Merrill’s Illinois Legal Times: Boutique, or Big Firm? Clients Have Preferences

April 30, 1994 — Merrill’s Illinois Legal Times explored corporate counsel perspectives on choosing between litigation boutiques and large, full-service law firms. While many clients value the personalized attention and billing flexibility of boutiques, others favor big firms for their depth, global reach, and institutional familiarity.

IMC Fertilizer Group’s general counsel, Marschall I. Smith, described Dallas-based Bickel & Brewer as “spectacular” in complex contract cases, citing the firm’s responsiveness and use of in-house M.B.A.s to strengthen business-focused litigation strategy. “It doesn’t hurt to have the reputation of being litigators who enjoy fighting to the death, because it sure makes that settlement a better one,” Smith said.

Other counsel interviewed emphasized that while boutiques offer flexibility and closer client relationships, large firms remain essential for multi-disciplinary or international matters.

Corporate Legal Times: Litigation Firms Hiring In-House Business School Grads

December 31, 1993 — Corporate Legal Times reported that several litigation boutiques, including Bickel & Brewer, have begun hiring top business school graduates to form internal consulting groups aimed at reducing client costs and improving efficiency in complex commercial litigation. The Dallas-based firm formally launched its program in June, creating a team of financial analysts, accountants, and IT specialists to assist in early case analysis.

“By bringing the function in-house, we can save as much as 30 percent to 60 percent per case,” said William A. Brewer III, co-founder of Bickel & Brewer.

According to Brewer and co-founder John W. Bickel II, the initiative reduces reliance on outside accounting firms, shortens preparation time, and provides clients with faster, more cost-effective litigation support. Corporate counsel praised the approach for improving analysis and responsiveness in high-stakes business disputes.

New York Times: At This Firm the Clients Hire Inside Consultants

September 30, 1993 — The New York Times reports that Bickel & Brewer employs 10 in-house litigation consultants—accountants, financial analysts, IT experts, and others—to handle pretrial work typically outsourced, a practice begun three years earlier. Co-founder William A. Brewer III cited savings of $100,000 for Bellcore, $200,000 for American Medical International in a dispute with Creighton University, and $500,000 for Robert Woolley in litigation involving Embassy Suites. Brewer said fixed costs and early immersion have, on average, cut clients’ legal fees in half; Daniel F. Kolb of Davis Polk called the approach promising but noted many firms cannot justify permanent staff.

"We saved one client, Bellcore, some $100,000 in a telecommunications patent dispute," said Brewer. "We saved American Medical International Inc., a hospital corporation, $200,000 in a dispute with Creighton University in Omaha. And there was $500,000 in savings for Robert Woolley, chairman of a hotel properties group, in a dispute involving the Embassy Suites hotel chain."

Read the full article here.

Dallas Morning News: Local Lawyers Make Their Case for Fitness; Corporate Challenge

September 16, 1993 — The Dallas Morning News reports that partner Bill Brewer invited other attorneys to race Bickel & Brewer at the Texas Commerce Bank Corporate Challenge on Wednesday night. Co-founder John Bickel — last year’s top-finishing CEO in the 3.5-mile downtown Dallas event — described the firm’s in-office workout area, including free weights, a punching bag, a chin-up bar, a rowing machine, and showers, and noted employees’ regular running, tennis, basketball, and rowing. Brewer and Bickel said they often discuss cases while running and that fitness builds endurance for multi-month trials and frequent travel, increasing efficiency across the firm.

"At the end of a three-, four-month trial, we feel like we are in great shape," Brewer said. "Typically, the people on the other side look terrible. The pressure gets to them. They eat too much, sleep too little and lose their balance. You need the stamina to perform at the highest level and do it with a clear head."

Forbes: Piecework

February 14, 1993 – Forbes examines alternatives to hourly billing as clients question rising legal costs, citing Zoe Baird’s ABA remarks and research showing legal-services revenues compounding 12% annually since 1977. The article profiles Bickel & Brewer’s flat-fee engagements with case-specific performance bonuses—praised by Bellcore general counsel Michael Grove for budgeting—and contrasts them with bill-review services like Legalgard; chairman John Marquess, after auditing about 2 million bills, argues flat fees “must allow for a giant margin” and rejects bonuses. Forbes also cites Professor William Ross’s survey finding 60% of attorneys reported knowledge of bill padding and 20% viewed recycling prior research as billable, and notes concerns that hourly billing discourages productivity-enhancing technology.

“Hourly billing pushes economic incentives in the wrong direction -- weakening rather than strengthening the bonds between performance and pay.” — Forbes

“A lawyer’s work ought to be valued according to its contribution to the bottom line.” — William A. Brewer III

American Demographics: Marketing the Verdict

January 31, 1993 – American Demographics reports that trial lawyers increasingly apply market research tools—focus groups, surveys, and mock juries—to test case themes, showing that juror demographics, values, and phrasing can sway how evidence is perceived. The article highlights Behavioral Science Research’s PercepTrac system, which records minute-by-minute reactions from mock jurors and, according to its developer, predicts verdicts about 80% of the time; in a Florida road-widening condemnation dispute, avoiding the term “a taking” and using plain language improved the municipality’s position. It notes Bickel & Brewer’s in-house mock courtrooms and cites scholars Valerie Hans, Neil Vidmar, and Theodore Eisenberg, who say these methods are most useful in close, polarizing cases with heterogeneous juries and less useful when the evidence is strong.

“You want to use those tools most effectively so people will hear the facts and remember them.” — William A. Brewer III, American Demographics

Corporate Legal Times: Bickel & Brewer Bets Its Future on Flat Fees; Firm’s Structure Reflects Its Philosophy

March 31, 1992 — Dallas-based Bickel & Brewer is phasing out hourly billing in favor of flat fee arrangements for corporate and commercial litigation. Founding partners John W. Bickel II and William A. Brewer III explained that the firm structures fees around client litigation history and projected outcomes, with performance-based premiums if results exceed expectations. Brewer emphasized that the model rewards efficiency and outcomes rather than hours, calling traditional billing a "spectacular inefficiency." To support this approach, the firm employs a 15-member Litigation Consulting Group of non-legal professionals, including accountants, MBAs, and engineers, to handle early phases of litigation at lower cost. The firm’s client roster includes Paine Webber, Motorola, ITT Consumer Financial Corp., Fruit of the Loom, and the Dallas Cowboys.

"It’s been win-win for everybody who’s tried it," says William A. Brewer III. "…General counsel doesn’t have to stand around analyzing bills, trying to figure out who spent one/fifth of an hour too long composing a letter. 

Texas Lawyer: Texas Stadium Corp., et al. v. The City of Irving

January 26, 1992 — Dallas firm Bickel & Brewer secured a settlement permitting the sale of beer and wine at Texas Stadium, ending a 20-year ban under an Irving liquor-control ordinance. Representing Texas Stadium Corp. and licensee Corral Services Inc., the firm challenged the ordinance’s constitutionality in a March 29 suit. The settlement led to an August 10 referendum, where Irving voters approved exempting the stadium from the ordinance, followed by legislative action confirming the exemption. Judge Bill Rhea of the 162nd District Court dismissed the suit on August 30 after the plaintiffs agreed to drop their challenge.