August 17 2019

Boss Lady Spotlight: Sarah R. Elerson

At Armoire, we’re casting a spotlight on some of the notable, powerful boss ladies in our community, and what being a boss lady means to them. Read on to learn all about attorney and Armoire member, Sarah R. Elerson.

Who she is:

I, Sarah R. Elerson, am a family law attorney at Helsell Fetterman in Seattle. I help clients navigate the legal process with a primary focus on attaining the client’s goals. I aim to make what can often be a difficult and emotional time as smooth as possible for each client.

My goal is to build my own book of business as a top family law litigator in Seattle. For the third consecutive year, I’ve been selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. The Rising Star list is comprised of lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice and only 2.5% of attorneys in Washington receive this distinction each year. To be a Rising Star, you must also be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less.

My passion is to increase diversity in the legal profession by focusing on the pipeline. Last summer, my firm approved my proposal to hire a diverse summer intern at the undergraduate level. The hope is that by exposing diverse students, at the undergrad level, to the legal profession it will increase the diversity as a whole, not just lawyers but also legal assistants, paralegals, etc.

How she’s redefining the boss lady:

I am a woman of color in a male-dominated profession. I am the first in my family to graduate from college, let alone graduate school. I am a single mother of an 8-year-old daughter and a full-time lawyer. I have learned to focus on my strengths and outsource my weaknesses or tasks I do not enjoy. For example, instead of spending weekends cleaning the bathroom and going to the dry cleaners, I now have a housekeeper and subscribe to Armoire. This allows me to spend more quality time with my daughter and build my career.