Beveridge & Diamond Principal Roy Prather (Baltimore) was quoted in a Law360 Pulse article, "Why Some Attorneys Get Off The BigLaw 'Treadmill'." 

Quoted alongside other attorneys who made the transition from larger firms to boutique and mid-size firms, Roy discussed the motivations behind the change and the impact on his career. Roy began his career at a larger firm, but he was drawn to B&D, realizing that a smaller firm might also allow him to develop a strong client portfolio in environmental litigation.

"The clients I worked for at my prior firm are the same ones I'm pitching for now," he said. "Not having to see a difference there matters. I don't think you'd see the shift if [lawyers] weren't able to do similar work that they were doing at the big law firm." He also observed that more attorneys are considering making a similar change.

"I'm not sure what the numbers look like, but I've definitely noticed an openness to it that I didn't see when I first started practicing," Roy commented. "If people were thinking about leaving their current firm [several years ago] they were really only talking about leaving to jump to another firm in the same market that's about the same size. Whereas now, I encounter people who are also considering the midsize or smaller shop. It's part of the process, versus just looking at fewer options."

Roy is the co-founder of The Black BigLaw Pipeline, a nonprofit established to promote positive outcomes for Black attorneys working in large law firms through training, mentorship, and career planning.

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