Biglaw Refugees Start Their Own Women-Owned Boutique

It's a way to pay it forward.

Sharon Larkin & Beth Ferrell

Sharon Larkin & Elizabeth Ferrell

Two women with impressive Biglaw backgrounds have decided to open up their own law firm, specializing in government contracts work. Former Steptoe & Johnson partner Sharon Larkin teamed up with former Bradley Arant Boult Cummings partner Elizabeth Ferrell to create Larkin Ferrell.

As they told the National Law Journal, it isn’t just the work that motivated them to throw up a shingle, but a desire to be role models for other women in the industry:

But serving their longtime clients wasn’t the only reason that Larkin Ferrell’s founding partners wanted to start their own shop. The two Big Law veterans said they wanted to “pay it forward” and demonstrate to other female lawyers that such a venture is possible.

“We [wanted] to be role models for younger women lawyers to show them that [you] can do things differently,” Larkin said. “You can be successful and this can be done.”

The firm is also focused on putting client service at the top of their priority list, touting the flexibility a small shop provides:

“The beauty of our firm is we can do what we want,” added Ferrell, who was also once a partner at Dentons predecessor Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. “If we decide that a flat rate, a contingent fee or a fixed retainer per month makes sense, [we] can sit down and discuss it with the client.”

We wish this new firm the best of luck.

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Big Law Vets Launch Women-Owned Beltway Boutique [National Law Journal]


headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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