Five years ago, Bill Reid, Jason Collins and Lisa Tsai left Diamond McCarthy to set up their own nine-lawyer plaintiffs business litigation boutique in Austin. They had a passion for the courtroom, but they had little idea how that might translate into a steady stream of attorney fees.

“We contacted clients, figuring out which associates were coming with us,” Tsai said of the formation of Reid, Collins & Tsai, a firm that was initially staffed completely by former Diamond McCarthy lawyers.