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
Quinn Emanuel Makes Two More Big Hires in Skadden's Birnbaum, Cheffo
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 23, 2013
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is seeking to corner the market on high-profile litigation hires, announcing Tuesday that veteran Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom litigator Sheila Birnbaum, the former cohead of the firm's mass torts and insurance litigation group, and partner Mark Cheffo would join the firm.
D.C. MOVES
: The National Law Journal : April 22, 2013
The Churn: Lateral Moves in the Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : April 16, 2013
Greenberg Traurig hires a new shareholder in its corporate and securities practice; Herrick, Feinstein's tax and personal planning group names a new co-chair; and Jones Day adds to its offices in Sydney and Silicon Valley. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : April 12, 2013
Newly merged Dentons grabs six partners soon after its launch; Jones Day beefs up its presence in Germany; and Morris Manning continues to expand its tax practice. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
U.S. Judge Approves $115M Settlement in AIG Class Action
Brendan Pierson : New York Law Journal : April 11, 2013
Southern District Judge Deborah Batts ruled from the bench that the settlement was "fair, reasonable and adequate," overruling the sole objection by an investor, which did not appear in court.
Former Federal Prosecutors to Start Own Shop
Julia Love : The Recorder : April 8, 2013
Former U.S. Attorney David Shapiro has left Boies, Schiller & Flexner to start a firm of his own with Martha Boersch, another former federal prosecutor and Big Law refugee. Their firm, which has yet to be named and will be finalized in about a month, will focus on federal criminal defense and related civil proceedings.
Retired First Department Justice Joins Boies Schiller
Christine Simmons : New York Law Journal : April 4, 2013
Eugene Nardelli, who retired from the Appellate Division, First Department, in 2011, said he expects to consult on appellate work and advise on trial tactics.
NFL Players' Union Runs Up Big Bills
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 4, 2013
A close look at the legal fees accrued by the National Football League Players Association in its collective bargaining battle with owners in 2011.
Wilmer Firm Defeats Patent Claims Against Intel
Jan Wolfe : Delaware Business Court Insider : April 3, 2013
After months of chipping away at a patent plaintiff's damages case against Intel Corp., a Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr team led by William Lee landed a win this week. U.S. District Judge Richard Andrews of the District of Delaware granted summary judgment to Intel on Monday, ruling that Boies, Schiller & Flexner client AVM Technologies LLC failed to present a viable damages theory.
Shapiro Leaves Boies Schiller to Start Own Shop
Julia Love : The Recorder : April 3, 2013
- Adams and Reese
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
- Allen & Overy
- Anderson Kill & Olick
- Arthur Cox
- Ashurst
- Baker & McKenzie
- Brown Rudnick
- Buist Moore
- Cahill Gordon & Reindel
- Clayton Utz
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
- Clifford Chance
- Cooley
- Covington & Burling
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore
- Davis Polk & Wardwell
- Dewey & LeBoeuf
- Diamond McCarthy
- Dickstein Shapiro
- DLA Piper
- Dorsey & Whitney
- Dreier LLP
- Duane Morris
- Eversheds
- Fish & Richardson
- Freehills
- Freshfields
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
- Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian
- Herbert Smith
- Herrick, Feinstein
- Hogan Lovells
- Howrey
- Jenner & Block
- Jones Day
- K&L Gates
- Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Latham & Watkins
- Linklaters
- Mallesons Stephen Jaques
- McKool Smith
- Minter Ellison
- Moore & Van Allen
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
- Morrison & Foerster
- Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
- Nexsen Pruet
- Nixon Peabody
- Norton Rose
- O?Melveny & Myers
- Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
- Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
- Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pitman
- Proskauer Rose
- Reed Smith
- Ropes & Gray
- Ruden McClosky
- Shea & Gould
- Shearman & Sterling
- Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
- Simmons & Simmons
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
- Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
- Sullivan & Cromwell
- Vinson & Elkins
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- White & Case
- Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
- Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice
