By Sherry Knutson and Charissa Walker

A Verdict a Decade in the Making

The most powerful lessons in allyship rarely come from formal programs or checklists; they are forged over years of deliberate investment, then revealed in a single, career-defining moment. For us, that moment arrived this summer, when we secured a complete defense verdict for a client—the culmination of a decade of intentional allyship.

The trial centered on allegations that ingestion of premature infant formula contributed to an infant developing necrotizing enterocolitis and caused permanent injuries. After plaintiff’s counsel sought $12 million, plus punitive damages, on July 2, 2026, the jury returned a 10–2 complete defense verdict.

Every trial victory is gratifying, but this one carried special meaning: the lawyer at first chair was the associate we began investing in 10 years ago. Our experience offers a practical lesson in how senior lawyers can turn individual opportunity into lasting professional growth, and why allyship works best as a long game.

Allyship Behind the Trial

Sherry: Recognizing the Gap

Starting out my career 30 years ago at my first firm, I benefited from mentorship opportunities. I was paired with a titan of the trial bar who championed my cause and persuaded the firm’s client to place me in the second chair on multiple cases—a break rarely afforded to a young associate. I leveraged that experience to broaden my résumé and, 18 years into my career, earned a first-chair trial position for a trusted client. My trajectory reflected hard work, advocacy, and, frankly, luck.

That experience also laid bare how unevenly opportunities are distributed. Although women have long made up about half of law school classes, they have not advanced proportionately into leadership roles, including first-chair trial positions. I came to see that paying it forward would require more than traditional mentorship. Helping a younger attorney develop skills and confidence is valuable, but it is not enough for someone who wants to become a trial lawyer; that requires long-term planning and shared determination. I did not yet have a name for it, but what I was contemplating was allyship: understanding your own power and leveraging it, through ongoing and meaningful action, to advocate with and for others as they pursue their dreams.

That allyship began when I joined Tucker Ellis in 2016. I soon began working with Charissa and quickly recognized her tremendous potential—her sharp intelligence, tireless work ethic, and team-first mentality. I resolved to become her ally and help her reach her aspirations.

“Our experience offers a practical lesson in how senior lawyers can turn individual opportunity into lasting professional growth, and why allyship works best as a long game.”

Charissa: Brought into the Room

Working with Sherry was different from the beginning. When we met to discuss our cases, she brought an agenda with items for both of us. In court, we split talking points, with Sherry ensuring that I had something meaningful to say so the court, the parties, and the client could formally recognize me. She took the same approach for depositions: I drafted her outlines for a while, but she quickly encouraged me and the client to assign me more responsibility. And it worked. Eventually, I was the one preparing, defending, and taking expert and company witness depositions, while Sherry critiqued my outlines.

Then came the trial work. Sherry knew I wanted to try cases, and she knew how difficult and rare it was for clients to assign trials to young(er) women attorneys. So, when clients approached her with trial assignments, she talked to them about me and brought me in as trial support. This was my first real exposure to trial work, and I loved it. Sherry saw the proverbial “glow in my eyes” and my potential as a successful trial attorney. One day, she told me: “My goal is for you to make partner and for us to try a case together, with you as lead counsel.” I wanted those very things for myself, but hearing Sherry say them—and knowing that we were both willing to put in the work—lit an even bigger fire in me.

Together: Building the Plan

From then on, every aspect of our working relationship served one unifying goal: trying a case together, with Charissa as first chair. Together, we devised a concrete allyship plan, putting into practice the motivational saying: “Success doesn’t just find you. You have to go out and get it.”

Our firm’s culture of teamwork made that goal attainable. Tucker Ellis does not compensate according to “billing credit” or billable hours; instead, it rewards contributions based on accomplishments. The firm also recognizes that everyone benefits when lawyers cultivate multiple client touchpoints rather than hoarding relationships. Those principles gave our long-term plan the institutional support it needed.

The plan unfolded in deliberate steps:

1. We introduced Charissa to important members of the defense bar, broadening her network of allies and future collaborators;
2. We positioned Charissa for leadership roles within the firm and key legal organizations, and we published articles together, building her reputation and letting others see her talent firsthand;
3. Charissa took on progressively greater responsibility, developing her skills and her own style—not a carbon copy of Sherry’s, but a reflection of her unique voice;
4. We built direct relationships with clients by including Charissa in client meetings and business-development events, giving her client-facing roles, and involving her in trial programs;
5. Charissa accepted stretch roles, including responsibilities in cases without Sherry, with assurance that Sherry was a phone call away to help navigate any difficulties;
6. We were mindful of the little things, including optics like Charissa leading team meetings, communicating directly with the client, interfacing with opposing counsel and the court, and signing her name to pleadings;
7. We secured vital mock-trial opportunities for Charissa to showcase her skills directly to clients;
8. We ensured that Charissa received high-visibility trial assignments, even when it meant Sherry diverting one of her own witnesses to Charissa;
9. We earned clients’ trust to give Charissa a first-chair opportunity; and
10. We created space for Sherry to graciously step back and cede the spotlight, so Charissa could take the lead when the opportunity arrived.

None of this happened overnight. We began putting the plan into action when Sherry was in her 40s and still at the height of her own trial career. That timing was essential: waiting until Sherry neared retirement would have left too little runway.

“Allyship challenges lawyers with power to put others first. True leaders cultivate new leaders: they shine their light on the path so others can follow and flourish.”

Sherry: Doors Opened, Doors Blazed Through

By 2023, critical components of the plan were falling into place. Charissa had earned the support of allies across the country, risen to leadership at Tucker Ellis and in key defense organizations, honed her trial skills through several trials—including one ending in a full defense verdict—and built direct relationships with some of the firm’s most important clients. I may have helped open a few doors, but Charissa blazed through them with her own talent and grit. As the late Steve Ellis, one of Tucker Ellis’s founders, said: “Mentors are important, but they are only a resource.” From the outset, Charissa understood that she was responsible for her own success—and she delivered.

Together: The Road to First Chair

In mid-2023, we secured work as trial counsel for a new client facing a mass tort. At mock-jury exercises in 2024, Charissa commanded the room, and we were both later assigned as second chairs for one of the client’s trials that fall. The team secured a full defense verdict.

That success led the client to entrust us with two back-to-back trials in 2026—an extraordinary vote of confidence. We agreed that Sherry would lead the May trial and Charissa the June trial, each supporting the other through an exceptionally demanding stretch of our careers.

The May trial settled less than 12 hours before jury selection, leaving no time to rest before the June trial. We planned for Charissa to open and close, cross-examine the lead plaintiff’s expert, and present a critical company witness; the client agreed without hesitation.

During the June trial, we marked each pivotal moment—the opening, each witness examination, and the closing—by grasping each other’s hands. Ultimately, Charissa led the team to a winning verdict with Sherry beside her—the culmination of the decade-long plan we had built together.

The Lesson: Measure Success by Whom You Lift

We share this story not to pat ourselves on the back, but to challenge others to follow a similar path. The lesson is clear: sustained, intentional, collaborative allyship produces results.

Too often, our profession measures a career by personal wins, headlines, and compensation. We believe success should be measured more expansively. Allyship challenges lawyers with power to put others first. True leaders cultivate new leaders: they shine their light on the path so others can follow and flourish. Harnessed through allyship, that light can dismantle barriers and allow others to step into spaces where they belong. The result is a stronger firm, better service for clients, and deeper personal fulfillment.