What is the best way for law firms to keep talented attorneys happy while making sure clients receive the attention they deserve? Perhaps the key is to create a workplace where lawyers have room to grow their practices without sacrificing their lives outside the office. For one group of longtime colleagues, that meant leaving Biglaw behind and building a boutique of their own. What does it take to make that leap, and get clients and colleagues excited to come along?
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Eggert, co-chair of Tyka, an insurance boutique that launched with 21 attorneys from Wiley Rein, to get his thoughts on starting a new firm, maintaining client relationships through a major transition, and creating a workplace where attorneys want to stay for the long haul. Here is a write-up of our lively conversation.
Staci Zaretsky (SZ): What surprised you most about launching your own firm, and what advice would you give to lawyers considering a similar move?
Ben Eggert (BE): As we launched Tyka, I expected a lot of moving parts. Yet I was surprised how much the scale of what we were doing amplified our challenge. The playbook for starting your own firm from a Biglaw platform often starts small. A couple partners, a few associates, and a handful of key matters.
Tyka began with 21 attorneys and three legal professionals, bringing along over 50 clients and 1,500 matters. It was more of a spin-off than a startup. The scale magnified our execution work in setting up document management, billing, and payment systems. Who knew it would take so long to configure NetDocs and establish ACH banking? Solving these problems has been satisfying, but the wins feel smaller as the hours stack up. The hard part is not getting so far into the weeds that you lose the vision.
My advice would be to not let fear of change dissuade you. Lawyers are by nature a cautious bunch. But most senior lawyers I know aren’t doing exactly what they were doing decades earlier. Sometimes it’s good to re-pot the plant. For me, I had to work through some self-doubt, but having amazing clients and colleagues has helped so much. Since launch, our clients have sent dozens of new matters to us, which is exactly what you want to see. If a middle-aged insurance lawyer can get past his own aversion to risk, anyone can.
SZ: How are clients responding to Tyka, and how did you manage to keep matters on track during the transition?
BE: Tyka’s more senior partners have been working with their clients for years, sometimes decades. Our clients have been genuinely thrilled that we’ve bet on ourselves in this way. For sure, Biglaw offers myriad advantages, but a focus on a single industry isn’t one of them, by design. Our clients know that Tyka’s boutique platform means that every decision is made with them in mind.
As we’ve transitioned, our deep bench of talented associates has really stepped up. We have some busy matters in litigation, and everyone across the firm has been pitching in to keep things going, even when they don’t normally work on the file. In one of our litigated matters, opposing counsel graciously volunteered to give us an extension for a summary judgment brief due a few weeks after our launch. I was gratified when we didn’t need to take them up on the offer. We filed on schedule. Nothing slipped.
SZ: How do you keep a group together for two decades, and what does that require at each career stage?
BE: Most Tyka attorneys started their careers as summer associates in the practice group at our former firm, whether that was in the 1990s or the 2020s. But you can’t keep talented lawyers together for 20 years by accident. Investing in our attorneys has always been intentional, both because it’s the right thing to do and because it makes good business sense. We want to take care of the people who take care of our clients.
For attorneys early in their careers, we work to get them early experience in projects and client contact. A junior attorney may not need to attend a hearing, deposition, or mediation, but we will bring them along as an investment in their development, without charging clients. I was in court from the beginning of my career and lucky enough to handle a state supreme court oral argument when I was a third-year associate. I want to pay that forward.
For mid-career attorneys, Tyka is a place where you can build a sustainable practice without losing your sanity or giving up your ambition. We’re still handling the same high-stakes coverage matters our clients have always trusted us with. Sustainable doesn’t mean smaller. For our seasoned attorneys, the support looks different. We help them develop and manage teams and pursue market opportunities. Our goal is a firm that checks all the boxes without compromise, whether you’ve been practicing for two years or 20.
SZ: What were the conversations like with partners and associates who had other options when the move was on the table?
BE: It was emotional. None of us were running away from Wiley Rein, our former firm. It is a wonderful home. The easier path for Kim Melvin, my co-chair, and me would have been to finish out our careers as practice group leaders at a large D.C. law firm. But it wasn’t the right home for us anymore.
Once we could talk to our colleagues, Kim and I had basically the same conversation with partners and associates. We told everyone that we wanted to build a new firm for those coming after us. We weren’t asking anyone to make a small decision, and we knew they needed to think about their own careers and families. The response was incredible. The energy for this project spans all generations.
We named the firm for something other than a list of senior lawyers because this launch has never been about me or any of us. Our name is inspired by tyche, the ancient Greek word for chance and its consequences, which seemed right for a firm serving insurers. And because the name isn’t tied to any of us, it can outlast its founders.
SZ: What can a boutique offer on retention that a large platform struggles to deliver?
BE: Flexibility. At a large firm, advancement and financial decisions must balance everything across practice groups and the industries they serve. A boutique doesn’t face those same constraints. We can fit the firm to the lawyer, not the other way around. A 30+ year career is not always linear. Attorneys can dial their practice up or down at different stages of their lives. By being open and intentional about it, Tyka can help lawyers customize their experience across an entire career. Kim and I have been doing that for ourselves and our colleagues for more than 25 years. Now we get to keep doing it at Tyka.
On behalf of everyone here at Above the Law, we’d like to thank Ben Eggert of Tyka for taking the time to share his thoughts on building a new firm, putting clients first, and creating a workplace where talented lawyers can thrive at every stage of their careers.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post From Biglaw To Boutique: Tyka’s Co-Chair Shares His Thoughts On Building A New Firm appeared first on Above the Law.
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