Boies Schiller General Counsel Brille to Retire, Exits Continue

Boies Schiller Flexner General Counsel Michael Brille is retiring at the end of the month, according to three sources familiar with the situation and an internal email obtained by Bloomberg Law.

The firm named Ilana Miller and Eric Brenner as co-general counsels. Miller, a New York partner, currently serves as deputy general counsel and will serve full-time in the co-general counsel role. The co-general counsel position will be part-time for Brenner, who is also the New York administrative partner.

Brille has been at Boies Schiller for more than 22 years and worked on many of the firm’s notable matters, including representing the federal government in its antitrust case against Microsoft. He has represented clients including Barclays, Napster, and Phillip Morris USA.

“He’s a lawyer’s lawyer,” Boies Schiller partner Stuart Singer said of Brille. “He handled the general counsel role with a great deal of integrity and distinction. He’s also a terrific antitrust lawyer.”

Michael Endler, an Albany-based partner who has been at the firm for more than 15 years, is also retiring, according to the email.

A firm spokesman declined to comment. Brille and Endler did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on their pending retirements.

The retirements come shortly after The American Lawyer reported steep declines in revenue and profit at Boies Schiller in 2020. Revenue at the firm founded by famed trial lawyer David Boies fell nearly 40% to $250 million while profits per equity partner dropped by 32% to nearly $2.3 million, AmLaw reported.

The firm’s headcount declined by 41% to 177 lawyers. The decline was headlined by the departures of prominent partners in New York, Washington, and California who represented high-profile clients such as Barclays, Facebook, and Uber.

The firm has faced recruiting troubles, reshuffled its management, and received advice it claims was unsolicited on how to turn things around.