When Calvin Awkward’s internship was ending during his second year of law school, the judge for whom he was interning handed him a copy of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’

Calvin recalled that at the time he was gifted the classic work of post-war American literature, he had never read the novel. But soon enough, not only did it become one of his favorite books, it became the touchstone for his own budding legal career.

“Equality, people getting a fair trial, people having great representation despite the charges or claims against them: that really played a big role in what I wanted to achieve as an attorney.”

Around the same time, while attending the Washington and Lee University School of Law, Calvin was influenced by the work he watched being done at the Community Legal Practice Center, an agency that provided legal aid — primarily in the field of family law and estate — to low-income individuals in Rockbridge County, Va.

“That dovetailed with my desire to make sure everyone has a good attorney, good representation and the chance to defend themselves in court. Knowing there were low-income individuals in Rockbridge County who needed that legal help was a motivating factor for me wanting to join that clinic and help as much as I could. My mentors shaped my career and provided me with the guidance to want to look out for and support people,” he said. “This shouldn’t be a field where you’re just looking out for yourself, but a field where you’re also helping others find their way.”

Calvin’s desire to serve others is innate. As a kid, he told his family he planned to become a pediatrician, and he pursued that path for years, taking advanced science classes in high school and considering colleges based on their pre-med curriculum. But while at Washington and Lee, he was drawn more to politics and history and ultimately decided to apply to its law school, to which he was accepted.

“I was adamant I was going to be a criminal defense attorney. But as I was going through the courses, I really fell in love with tort litigation. Fortunately, after law school, I did a clerkship with a trial judge in Maryland who was assigned to handle complex civil litigation matters. And so, I received a good amount of experience and realized that this was the area in which I truly wanted to practice. I wanted to be in court. I wanted to argue interesting cases. And I also wanted to see those complex civil cases.”

Today, Calvin is a partner in Goldberg Segalla’s Construction Litigation and Counsel, and Retail and Hospitality practice groups. Based in Baltimore, he defends clients in a wide range of matters involving construction, transportation, personal injury, property damage, and related insurance coverage issues. A significant amount of Calvin’s practice includes construction industry matters, primarily focused on litigation surrounding construction defects.

“I’m passionate about litigation. I like researching and investigating facts that could turn a case on its head, finding impeachment evidence that could be useful at a trial. There’s always something to investigate, something to look into, or some weird quirk in the law. That’s really interesting to me.

“My cases are important to me because my clients are important to me,” Calvin added. “My goal is to always make sure that my clients know I’m dedicated to a case, that I’m giving my all, and that I’m doing the best that I can do for them. A lot of our clients, they’ve never dealt with something like this before. So, to know that they have an attorney they can rely on, who is qualified, who’s skilled, and who’s willing to put in the work to help them out, I think, speaks volumes. Because again, this is their life. This this is their struggle. This is why they have me helping them. To build trust with client relationships, it takes effort. I want to make sure they’re with me as the case progresses. Without that effort, the client is never going to trust you.”

Given his unyielding devotion to those he represents and his self-professed passion for litigation, Goldberg Segalla — with its long tradition of client-first service and its reputation as one of the nation’s premiere civil defense litigation firms — seemed a natural fit for Calvin’s talents. But in joining the firm six years ago, Calvin said, there was another factor that played an important role in his decision.

“Goldberg Segalla is different from other firms because of its commitment to diversity. That was one big area that was important to me when I was looking to further my legal career,” said Calvin. “When you look at the legal community, you see there’s a lack of diversity and that results in a lack of different thought, different ideas, different ways to do things. Knowing that Goldberg Segalla was committed to diversity was extremely important.”

As a young attorney, Calvin recalled he was “absolutely terrified” to come out as a member of the LBGTQ community while at his first job. But in the end, not only was his fear for naught, that acceptance he received proved to be a pivotal moment.

“Having that fear can be all consuming, and it shouldn’t be that way. So that experience really made it important for me to make sure my presence is known, not only as a black American male, but as a member of the LGBTQ community. You still see law firms in certain areas of the country where LGBTQ people don’t feel comfortable being out. They think it may harm their career, or they think they may lose their job,” said Calvin.

“We’ve interviewed people who’ve told me the presence of diversity in our office really made them want to work here and made them want to apply for a job with Goldberg Segalla. It’s unfortunate that everyone doesn’t see diversity as something important.  When you look at the Diversity Task Force, when you look at the Women’s Initiative, those are really great programs that help in the success of a law firm. And so, I’m happy that Goldberg Segalla is committed to that type of success.”

The security of knowing just how much he is supported by his firm, Calvin said, is essential in enabling him to focus solely on being the best attorney he can be and providing his clients with the best representation possible.

“Being an attorney means everything to me. I’ve worked hard for this career. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. And I’m happy this is the career I’ve chosen,” he said. “And, you know, I think it means more to my mother — the person who inspired me to work hard and put forth the effort to be successful. Being able to see that her son’s an attorney makes her happy, and it makes her smile. And that makes me smile. That’s really all I need.”