Biglaw to Boutique - Worth It? Forum

[Anonymous User]

The title is self-explanatory, but I should add a couple caveats: (1) I’m especially curious about Midwest markets (Chicago in particular); (2) by boutique I don’t mean the ones that are basically just pocket-sized Biglaw firms where you still bill 2100+ a year—I’m thinking more along the lines of a fair pay cut in exchange for a genuine 1800 hour billable requirement.

Anyways, would love to hear people’s experiences, anecdotes, rumors, etc. Is this a real option? Has anyone on here done it and been happy with their decision (or unhappy)?

Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

The title is self-explanatory, but I should add a couple caveats: (1) I’m especially curious about Midwest markets (Chicago in particular); (2) by boutique I don’t mean the ones that are basically just pocket-sized Biglaw firms where you still bill 2100+ a year—I’m thinking more along the lines of a fair pay cut in exchange for a genuine 1800 hour billable requirement.

Anyways, would love to hear people’s experiences, anecdotes, rumors, etc. Is this a real option? Has anyone on here done it and been happy with their decision (or unhappy)?

Thanks.

It is firm dependent. I have a friend who left a V20 in Chicago for a smaller boutique firm (specialized with like 20 attorneys in Chicago). He definitely is working less, but still working weekends sometimes and I think he billed at least 1900 hours last year. Idk the exact pay cut, but it was at least $100k. He seems happy, but personally I wouldn't do that.

[sparty99]

The title is self-explanatory, but I should add a couple caveats: (1) I’m especially curious about Midwest markets (Chicago in particular); (2) by boutique I don’t mean the ones that are basically just pocket-sized Biglaw firms where you still bill 2100+ a year—I’m thinking more along the lines of a fair pay cut in exchange for a genuine 1800 hour billable requirement.

Anyways, would love to hear people’s experiences, anecdotes, rumors, etc. Is this a real option? Has anyone on here done it and been happy with their decision (or unhappy)?

Thanks.

You didn't say practice area. But 1,800, sounds like you still going to work a lot and will the salary cut be worth it? And is it ever just 1,800 hours? I don't see any reason to take a paycut just to work at another firm. Firm life is firm life. You might as well go in-house if you want a cush life. Your question very vague

[Anonymous User]

Caveat that are a lot of different kinds of boutiques and so the following doesn't apply to them all, but generally I think the real advantage to boutiques over big law is that the matters can be more interesting and you are a lot more involved as an associate in all aspects of the case. As to hours, in my experience you still bill a fair amount but there are fewer bullshit fire drills, in part because you can see things coming down the pike much more clearly -- because you will be intimately involved in the case strategy, you aren't caught off guard when things bubble up. But I don't know that fewer hours would be a main driver for going to a boutique. For that you'd have to take a bigger pay cut and go into government.

[Anonymous User]

If your primary goal is lifestyle, your hours would probably be better at a big firm in a smaller market than at a boutique in a big market. Idk what practice area you’re talking about, but Bartlit Beck is not a lifestyle firm.

[Anonymous User]

This OP. Thanks, all, for the responses. To respond in a sort of scattershot way, 1800 hours seems way better to me than the 2100-2200 a year I’ve been averaging, but point taken that 1800 still isn’t exactly work-life balance.

For practice area, I’d be looking generally at commercial lit. Not interested in the Susmans and Bartlit Becks of the world, though.

I think the biggest point someone made is the BS fire drills. I find the hours a lot more bearable when it’s things I’ve budgeted for, so to speak, rather than being caught off guard and having to waste a whole day on something that probably isn’t even all that urgent. If there’s fewer instances of that in boutique life, that goes a long ways (not all the way to $100k pay cut, but maybe $20-30k).

[RedNewJersey]

For practice area, I’d be looking generally at commercial lit. Not interested in the Susmans and Bartlit Becks of the world, though.

If there’s fewer instances of that in boutique life, that goes a long ways (not all the way to $100k pay cut, but maybe $20-30k).

I'm fairly confident that there are no commercial lit boutiques where associates regularly bill 1800 hours that pay only 20-30k less than biglaw. It's going to be 100k less, and even then usually the 1800 thing is not true. The problem is that most smaller places are not doing 10% less of the best work, but about the same amount of less lucrative work.

Also, whether there are fire drills is almost entirely dependent on the type of work and the particular partners you're working with. I don't think the size of the firm matters much (nor does the pay, unless you're a staff attorney with set hours).

[Anonymous User]

For practice area, I’d be looking generally at commercial lit. Not interested in the Susmans and Bartlit Becks of the world, though.

If there’s fewer instances of that in boutique life, that goes a long ways (not all the way to $100k pay cut, but maybe $20-30k).

I'm fairly confident that there are no commercial lit boutiques where associates regularly bill 1800 hours that pay only 20-30k less than biglaw. It's going to be 100k less, and even then usually the 1800 thing is not true. The problem is that most smaller places are not doing 10% less of the best work, but about the same amount of less lucrative work.

Also, whether there are fire drills is almost entirely dependent on the type of work and the particular partners you're working with. I don't think the size of the firm matters much (nor does the pay, unless you're a staff attorney with set hours).

OP again. Thanks for this. I think part of me knew this was the answer, but it’s nice to dream of greener pastures.

[ughbugchugplug]

I went to a boutique from big law. The advantages are:

- I do more interesting stuff (I’ve taken 5 deps, including of the main plaintiff) and defended 20 in my first year
- I’m much more regularly dealing with clients and opposing counsel
- I’m more involved in and important to cases, so I care if we win
- the cases are smaller than the huge ones at my old firm, which I like because I can get my arms around them

The disadvantages are:

- worse pay
- hours are less but can be comparable at times if things need to get done
- vacations are harder because I am the only person who knows certain things
- exit options are worse because my new firm is not as much of a household name
- people give you less of the benefit of the doubt that you’re smart or right about something
- at the start it’s much more sink or swim; there’s no room for dead weight so you can and will be asked to move on if you can’t handle things on your own