Hill & Barlow was a law firm in Boston, Massachusetts that was dissolved on December 7, 2002[1] after 106 years of business.
[1] Prior to its dissolution in 2002, Hill & Barlow attempted to prevent liquidation by focussing more on individual practice groups and cutting back on staff.
[10] The sudden departure of the real estate attorneys was catastrophic to Hill and Barlow due to the firm's reputation for representing complex equity and mortgage cases for development projects.
[11] Remaining attorneys reported feeling "blindsided" by the unexpected upheaval, but those departing felt that the planned restructuring was coming too late.
[1] Many real estate litigators on staff felt that they were carrying the firm's economic viability; thus being unfairly compensated (the same as less-lucrative attorneys and sectors within the practice).
In the mid 1980s, the firm attempted to minimize the disparity between the top producing partners from the bottom by taking out 20% of the profit and distributing it as rewards for service or for need.