Back to all newsDaily Journal features CW's guest columns on the benefits of boutiques
June 2026
CW partners Alyssa Bell and Kathleen Erskine were invited to contribute guest columns to the Daily Journal's "Top Women Lawyers" special report for 2026.
Alyssa's piece, "For women lawyers, big industry shake-ups mean small firms have better leadership opportunities," reflects on her experience as a partner at CW while considering, more broadly, leadership roles for women in today's fast-consolidating legal industry. For some women at big firms, partnership is less an organizational leadership role than a title and an equity stake. At boutiques, however, many women lawyers are finding new and different paths to organizational leadership, leveraging the quality of their work and their institutional commitment into meaningful platforms that evolve alongside their careers. They're also building—as Alyssa has—strong referral pipelines among fellow women leaders that can drive better results for their firms.
Kathleen's piece, "To become a top choice for corporate litigation work, join a boutique," co-authored with counsel Talia Nissimyan, former associate general counsel for Shopify, looks at client procurement power and its impact on women lawyers. As DEI initiatives lose momentum and corporate clients continue to choose large firms with legacy brands, boutique firms are emerging as the best place for women litigators to gain trial experience, win high-value work, and take control of their careers. In fact, Kathleen and Talia note, the trial bona fides that come with boutique practice could be the single most important differentiator for a lawyer in today's litigation market.