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LAWCROSSING FEATURED EMPLOYER OF THE WEEK
Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP [Joann Chang] High-profile litigation cases flow through this 175-attorney firm like water thanks to the firm’s equally high-profile partners.
that the firm expects and intends for all as-
When the government wants some help with
the Supreme Court case regarding the 2000
its antitrust cases, it turns to the young law
election vote count as well as Napster’s file-
sociates to make partner. And perhaps due
firm of Boies, Schiller & Flexner. Although
sharing case. Yet the losses seem only to add
to the extreme work schedule, partnership
the firm might only be 5 years old, founding
to the celebrity of the firm and Boies, Schiller
often takes only five years.
partners David Boies and Jonathan Schiller
& Flexner now stands strong at just over 175
have brought over 60 years of combined ex-
lawyers.
perience in antitrust and complex commer-
Boies offers salaries at the top of New York City standards. First years at Armonk are
The Westchester headquarters of Boies,
making $135,000 and have the option of being
Schiller sets the standard for the rest of the
compensated based on contingency. Smart
Though the firm’s title carries the names of
firm’s 11 offices. Just a short 30 minute drive
associates who have chosen the contingency
three lawyers, David Boies’ name perma-
from Manhattan, the Armonk office mixes the
plan and who have worked on such cases as
nently overshadows the other two. Boies’
serious dedication to hard work of New York
the $1.1 billion settlement on international
counsel position on several high-profile
City with the more laid-back atmosphere of
vitamin price fixing can attest to being well
cases has earned him the Lawyer of the
suburban Westchester County. As a litiga-
compensated for their lack of personal lives.
Year distinction by National Law Journal
tion boutique, the firm capitalizes on the
in 1999 and Man of the Year runner-up by
flexibility and casualness not found in the
Time Magazine in 2000. Boies has built a formidable reputation early in his career with Cravath, Swaine & Moore by successfully litigating high-profile cases, including representation of IBM against its antitrust case, CBS and Mike Wallace against a libel suit, and Continental Airlines against United and American Airlines.
bureaucratic structure of large law firms.
cial litigation matters to their law firm.
Associates report having tight work relation-
Boies, Schiller & Flexner currently has sev-
ships with partners, often going out to lunch
eral openings in New Hampshire, Florida,
or visiting each others’ offices. But although
Armonk, and New Jersey offices including
all the Boies, Schiller outposts are noted for
opportunities for experienced litigation
being low-key, lurking beneath the firm’s
associates. More information regarding
philosophy is a mandatory sleep deprivation
attorney positions at Boies, Schiller &
requirement. It appears that Boies’ legend-
Flexner can be found in the LawCrossing job
ary nonstop work schedule has rubbed off
database.
More recently, Boies has been using his
onto his firm and some associates have been
reputation to bring his firm some of the most
known to put in 3,000 hours a year.
complex class action cases in the country. Since its establishment in 1997, the firm
It is probably easier to get into Yale Law then
has handled the Microsoft antitrust case,
to get hired at this firm. With no formal sum-
the Christie’s and Sotheby’s collusion case,
mer associate program and no real recruit-
and investigation of the now-defunct Tyco
ing effort at top law schools, law students of-
International. And proving that he is not only
ten wonder how to break into this seemingly
money driven, Boies has provided his ser-
impenetrable fortress. Clerkship experience
vices to worthy legal battles at $40 an hour,
and inside connections work wonders at this
practically free compared to his usual $750
firm, but the hiring partner has been known
hourly rate. But as flawless as their history
to pull unique candidates from the résumé
might appear, Boies and his firm have also
batch. On the bright side, the intensity of
suffered some spectacular losses, including
Boies, Schiller’s initial hiring process means
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