reach their career goals. One of my paralegals told me that I empower her, and she said that's why she nominated me for this recognition. I want to be there for my team the way I was given that opportunity. I also value continuous learning and growth - I'm always putting myself through classes and trying to be better at leading. Outside of work, music is a big part of my life and helps me unwind from the intensity of the job. I love playing drums and going to concerts with my husband. Those are my passions outside of working so much, and they help me decompress from the emotional demands of working with injured clients.