In December, Boies Schiller Flexner partners Natasha Harrison and Nick Gravante became the first attorneys to lead the firm whose last names weren't Boies, Schiller or Flexner. The leadership announcement followed a tough three years for the firm, which had been grappling with a public relations beating over founder David Boies' work for controversial clients and an extended slip in the Am Law 100 rankings.

But Harrison and Gravante's honeymoon was short-lived: In the months since, at least 31 partners have left to join Am Law 100 peers such as Cooley, King & Spalding and Covington & Burling, culminating with a 15-partner exodus from the firm's West Coast offices in April. The moves have kept the firm in the headlines, raising fresh questions about its stability.

Former Boies Schiller attorneys and sources, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, pointed to several elements that have motivated departures: Boies' representation of Harvey Weinstein and defunct blood-testing startup Theranos; the pace of transition to new leadership; and an opaque compensation system that left many lawyers feeling unrewarded.