David Boies
Born 1941 · Age 84
American trial lawyer; founding partner and longtime chairman of Boies Schiller Flexner; lead counsel in major cases including United States v. Microsoft, Bush v. Gore, and Perry v. Brown (Prop 8); represented high-profile clients and litigants including Theranos, Harvey Weinstein, and Jeffrey Epstein's victims. Prolific philanthropist and endowed multiple academic chairs.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Sycamore, Illinois
David Boies was born to two teachers in Sycamore, Illinois.
First job: paper route
At age 10 Boies' first job was a paper route serving roughly 120 customers.
Family moved to California
Boies' family relocated from Illinois to California.
Graduated Fullerton Union High School
Boies graduated from Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton, California (approx. year based on education timeline).
Enrolled at University of Redlands
Attended University of Redlands (1960–1962), completed three academic years in two.
Graduated Northwestern University (B.S.)
Received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University.
Graduated Yale Law School (J.D., magna cum laude)
Earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from Yale Law School (graduated second in class per profiles).
Joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Began career as an associate at Cravath after graduating law school.
Earned LL.M. from NYU
Received an LL.M. from New York University School of Law.
Made partner at Cravath
Became a partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. (Sources differ slightly on exact year; some say 1972.)
Publication: Public Control of Business
Co-authored Public Control of Business (Little, Brown, 1977) with Paul Verkuil.
Chief Counsel, Senate Antitrust Subcommittee
Served as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Antitrust Subcommittee.
Chief Counsel, Senate Judiciary Committee
Served as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Represented CBS in Westmoreland libel matter (start)
Became involved in litigation arising from The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception (CBS) alleging manipulation of enemy troop strength.
Westmoreland v. CBS trial events
Cross-examination of General Westmoreland and related high-profile litigation; case ultimately dropped (mid-1980s).
Named in Best Lawyers in America (series start)
Included in Best Lawyers in America list starting in 1987, and continuously through 2024.
Counsel to FDIC (start)
Served as counsel to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (1991–1993) to recover funds from junk-bond sellers to failed thrifts.
FDIC engagement concluded
Concluded FDIC role after recovering roughly $1.2 billion (cumulative for the program).
Left Cravath; founded Boies Schiller (co-founder)
Departed Cravath after a client objected to his representation of the New York Yankees and co-founded Boies, Schiller & Flexner with Jonathan Schiller.
Named Time 'Lawyer of the Year' (preparatory publicity)
Recognition around his work on major cases; Time later named him 'Lawyer of the Year' in 2000 (see 2000 event).
Honorary LL.D., University of Redlands
Awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by his alma mater, University of Redlands.
Endowed academic honors and philanthropy (ongoing)
Over time David and Mary Boies endowed multiple chairs and fellowships: 'David Boies Distinguished Chair in Law' at Tulane ($1.5M), chairs at University of Pennsylvania and Yale, Mary & David Boies Fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School; dates vary.
Represented Vice President Al Gore in Bush v. Gore
Lead counsel for Al Gore in the Florida recount litigation culminating in U.S. Supreme Court decision; oral argument Dec 11, 2000.
Time magazine 'Lawyer of the Year'
Time named David Boies 'Lawyer of the Year' for his role in high-profile litigation.
Lost important file-sharing case (Napster)
Lost the first major file-sharing case affecting Napster; ruling contributed to Napster's bankruptcy path.
Represented U.S. DOJ in United States v. Microsoft (trial victory)
Served as Special Trial Counsel for the Department of Justice in the antitrust case against Microsoft; won at trial and verdict upheld on appeal (remedy later modified/settled).
Publication: Courting Justice
Published Courting Justice: From New York Yankees vs. Major League Baseball to Bush vs. Gore, 1997–2000 (Miramax/Hyperion/Little Brown).
Negotiated settlement for C.V. Starr vs. AIG (client matter)
Boies Schiller negotiated a major settlement with AIG on behalf of C.V. Starr (Maurice Greenberg-controlled firm).
Donated $5M to Northern Westchester Hospital
David and Mary Boies pledged $5 million as part of a capital campaign used to build the hospital's new emergency room.
Honorary LL.D., New York Law School
Received an honorary Doctor of Laws from New York Law School.
Secured large antitrust settlements for American Express
Negotiated major civil antitrust settlements for American Express: $2.25 billion from Visa and $1.8 billion from MasterCard.
Filed Perry v. Brown (Prop 8) lawsuit (with Ted Olson)
Boies and Theodore Olson teamed up to file a federal challenge to California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage.
Retained by Golden Gate Yacht Club re America's Cup dispute
GGYC retained Boies for dispute with Société Nautique de Genève regarding the 33rd America's Cup.
Named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People
Selected as one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time (firm profile references selection in 2010).
District Court rules Prop 8 unconstitutional
District Court judge found California's Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional in Perry v. Brown (Boies co-lead counsel).
Began representing Theranos (adviser/attorney)
Started working for Theranos as special adviser/attorney and later joined the board; dual role later criticized for conflicts of interest.
Firm assisted government in Medco False Claims settlement
Boies Schiller helped obtain a $155 million settlement from Medco Health Solutions related to a qui tam complaint.
Represented Michael Moore (Treasury Dept. investigation matter)
Represented filmmaker Michael Moore regarding a Treasury Department investigation into his travel to Cuba while filming Sicko.
Represented tobacco companies on appeal
Represented Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds, and Liggett Group in appeal of $2.5 million Tampa jury verdict.
Oracle v. Google (Android) litigation outcome
Boies represented Oracle in its suit against Google over Java use in Android; the case ultimately decided Google did not infringe Oracle's patents (decision timeline through 2012 and later appeals).
Honorary degrees: NYU and University of New Hampshire
Received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from New York University (2013) and University of New Hampshire School of Law (2013).
Supreme Court rules proponents lacked standing in Prop 8 (Perry v. Hollingsworth)
U.S. Supreme Court ruled the proponents of Proposition 8 lacked standing, allowing the District Court judgment to stand; same-sex marriage resumed in California June 28, 2013.
Sued over AIG bailout fairness on behalf of Greenberg (filed)
On behalf of Maurice 'Hank' Greenberg, Boies filed a claim that the government's $85 billion bailout of AIG had been unfair to company owners; charged client more than $50 million in fees.
Received Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement
Received the Golden Plate Award at the 2014 International Achievement Summit in San Francisco.
Golden Plate Award (American Academy of Achievement)
Received the Golden Plate Award at the 2014 Academy summit (re-affirmation across sources).
Publication: Redeeming the Dream (with Ted Olson)
Co-authored Redeeming the Dream, describing the Prop 8 litigation and its civil-rights implications.
Represented Bob and Harvey Weinstein in contract renegotiation
Represented the Weinsteins in renegotiating employment contracts (later controversies arose regarding conflicts and investigative practices).
Joined Theranos board and agreed to be company attorney (dual role)
Agreed to sit on Theranos' board of directors and to act as the company's attorney; later criticized as a conflict of interest. (Joined board officially Feb 2016 per sources.)
Joined Lawrence Lessig's electoral-college legal fight
Agreed to join the legal team challenging winner-take-all Electoral College allocations.
Hired by Jerry Jones re Ezekiel Elliott suspension
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones retained Boies to advise on legal strategy vs. NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell concerning Ezekiel Elliott's suspension.
Black Cube/Weinstein revelations and public criticism
Revelations that Boies' firm directed private intelligence firm Black Cube to investigate Weinstein accusers led to criticism and loss of relationships (e.g., New York Times ended relationship with his firm).
Left Theranos board (after federal investigations)
Boies left Theranos' board as federal investigations into the company intensified; his role and the firm's tactics were later criticized in Bad Blood and other reporting.
Represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein (start)
Began representing several of Jeffrey Epstein's victims, including Virginia Roberts Giuffre, taking on high-profile litigation and settlements.
Son Jonathan Boies died (reported)
Reported death of son Jonathan (approximate timing reported as 'last spring' in a 2019 profile). Age at death ~50 (per profile).
Portrayal in media; ongoing controversies
Boies remained a frequent subject of media coverage for past representation of Weinstein and Theranos; firm saw departures of some attorneys citing those associations.
Portrayed in Hulu miniseries The Dropout
Kurtwood Smith portrayed David Boies in the Hulu dramatization of the Theranos saga.
Lifetime Achievement Award, The American Lawyer
Awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by The American Lawyer in 2024.
Threatened legal action against Microsoft & CrowdStrike for Delta outage
On behalf of Delta Air Lines, Boies threatened legal action against Microsoft and CrowdStrike after a major tech outage; framed as potential antitrust/major liability dispute echoing earlier Microsoft litigation.
Hired by Rumble in antitrust suit vs Google
Retained by Rumble to represent the company in an antitrust suit against Google (reported May 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
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