David Boies’ Successor Faces Challenge of Replacing an ‘Icon’

The New York litigator set to replace David Boies at the helm of Boies Schiller Flexner will face no small task in directing a firm long synonymous with its legendary founder.

Boies, 82, is handing over the reins of the firm he built into a litigation powerhouse over the preceding two decades, a move that opened the door for Matthew Schwartz, a former assistant US attorney in Manhattan who gradually ascended the ranks at Boies Schiller after joining in 2015.

Schwartz, who is one of three co-managing partners, got the nod for chair during a Friday night partnership vote at ...