Small Boutique Firms like Bast Amron have a Stake in South Florida’s Legal Market Recruiting Pool.
Insolvency Litigation boutique, Bast Amron, having secured a long-term lease at the former SunTrust International Center at 1 SE Third Ave. in downtown Miami, is primed for growth. While the firm was already housed in the building, it needed more room after adding more colleagues and wanting to give employees a better working environment.
During the height of the pandemic, the company’s founding partners, Brett Amron and Jeffrey Bast, were still determining what to do. At the same time, there were office shutdowns and uncertainty, but we decided to do something to help entice employees back to the office. Bast Amron expanded from 7,500 square feet of space to 8,600. And in 2022, the firm changed elevator banks and suite numbers. Amron and Bast believe the new space emphasizes a collaborative workplace strategy to incorporate natural light, bright color schemes to reflect the firm’s personality, and more common spaces for in-person collaboration to create a more positive in-office experience for employees.
Celebrating the firm’s 14th anniversary this past May, the firm welcomes the recent migration of BigLaw to Miami, believing that a rising tide raises everyone. Prospectively, the firm sees an uptick in its core practice areas over the coming year.
But the firm also sees an opportunity to grow organically along with Miami, and once some who have transitioned to BigLaw or Miami via BigLaw seek out the benefits of a small firm environment and a chance to raise one’s profile.
The firm has seen little turnover, with most of the attorneys at the firm for more than eight years. Despite being a smaller firm, Amron, and Bast say it’s important to attract and retain talent by offering, on one hand, some of what big law firms traditionally offer in their benefits package and, on the other, a completely different working environment.
“As a small firm, we offer competitive compensation, flexible work hours, remote work options, and generous year-end bonuses. We are one of the few firms still paying 100% of the cost of medical insurance for our employees,” the founders said.
“At Bast Amron, our attorneys can work with sophisticated clients on complex issues practicing alongside and opposite BigLaw in most matters. We practice locally and throughout the state and country. And our clients benefit from the collaborative, inclusive environment engrained in our culture.” the founders said.
The firm recently hired two new attorneys, Dain de Souza from the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, headquartered in Virginia but has offices in South Florida, and Hunter Grasso, from law firm Peckar Abramson, with a soon-to-be graduate from the University of Miami School of Law, joining in August.
Brett and Jeff, two former “big law” lawyers, recently recorded an episode on the practice podcast titled “74. Big or Small? What Size Firm is Right For You?”. They discussed the recent uptick in national firms opening new offices in the South Florida legal market.
They both weigh in on some of their law firm experiences that ultimately shaped their career paths and discuss their perspectives on the current law firm environment and what factors attorneys should consider before chasing the shiny new object.
The episode is available on YouTube, Spotify, Google, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts.