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
Matter of Will of Modell
: New York Law Journal : March 25, 2013
Court Denies Stay of Action Based on Firm's Withdrawal for Clients' Non-Payment of Fees
Prop. 8 opponents seek broad ruling, not just for California
Marcia Coyle and Tony Mauro : The National Law Journal : March 25, 2013
The historic constitutional test of gay marriage rights unfolds on March 26, when the U.S. Supreme Court takes up California's same-sex marriage ban, a case in which opponents to the ban seek not a narrow victory, but full participation by gay couples in the fundamental right to marry.
Attorneys of the Year 2012: Robert Van Nest
: The Recorder : March 22, 2013
Toward a More Perfect Union
Scott Graham : The Recorder : March 22, 2013
In marriage fight, S.F.'s lawyers threw the first punch, absorbed body blows, and never left the ring.
Jury Finds Chinese Companies Fixed Prices for Vitamin C
Jan Wolfe : The Litigation Daily : March 18, 2013
The trial had been closely watched because the defendants were the first Chinese companies to face civil price-fixing claims on U.S. soil, and because they tried to escape liability by arguing that they simply followed orders from their government.
IP lawyers represent NFL players calling on high court to end Calif. same-sex ban
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : March 6, 2013
With the U.S. Supreme Court set to take up a case that will determine the fate of California's same-sex marriage ban and perhaps have legal ramifications beyond the Golden State, it also has the somewhat unusual opportunity to consider the views of two National Football League players with strong opinions on the matter.
Argentina Urges Circuit to Force Holdouts to Take Bond Settlement
Michael D. Goldhaber : The Litigation Daily : March 4, 2013
If the court ordered Argentina to fully pay holdout creditors, who collectively seek more than $10 billion, the country would default on $24 billion in restructured debt, counsel for Argentina declared during a hearing before the Second Circuit that lasted more than two hours.
Advisory Panel Recommends Change in CPLR Dismissal Rule
Christine Simmons : New York Law Journal : March 4, 2013
An advisory committee has proposed that courts be prevented from including a CPLR 3216 warning in a preliminary conference order after noting that many judges are giving a dismissal warning before there is actual evidence of neglect.
All-Star Laterals
Victor Li and Drew Combs : The American Lawyer : March 1, 2013
The Am Law 200's most high-profile lateral moves of 2012.
The Score: Fish Reps NFL Players Calling on High Court to End California's Same-Sex Ban
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : March 1, 2013
Fish & Richardson IP partner John Dragseth and Emory University School of Law professor Timothy Holbrook are representing Brendan Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe on the amicus brief the players have filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in connection with Hollingsworth v. Perry. Plus: Skadden scores in its effort to stop sports gambling in New Jersey, and a private equity firm takes the lead in the bidding for a sports and entertainment giant advised by Hogan Lovells.
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- Clifford Chance
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