Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Boies, Schiller & Flexner
- Designation: National
- Head Count: 258
- Gross Revenues: $325,000,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $1,260,000
- Profits Per Partner: $2,725,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
Boies Schiller is the baby of The Am Law 100 firms, having been founded only in 1997. But, boy, has this kid gotten noticed. Part of the reason, of course, is the star power of its cofounder (and former Cravath partner), David Boies, who famously took on Microsoft as special counsel for the U.S.Department of Justice in its antitrust suit against the software giant, and who also represented Vice President Al Gore in litigation relating to the 2000 election. But another reason is the firm’s stratospheric profits per partner, which have crossed the $3 million mark a number of times (it helps that Boies Schiller doesn’t have to slice the pie into many pieces: There are only some 40 equity partners).
While Boies Schiller takes on corporate matters and is well regarded for its international arbitration work, the heart of its practice is litigation. The firm was a finalist in The American Lawyer’s 2012 Litigation Department of the Year competition on the strength of its work for clients like Pfizer Inc., which had been accused of illegally promoting its epilepsy drug Neurontin, and the Bank of New York Mellon, which had been locked in a $22.5 billion battle with Russian taxing authorities. Other clients include American Express Company, Delta Air Lines, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., and the New York Yankees. In its short history, Boies Schiller has become a go–to firm for complex, high stakes, and even constitutional litigation.
The firm is a big proponent of alternative fee arrangements and, in recent years, more than 50 percent of its annual revenue comes from nonhourly billing models. Perhaps getting more attention, however, are the substantial “engagement fees,” ranging from five figures to more than $10 million, that the firm requires some new clients to pony up before it will work with them.
Equally attention–getting is Boies Schiller’s policy of not crediting these fees toward work. Says Boies: “It eliminates people who just want us to write a letter.”
—Updated 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 92 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 92 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 175 | 3 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 94 | 26 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | NR | N/A | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 51 | 23 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | NR | N/A | Summer programs |
In the News
LIBOR Claims Rejected
David Bario : The Litigation Daily : May 16, 2013
Less than two months after a judge gutted sprawling antitrust litigation over alleged manipulation of global benchmark interest rates, shareholders have struck out in a related securities class action against Barclays plc.
Schedule of Law School Commencements
: New York Law Journal : May 10, 2013
Pelosi, Boies and Verrilli Hit the Commencement Circuit
Karen Sloan : The National Law Journal : May 9, 2013
It's graduation time, which means legal luminaries are making the commencement speaker rounds. As of Thursday, no law schools had claimed the services of any of the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, who usually can be counted upon for at least a couple of commencement addresses. Still, schools snagged some pretty big names to impart wisdom and encouragement to the soon-to-be lawyers.
Judge Orders Bank of China to Produce Documents in Suit Over Terror Killing
Brendan Pierson : New York Law Journal : May 8, 2013
Judge Shira Scheindlin has, for the second time, ordered the government-owned Bank of China to produce documents in a lawsuit accusing the bank of providing financial services to a terrorist group that killed an American teenager in 2006.
Asian Americans Find a Voice Within the Law
Mike Huang : New York Law Journal : May 1, 2013
The indifference toward Asian American equality is a result of our having been classified under the rubric of the "model minority" and thus viewed as achieving success by keeping our heads down and working hard. But Asian Americans have not achieved the success and equality that we are perceived to have reached, particularly in the legal profession.
Seeds of a Settlement
Anne Stuart : The American Lawyer : May 1, 2013
A decade after Monsanto licensed its soybean patents to DuPont, the two companies signed a second licensing deal. In between came bitter court fights, an embarrassing sanctions order, and a record-setting jury verdict.
AIG, A.G. in Duel Over Impact of U.S. Settlement on State Case
John Caher : New York Law Journal : April 29, 2013
The long-lingering civil fraud case against AIG and its former CEO, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, took an unusual twist last week with the state attorney general and the AIG camp arguing over whether a federal court settlement in a parallel case may affect an appeal slated for argument next month in the Court of Appeals.
Finding Fair Use, Circuit Overturns Infringement Ruling
Mark Hamblett : New York Law Journal : April 26, 2013
A secondary use of a copyrighted work does not require comment on the original artist or work or popular culture in order to be transformative and qualify for the fair use defense to infringement under the Copyright Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled yesterday.
Suits to Watch
Tom Coster, Julie Triedman : The American Lawyer : April 25, 2013
Starr International Company v. The United States; Cablevision Systems v. Viacom International; Dahl v. Bain Capital Partners et al.
Ex-Dewey Partner Pulls Former Firm Leaders Into Capital Loan Lawsuit
Sara Randazzo : The Am Law Daily : April 25, 2013
A former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner suing Barclays Bank over what he claims is a fraudulent $540,000 loan agreement is now trying to blame its creation on several onetime firm leaders, including former chairman Steven Davis.
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