After the historic nomination of the first woman presidential candidate by a major political party, Wade Smith shared these thoughts about the first woman of Tharrington Smith:

On August 20, 1979, Carlyn Poole became the first woman to join Tharrington Smith in the role of lawyer. Tharrington Smith was already a place of employment for legendary women in roles as staff. But Carlyn was the first woman to come to us as a lawyer. When for the first time last night, a woman was nominated to serve as President, my thoughts turned to Carlyn. She was a pioneer. Carlyn was a mother when she decided to go to law school after a career as a teacher. It was a significant day for TS when she joined us. Her career at TS was amazing. She became the first woman in Raleigh to serve as chair of a major law firm. She served with distinction as Managing Partner and Chair of our firm. Her gifts were many but her best, in my view, was her superb judgment on issues large and small. She then continued to achieve firsts. First woman to serve as President of the Wake County Bar Association, and second woman to win the Joseph Branch Award.

It was too much to hope that we could keep her. She retired on March 31, 2013, to ride her bike on excursions across the world. Today we remember the great Carlyn Poole. She is somewhere out there, riding up a steep hill on her bicycle. She was with us at Tharrington Smith, August 20, 1979 to her last day, March 31, 2013.

Wade