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
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
The Score: Dewey's Football Bills, March Madness, and Opening Day
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 3, 2013
In our latest look at sports and the law, The Am Law Daily does some spring cleaning by tracking down the legal fees accrued by the National Football League Players Association in its collective bargaining battle with owners in 2011; catching up with one of the NCAA's top outside litigators from Schiff Hardin; and looking at the lawyers staying busy for Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees.
Banks Topple Antitrust Claims in Private LIBOR Suits
David Bario : The Litigation Daily : April 1, 2013
Reflecting on 'Super Bowl' of High Court Arguments
Todd Ruger : The National Law Journal : March 29, 2013
Elizabeth Wydra spent the past two days watching attorneys argue about same-sex marriage. It was, the appellate advocate said, a "Super Bowl of Supreme Court arguments" featuring major stars including Paul Clement of Bancroft and Principal Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan.
Judge Sides With Manatt Client in Dispute Over Rincon Towers
Vanessa Blum : The Recorder : March 28, 2013
Justices Struggle With Gay Marriage and California's Ban
Marcia Coyle : The National Law Journal : March 27, 2013
Gay marriage advocates, hoping for constitutional recognition of their right to wed, encountered a cautious and sometimes skeptical U.S. Supreme Court during arguments yesterday on California's same-sex marriage ban.
Justices Struggle With Gay Marriage and Calif. Ban
Marcia Coyle : The National Law Journal : March 27, 2013
Gay marriage advocates, hoping for constitutional recognition of their right to wed, encountered a cautious and sometimes skeptical U.S. Supreme Court during arguments Tuesday on California's same-sex marriage ban.
Reversal of Fortune
Michael D. Goldhaber : The American Lawyer : March 27, 2013
Hank Greenberg and his legal team at Skadden score the first big award in a Chinese reverse merger case. Was it a fluke?
Supreme Court struggles with standing, gay marriage and California's ban
Marcia Coyle : The National Law Journal : March 27, 2013
Gay marriage advocates, hoping for constitutional recognition of their right to wed, encountered a cautious and sometimes skeptical U.S. Supreme Court during arguments Tuesday on California's same-sex marriage ban.
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