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An award-winning American attorney with over 20 years of experience litigating some of the most sophisticated commercial litigation disputes in the country and abroad, she is Sigrid McCawley, a renowned litigator and a Managing Partner of Boies Schiller Flexner.
She has crafted her years of sheer hard work and concentration into Boies Schiller, a firm of internationally recognized trial lawyers, crisis managers, and strategic advisers known for their creative, aggressive, and efficient pursuit of successful outcomes for their clients. As a member of Boies Schiller for more than 20 years, Sigrid has worked on some of the most extraordinary cases that have truly transformed people’s lives. Sigrid’s advocacy for clients in high-stakes cases has received high acclaim.
In an exciting conversation with The Inc Magazine, Sigrid discusses the legal industry, career choices, clients, upcoming plans, the industrial environment, and more. Here are the edited excerpts:
Boies Schiller Flexner: The Preface
Boies Schiller Flexner is a firm of internationally recognized trial lawyers, crisis managers, and strategic advisers renowned for their innovative, tenacious, and effective pursuit of favorable results for their clients. Here, the attorneys have an established track record of taking on and winning complex, groundbreaking, and cross-border matters in diverse circumstances and industries. They have commanding expertise for spotting the strongest arguments, comprehending the advantages of each, and deciding when and how to present them in everything from complicated, high-stakes cases to simple commercial disagreements.
Boies Schiller has always stood out from the competition because it combines creativity, competitiveness, and entrepreneurship. The firm is wonderful since they don’t fit the large law template. They are the law firm that businesses go to when the stakes are extremely high and they want knowledgeable and innovative legal counsel.
Sigrid’s Inspirational Journey: Moving Towards a Successful Career Ladder
Sigrid’s work representing victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his related co-conspirators started approximately nine years ago, and the work of the firm helped result in the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein, who ultimately died in prison; the arrest and 20-year federal incarceration of Ghislaine Maxwell; the arrest of Jean Luc Brunel, who ultimately died in a Paris prison; the resignation of Alex Acosta as President’s Trump’s Secretary of the Department of Labor; the resignation of Les Wexner as the CEO of Victoria’s Secret; the resignation of Leon Black from Apollo; Queen Elizabeth stripping her son Prince Andrew of his royal titles and the ultimate settlement of his claims against client Virginia Roberts Giuffre with the Prince issuing a public apology; millions of dollars in settlements for Epstein survivors against the Epstein estate; and the recent settlements on behalf of Epstein survivors against JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank for a combined $365 million.
The early years of the fight for truth and justice were tremendously challenging, but the survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise have seen substantial wins as a result of Sigrid’s work. Sigrid was featured in the Netflix series “Filthy Rich,” which chronicles Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise and his relationship with co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. Sigrid also was featured in the recent Lifetime documentary “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein”. She was recognized by The American Lawyer as Litigator of the Year in 2020 and a finalist for Lawyer of the Year in 2022 for her pro bono work on behalf of the Epstein survivors. She is fortunate to work for Boies Schiller Flexner, a firm that is unmatched in its dedication to supporting and providing a voice to survivors of abuse. She is proud to have established herself as a preeminent legal expert in the struggle against human trafficking and in assisting those who have been victimized by these predatory offenders.
“I am incredibly proud to be a managing partner at Boies Schiller Flexner. In my capacity as a leader, I always work to recognize and elevate younger attorneys, as well as contribute to the building of an inclusive dialogue and narrative. I’m part of the firm’s pivot to the next generation of leadership,” the magnificent woman asserted when asked about her leadership approach.
Defeating The Industry Challenges
Finding a balance between getting people back to work and the desire for employees to have more flexibility is one of the main issues facing the legal sector as a result of the various changes brought about by COVID. Strong leaders are confronted with successfully bridging the gap to boost productivity while being cognizant of the fact that it is a hard problem with people on opposite ends of the spectrum.
One of the key challenges that big law has failed to recognize from a fiscal perspective is how a woman having a child can prejudice her in the wage war. While most firms attempt to address the actual time off for maternity leave, they ignore the ramp-up and ramp-off time and the inherent lost relationship-building time that is not comparable for male peers.
A Significant Case Study
Sigrid recently spearheaded two major cases involving J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Deutsche Bank that led to an unprecedented settlement with these two leading Wall Street giants, resulting in an overall $365 million settlement for their alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise. The settlements that have been reached are both life-changing and historic for the survivors. Money, which for far too long flowed with impunity between Epstein’s global sex trafficking enterprise and Wall Street’s leading banks, is now being decisively used for good. The settlements signal that financial institutions have an important role to play in spotting and shutting down sex trafficking.
Jewels in the Crown
Because of her legal knowledge and litigating prowess, Sigrid has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions on national and international stages. The American Lawyer named her Litigator of the Year; Benchmark Litigation named her one of the Top Ten Female Litigators in 2020 and 2021; Daily Business Review named her the Most Effective Lawyer in Arbitration; Lawdragon named her a Leading Lawyer in America; and Corporate Counsel named her a Thought Leader in 2021. She was also a finalist for Florida Attorney of the Year in 2020. Sigrid has appeared on numerous television shows and networks, including Netflix, Lifetime, 60 Minutes, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have also written about her work.
Plans for Reaching The Next Milestones
Presently, Boies Schiller Flexner is one of the most preeminent litigation firms on a global level. The future goals include taking the firm and the work to greater heights and reaching more people worldwide.
With her dynamic leadership, this inspiring woman is working tirelessly to take the firm to newer growth heights. Boies Schiller is well-known for handling cutting-edge, bet-the-company litigation. Sigrid aspires to take that to the next level by growing her young talent base and curating an amazing, deep bench of young stars.
