The newly appointed head of Boies Schiller Flexner, Matthew Schwartz, faces the formidable task of picking up where David Boies, the iconic founder of the firm, left off. At 82, Boies, who built the firm into one of the most influential powerhouses in litigation over the past two decades, has finally made room for Schwartz to step up as his successor.
Schwartz, an ex-assistant US attorney in Manhattan, joined Boies Schiller in 2015 and has since climbed the ranks to become one of three co-managing partners. His promotion to chair was announced during a partnership vote at the firm’s annual retreat in Florida, promising a year-long transition period before taking over Boies’s active practice in January 2025.
Schwartz recognizes his responsibility is not just to replace Boies, but to ensure that Boies Schiller outlasts its founders and establishes itself as a long-standing institution. Law firm management consultant Patrick McKenna notes the significance of this stage: “If you’ve got a predecessor who’s glorified and still around, you’re replacing an icon,” McKenna said. Indeed, according to four individuals familiar with the firm, this marks the first successful leadership transition following the collapse of two prior succession plans.
Schwartz distinguishes his new role as a collaborative endeavor, explaining, “I’m helping to take the firm that he created and to do it our way and my way and a way that works for the partnership.” After rising through the ranks to co-managing partner in 2020, Schwartz will continue managing daily operations before beginning his three-year term as chair in 2025.
This leadership transition comes as Boies Schiller struggles to maintain its stature in the aftermath of senior-level departures and concerns about its future. However, despite significant losses, the firm, which represented corporate defendants while running an active class-action practice, insists it is strong, evidenced by a 13% growth in profits last year and numerous high-profile cases on their slate.
As a firm that broke new ground by performing both plaintiffs-side and defense work, Boies Schiller faces an uncertain future. Yet, with Schwartz at the helm and long-term succession finally in place, the firm stands ready to navigate its path ahead.