Eschewing Big Law Roots for Boutique in Chicago

Cara Hendrickson’s choice to move to Massey & Gail LLP illustrates a cyclical swing in the Chicago legal market toward litigation boutiques and away from Big Law.

Hendrickson listed several factors that led to her decision to join the firm, which was announced April 24.

“At a firm this size in Chicago, I get the same really challenging work with very sophisticated clients. This firm litigates cases around the country,” she said in an interview.

In the 1980s many top lawyers abandoned Big Law to launch or join smaller litigation boutique firms, a trend that reversed itself about a decade ...