Staci Zaretsky (SZ):\u00a0<\/strong>What surprised you most about launching your own firm, and what advice would you give to lawyers considering a similar move?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Eggert (BE):<\/strong>\u00a0As we launched Tyka, I\u00a0expected\u00a0a lot of moving parts.\u00a0Yet I\u00a0was surprised\u00a0how\u00a0much\u00a0the scale of what we were doing\u00a0amplified\u00a0our challenge.\u00a0The playbook for starting your own firm from a\u00a0Biglaw\u00a0platform\u00a0often starts small.\u00a0A\u00a0couple\u00a0partners,\u00a0a few associates,\u00a0and\u00a0a handful of\u00a0key matters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyka\u00a0began with 21 attorneys and\u00a0three\u00a0legal professionals, bringing along over 50 clients and 1,500 matters.\u00a0It was more of a spin-off than\u00a0a\u00a0startup. The scale magnified\u00a0our execution work\u00a0in\u00a0setting up document management, billing, and payment systems. Who knew it would take so\u00a0long\u00a0to\u00a0configure\u00a0NetDocs\u00a0and\u00a0establish\u00a0ACH banking? Solving these problems\u00a0has been\u00a0satisfying,\u00a0but\u00a0the\u00a0wins feel smaller as the hours stack up.\u00a0The hard part is not getting so far into the weeds that you lose the vision.<\/p>\n My advice would be to not let fear of change dissuade\u00a0you. Lawyers are by nature a\u00a0cautious\u00a0bunch.\u00a0But most senior lawyers I know aren\u2019t doing exactly what they were doing decades earlier. Sometimes\u00a0it\u2019s good to re-pot the plant.\u00a0For me, I had to\u00a0work through\u00a0some self-doubt, but having amazing clients and colleagues has helped so much. Since\u00a0launch,\u00a0our clients have sent dozens of\u00a0new matters to us, which is exactly what you\u00a0want to see.\u00a0If a middle-aged insurance lawyer can\u00a0get past\u00a0his own\u00a0aversion to risk, anyone can.<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0<\/strong>How are clients responding to Tyka, and how did you manage to keep matters on track during the transition?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0Tyka\u2019s more senior partners have been working with their clients for years, sometimes decades.\u00a0Our clients have been genuinely thrilled that we\u2019ve bet on ourselves in this way. For sure,\u00a0Biglaw\u00a0offers\u00a0myriad\u00a0advantages, but a focus on\u00a0a single\u00a0industry isn\u2019t one of them, by design.\u00a0Our clients know that Tyka\u2019s boutique platform means that every decision is made with them in mind.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve transitioned, our deep bench of talented associates has really\u00a0stepped up. We have some busy matters in litigation, and everyone across the firm has been pitching\u00a0in to keep things going, even when they don\u2019t 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\u00a0due a few weeks after our launch. I was gratified when we didn\u2019t need to take them up\u00a0on the offer.\u00a0We filed on schedule.\u00a0Nothing slipped. \u00a0<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0<\/strong>How do you keep a group together for two decades, and what does that require at each career stage<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0Most\u00a0Tyka attorneys\u00a0started their careers as summer associates in the practice group at our former firm, whether that was in the 1990s or the 2020s.\u00a0But you can\u2019t keep talented lawyers together for 20 years by\u00a0accident. Investing in our attorneys has always been intentional, both because it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n For attorneys early in their careers, we\u00a0work to get\u00a0them\u00a0early\u00a0experience in projects and client contact. A junior attorney may not need to attend a hearing, deposition, or mediation, but\u00a0we will bring them along as an\u00a0investment in their development, without charging clients.\u00a0I was in court from the beginning of my career and lucky enough\u00a0to handle a state supreme court oral argument when I\u00a0was\u00a0a third-year associate. I want to pay\u00a0that\u00a0forward.<\/p>\n For\u00a0mid-career\u00a0attorneys, Tyka is a place where you can\u00a0build a sustainable practice without losing your sanity or giving up your ambition. We\u2019re still handling the same high-stakes coverage matters our clients have always trusted us with.\u00a0Sustainable doesn\u2019t mean smaller.\u00a0For our seasoned attorneys, the support\u00a0looks\u00a0different. We\u00a0help them\u00a0develop and manage teams and\u00a0pursue\u00a0market opportunities.\u00a0Our goal is a firm that checks all the boxes without compromise, whether you\u2019ve been practicing for two years or\u00a020.<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0What were the conversations like with partners and associates who\u00a0had other options when\u00a0the move was on the table?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0It was emotional. None of us were running away from Wiley Rein, our former firm. It\u00a0is\u00a0a wonderful\u00a0home. The easier path for Kim Melvin, my\u00a0co-chair, and me would have been to finish out our careers as practice group leaders at a large D.C. law firm.\u00a0But it wasn\u2019t the right home\u00a0for us\u00a0anymore.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0We weren\u2019t asking anyone to make a small decision, and we knew they needed to think\u00a0about\u00a0their own careers and families.\u00a0The response was incredible. The energy for this project spans\u00a0all generations.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0tyche<\/em>, the ancient Greek word\u00a0for\u00a0chance and its\u00a0consequences, which seemed right for a firm serving insurers.\u00a0And because the name isn\u2019t tied to any of us,\u00a0it can\u00a0outlast its founders. \u00a0<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0<\/strong>What can a boutique offer on retention that a large platform struggles to deliver?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0Flexibility.\u00a0At a large firm, advancement and financial decisions must balance everything across practice groups and the industries they serve. A boutique doesn\u2019t face those same constraints.\u00a0We can fit the firm to the lawyer, not the other way around.\u00a0A 30+ year career is not always linear.\u00a0Attorneys can dial\u00a0their practice up or down\u00a0at different stages of their lives. By being open and intentional about\u00a0it,\u00a0Tyka\u00a0can help lawyers\u00a0customize their experience across an entire career. Kim and I have been doing that for ourselves and our colleagues for\u00a0more than 25 years.\u00a0\u00a0Now we get to keep doing it at Tyka.<\/p>\n On behalf of everyone here at Above the Law, we\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n Staci Zaretsky<\/a> is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky<\/a>, X\/Twitter<\/a>, and Threads<\/a>, or connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The post From Biglaw To Boutique: Tyka\u2019s Co-Chair Shares His Thoughts On Building A New Firm<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Eggert<\/a>, co-chair of Tyka, an insurance boutique that launched with 21 attorneys<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Staci Zaretsky (SZ):\u00a0<\/strong>What surprised you most about launching your own firm, and what advice would you give to lawyers considering a similar move?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Eggert (BE):<\/strong>\u00a0As we launched Tyka, I\u00a0expected\u00a0a lot of moving parts.\u00a0Yet I\u00a0was surprised\u00a0how\u00a0much\u00a0the scale of what we were doing\u00a0amplified\u00a0our challenge.\u00a0The playbook for starting your own firm from a\u00a0Biglaw\u00a0platform\u00a0often starts small.\u00a0A\u00a0couple\u00a0partners,\u00a0a few associates,\u00a0and\u00a0a handful of\u00a0key matters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyka\u00a0began with 21 attorneys and\u00a0three\u00a0legal professionals, bringing along over 50 clients and 1,500 matters.\u00a0It was more of a spin-off than\u00a0a\u00a0startup. The scale magnified\u00a0our execution work\u00a0in\u00a0setting up document management, billing, and payment systems. Who knew it would take so\u00a0long\u00a0to\u00a0configure\u00a0NetDocs\u00a0and\u00a0establish\u00a0ACH banking? Solving these problems\u00a0has been\u00a0satisfying,\u00a0but\u00a0the\u00a0wins feel smaller as the hours stack up.\u00a0The hard part is not getting so far into the weeds that you lose the vision.<\/p>\n My advice would be to not let fear of change dissuade\u00a0you. Lawyers are by nature a\u00a0cautious\u00a0bunch.\u00a0But most senior lawyers I know aren\u2019t doing exactly what they were doing decades earlier. Sometimes\u00a0it\u2019s good to re-pot the plant.\u00a0For me, I had to\u00a0work through\u00a0some self-doubt, but having amazing clients and colleagues has helped so much. Since\u00a0launch,\u00a0our clients have sent dozens of\u00a0new matters to us, which is exactly what you\u00a0want to see.\u00a0If a middle-aged insurance lawyer can\u00a0get past\u00a0his own\u00a0aversion to risk, anyone can.<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0<\/strong>How are clients responding to Tyka, and how did you manage to keep matters on track during the transition?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0Tyka\u2019s more senior partners have been working with their clients for years, sometimes decades.\u00a0Our clients have been genuinely thrilled that we\u2019ve bet on ourselves in this way. For sure,\u00a0Biglaw\u00a0offers\u00a0myriad\u00a0advantages, but a focus on\u00a0a single\u00a0industry isn\u2019t one of them, by design.\u00a0Our clients know that Tyka\u2019s boutique platform means that every decision is made with them in mind.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve transitioned, our deep bench of talented associates has really\u00a0stepped up. We have some busy matters in litigation, and everyone across the firm has been pitching\u00a0in to keep things going, even when they don\u2019t 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\u00a0due a few weeks after our launch. I was gratified when we didn\u2019t need to take them up\u00a0on the offer.\u00a0We filed on schedule.\u00a0Nothing slipped. \u00a0<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0<\/strong>How do you keep a group together for two decades, and what does that require at each career stage<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0Most\u00a0Tyka attorneys\u00a0started their careers as summer associates in the practice group at our former firm, whether that was in the 1990s or the 2020s.\u00a0But you can\u2019t keep talented lawyers together for 20 years by\u00a0accident. Investing in our attorneys has always been intentional, both because it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n For attorneys early in their careers, we\u00a0work to get\u00a0them\u00a0early\u00a0experience in projects and client contact. A junior attorney may not need to attend a hearing, deposition, or mediation, but\u00a0we will bring them along as an\u00a0investment in their development, without charging clients.\u00a0I was in court from the beginning of my career and lucky enough\u00a0to handle a state supreme court oral argument when I\u00a0was\u00a0a third-year associate. I want to pay\u00a0that\u00a0forward.<\/p>\n For\u00a0mid-career\u00a0attorneys, Tyka is a place where you can\u00a0build a sustainable practice without losing your sanity or giving up your ambition. We\u2019re still handling the same high-stakes coverage matters our clients have always trusted us with.\u00a0Sustainable doesn\u2019t mean smaller.\u00a0For our seasoned attorneys, the support\u00a0looks\u00a0different. We\u00a0help them\u00a0develop and manage teams and\u00a0pursue\u00a0market opportunities.\u00a0Our goal is a firm that checks all the boxes without compromise, whether you\u2019ve been practicing for two years or\u00a020.<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0What were the conversations like with partners and associates who\u00a0had other options when\u00a0the move was on the table?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0It was emotional. None of us were running away from Wiley Rein, our former firm. It\u00a0is\u00a0a wonderful\u00a0home. The easier path for Kim Melvin, my\u00a0co-chair, and me would have been to finish out our careers as practice group leaders at a large D.C. law firm.\u00a0But it wasn\u2019t the right home\u00a0for us\u00a0anymore.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0We weren\u2019t asking anyone to make a small decision, and we knew they needed to think\u00a0about\u00a0their own careers and families.\u00a0The response was incredible. The energy for this project spans\u00a0all generations.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0tyche<\/em>, the ancient Greek word\u00a0for\u00a0chance and its\u00a0consequences, which seemed right for a firm serving insurers.\u00a0And because the name isn\u2019t tied to any of us,\u00a0it can\u00a0outlast its founders. \u00a0<\/p>\n SZ:\u00a0<\/strong>What can a boutique offer on retention that a large platform struggles to deliver?<\/strong><\/p>\n BE:<\/strong>\u00a0Flexibility.\u00a0At a large firm, advancement and financial decisions must balance everything across practice groups and the industries they serve. A boutique doesn\u2019t face those same constraints.\u00a0We can fit the firm to the lawyer, not the other way around.\u00a0A 30+ year career is not always linear.\u00a0Attorneys can dial\u00a0their practice up or down\u00a0at different stages of their lives. By being open and intentional about\u00a0it,\u00a0Tyka\u00a0can help lawyers\u00a0customize their experience across an entire career. Kim and I have been doing that for ourselves and our colleagues for\u00a0more than 25 years.\u00a0\u00a0Now we get to keep doing it at Tyka.<\/p>\n On behalf of everyone here at Above the Law, we\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n Staci Zaretsky<\/a> is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky<\/a>, X\/Twitter<\/a>, and Threads<\/a>, or connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":166889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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