For the attorneys at Los Angeles-based Rutter Hobbs & Davidoff, experience matters. That’s because the 30 lawyers at the firm have to know they can count on their colleagues to pick up the slack, especially given a client list that includes big-name companies such as Fiji Water.

Rutter Hobbs seeks out top-tier attorneys who graduated from top 20 law schools and have Big Law experience. Partner Andrew Apfelberg said the hiring practice attracts attorneys who “perform at a very high level,” which in turn enables the firm to attract large-company clients. (The firm also does litigation work for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Home Depot Inc. and MassMutual Financial Group.)