Small firm? Yes. Narrow scope? Sure. Regional focus? That too. Proud of it? You bet.

As Chicago-based Am Law 200 firms have grown into national powerhouses, and national firms have competed for a Chicago presence, midsize Windy City firms have been swallowed faster than cocktails at an open bar. But a handful have resisted. Now, as a marketing matter, they're trumpeting their continued independence--and taking a few shots at the big boys, as well.

Goldberg, Kohn, Bell, Black, Rosenbloom & Moritz and Levenfeld Pearlstein, two other Chicago firms with fewer than 100 lawyers and a sophisticated local client base, are trying to find a way to make this approach work.

'Clients are using these big firms who don't need to be,' says Levenfeld chair Bryan Schwartz. Running ads that say so is a way to tell possible clients that they have options, he says.

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American Lawyer, Vol. 30, No. 2, Copyright 2008 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Elizabeth Goldberg