Sarah Westby Named One of Hartford Business Journal’s 2026 Top Women in Business

Shipman & Goodwin is proud to announce that Partner Sarah Westby has been selected as one of the Hartford Business Journal’s (“HBJ”) 2026 Top Women in Business. This prestigious annual recognition celebrates exceptional women leaders who are making significant impacts across the greater Hartford region’s diverse business landscape. HBJ’s Top Women in Business award distinguishes outstanding professionals who demonstrate remarkable leadership, professional achievement, and community commitment.

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition from the Hartford Business Journal,” said Sarah Westby. “My work spans a range of disciplines — from helping cannabis businesses navigate an emerging and complex regulatory landscape, to advising and defending employers facing a variety of workforce challenges, to pro bono work that I hold close to my heart. None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of my colleagues at Shipman and the trust my clients place in me every day.”

As Chair of Shipman’s Cannabis Team and a partner in the firm’s Employment and Labor Practice Group, Sarah takes a 360-degree, results-driven approach to client service, always considering her clients’ budget, business values, risk appetite, reputation, and concerns for precedent-setting action. She counsels cannabis and hemp businesses across all parts of the supply chain, assisting both established and start-up companies with business formation, the preparation of cannabis business applications, compliance, and ongoing management.

Beyond her cannabis practice, Sarah regularly represents clients across all industries on a broad array of employment and personnel matters, including accommodations and leaves of absence, complaints of discrimination and harassment, compensation, termination, severance, and workplace safety, with a focus on risk mitigation and optimizing business operations.

Sarah’s commitment to service extends well beyond her legal practice. She represents clients pro bono in immigration, domestic violence, and child protection cases through partnerships with Lawyers for Children America, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the American Civil Liberties Union, assisting clients with applications for asylum in the United States and civil restraining orders in Connecticut. She also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Simply Smiles, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that builds villages of foster homes in Native communities. She was instrumental in securing a land lease for a first-of-its-kind foster care village on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and created a unique employment structure to professionalize the organization's foster parenting program — crafting complex job descriptions, employment agreements, and housing agreements tailored to the specific needs of Native foster children and life on the Reservation, in compliance with state, federal, and tribal law.

The 2026 Top Women in Business award winners were published by HBJ on March 23, 2026. The honorees will be celebrated at an awards dinner to be held on April 29 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, CT recognizing their outstanding contributions and achievements.