They may be small, but their cases are as big as they come. This week, we spotlight 10 litigation boutiques with up to 50 lawyers who enjoyed stand-out accomplishments in 2015. These firms, located on either coast or at points in between, secured key victories — whether in monetary terms or by establishing important precedent at the trial or appellate level. Most of the wins were on the defense side, and the outcomes affected banking and finance sectors, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, international law, employment law, technology, manufacturing and more. Their clients often are heavyweights, including major sports leagues, pop artists and industry leaders. We also asked these attorneys to provide some insight into what’s made them successful, and the advice they’ve found most useful in steering their careers. Some practitioners received words of wisdom while they were mere children; others did so when they were still in law school or just starting to practice law. The NLJ based its Litigation Boutiques Hot List selections on nominations submitted by the firms themselves and our own reporting.