The legal system in the U.S. often falls short for women. Recent studies have shown that female attorneys and clients alike can struggle to be taken seriously and believed by judges and juries.
And though women now make up half of all associates at U.S. law firms, legal experts say there’s still room for change.
Given these realities, two seasoned Chicago lawyers have built a rare legal team of their own — a practice by female trial attorneys, exclusively for female clients and their allies.
Allyson West and Kelly Olivier have been practicing law for over a decade and have represented clients in over 80 jury trials between the two of them. That milestone is a point of pride for them and a moment for reflection.
“We were just feeling exhausted and feeling the weight of still being mistaken for the court reporter,” Olivier said.
“And still frequently being the only woman in the room,” West added.
Olivier and West teamed up in 2022 to found Themis: Trial by Women, a specialized legal group within Hale & Monico, a Chicago law firm focused on civil rights and personal injury litigation.
“We have always been able to find a safe space in each other and a safe space with our fellow female litigators,” Olivier said. “We also realized we could provide a safe space for our clients.”
Allyson West, left, and Kelly Olivier, right, founded Themis, an all-women trial attorney group catered toward women clients and their allies. They held a press conference in February to discuss a lawsuit they filed on behalf of a family alleging their daughter was raped by her ice skating coach.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
As far as they know, Themis is the first trial attorney group in the country founded and run by and catering to women. Nikia Gray, the executive director of the National Association for Law Placement, an organization that tracks legal employment and demographic data, said Themis is the first all-female trial attorney group geared toward women clients she’s ever heard of.
“That’s definitely unique,” Gray said. “I can see how an all-women legal team can help a woman feel more safe as a client, feel more understood, especially in more sensitive cases.”
Nancy Holston, the founder of the Society of Women Trial Lawyers, agreed that Themis is “very rare.” She also said there’s a growing movement of women in the profession establishing all-female firms.
“Many women have left and are leaving their large, male-dominated firms and joining forces with other women who want more control over their careers,” Holston said. “They’re creating virtual firms and bringing some sense of balance back to their lives, in addition to obtaining higher level opportunities.”
While women have advanced in entry level positions within the legal industry, they continue to be the minority in senior positions and leadership roles, a study by the National Association for Law Placement found. Meanwhile, more than half of female attorneys said in a 2020 survey that male judges are more likely to find male attorneys to be more credible than their female counterparts.
As clients, women sometimes feel diminished in the legal system. They’re often treated as unreliable narrators of their own experiences, according to a Georgetown study examining how women’s credibility is discounted in sexual harassment and assault cases.
Olivier and West, who share a deep bond and call themselves “legal soul sisters,” are trying to rectify that.
“We’re not so naive to think that we’re going to change the systemic misogyny that’s been in place, especially in the legal profession, for hundreds of years,” Olivier said. “That being said, we can make a change in our little corner of the universe and for our clients.”
‘It was a different experience’
Themis’s first trial was held last summer. West, Olivier and their colleague Jennifer Bitoy took on a wrongful death lawsuit for a woman whose 19-year-old brother was fatally shot by Peoria police.
Lyrah Hernandez and her family sued the city of Peoria and the officers involved in the shooting. After the two-week trial, the jury ruled against their suit.
Despite that result, Hernandez spoke highly of her attorneys, and their dedication to the case surpassed her expectations.
“It was a different experience to have an all-female legal team, something I haven’t seen before. Not that I’ve had other experiences in court but I’m used to seeing the typical all-male legal team,” Hernandez said.
Her attorneys “were able to show empathy and compassion toward the case, in a way that men sometimes can’t,” she said.
It was an overwhelming feeling for Hernandez to lose the case and relive her brother’s death in the courtroom.
But when the trial ended, “we cried and held each other and I thanked them,” Hernandez said. “And after, I sent a heartfelt message telling them that for the rest of my life I will owe them my gratitude and thanked them for doing their best.”
Hernandez hopes she doesn’t need legal counsel again, but she’ll be calling Themis if she does.
The experience working together on the case was life-changing for West, Olivier and Bitoy, also an attorney with Themis.
“Nobody’s ego was in the way and nobody cared who did what,” West said. “Nobody got their feelings hurt and nobody felt like they were stepping on toes. It was so collaborative.”
Their boss, Andy Hale, sat in the courtroom for the entire trial. It was the first time in his 35 years of practicing law that he saw a table of all-women attorneys in a courtroom.
“I thought I was going to be sitting there cringing and thinking, ‘I could be doing this so much better, I wish I would have done this trial because I’m more experienced,’” Hale said. “But I never had any of those moments. I sat there and thought, ‘I’m watching the future of our law firm right here.’”
Olivier and West hope to replicate that experience in future cases with Themis, but with a few more wins.
It’s not that working with their male colleagues is all bad. “We’re not men-bashing here,” they emphasized. But they agreed it’s easier among women to create a space where everyone feels comfortable to speak up, to be vulnerable, to be open and honest.
The two plan to continue growing the firm and bring on more attorneys, including both seasoned litigators and early-career lawyers. They currently represent a family whose minor daughter was allegedly raped by her ice skating coach.
The group’s name sums up their mission. Themis is the Greek goddess of justice. For them, it’s a reminder that women have long had a place in the law.
