Beyond the Pile-On: David Boies

 "... increases in hourly rates have made first-tier legal services unaffordable to most individuals and smaller businesses ... [and]  the pressure to raise lawyer compensation in order to recruit competitively has resulted in some firms reducing their pro bono commitments." That's what iconic litigator David Boies noted in an interview with Jenna Greeene at Reuters Legal. 

That's probably a part of Boies few know about. The now-hardened story line is captured in the timeframe from when he was featured in BusinessWeek on May 12, 2015 at 74. He was at the top of every aspect of his game. He was 74. When Law and More covered him it had been with reverence. 

Then came the unraveling. A major piece of that had been The New Yorker expose by Ronan Farrow "Harvey Weinstein's Army of Spies" two years later. Boies also got vilified for how he tried to put the muscle on The Wall Street Journal to prevent publication of the article that would also be the beginning of the end for his client startup Theranos. Meanwhile there began partner flight at the law firm he co-founded Boies Schiller. That has recently reached across the globe to the London office. Gleefully media outlets reported on that attrition.

But the guy is still standing. At age 81, he is still engaged in high-profile litigation. In fact, on April 21, 2022 he had a victory for his client in the SCOTUS case "United States v. Jose Luis Valello Madero." Here is the Court's opinion.

He is in the process of rebuilding the London office. And he is optimistic about his presence in Italy.

He takes vacations which he describes as "retirement in installments." 

If the heat related to the law firm Boies Schiller gets to be a too-much, he can always go his own way. He can start a mini litigation boutique. If he truly believes elite law firms charge too much, he can institute a sliding-scale fee schedule. That positioning and packaging can launch a reset for him. He might find rebranding an adventure.

Connect with Editor-in-Chief Jane Genova at janegenova374@gmail.com.

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