"At my previous firm, we did a lot of work with insurance companies, and I couldn't take a case if I was on the other side of the insurance company," Sullivan said. "It hurt me financially."

Another key change: He can now advertise, something he wasn't allowed to do at Howard Kohn.

"I've already done a television advertisement for personal injury work. It will air within the week. Advertising can really increase the amount of business a firm has dramatically. You will not find any lawyer in Connecticut that will tell you they have not profited from the advertising they've done," Sullivan said.

'Law firm first'

While working for larger law firms has its advantages, many lawyers who have been there say they are more fulfilled and deal with less red tape and bureaucracy working for a smaller firm.

They cite advantages, such as less burdensome rules and regulations and more time to spend with their children.

Jen Shukla, for instance, has worked twice for Big Law: four and a half years for Day Pitney, which has more than 300 attorneys in 13 offices, and then about three and a half years for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, which has about 450 attorneys. Shukla worked with about 100 attorneys in Buchanan's regional offices in Philadelphia.

But two weeks ago, Shukla joined Freed Marcroft, a divorce and family law firm in Hartford with just seven attorneys.

Shukla said the biggest change was cutting through the massive red tape.

"A perfect example is on one of my first days at Freed, a client had mentioned a particular concern they had and one of our attorneys mentioned a book that would help them though it. We were able to get that book to that client with one phone call. If this was Day Pitney or Buchanan, you would have had to submit a formal expense request and gone though committee approval. Here it was just one phone call," Shukla said Friday.

Shukla, who also said the smaller firm atmosphere "allows you to be more creative and innovative," said she's also seen changes at the personal level from when she worked at Big Law.

Shukla, who has three young children, said her new firm is "very warm and friendly." She's not saying Big Law doesn't offer a similar warmth, but Shukla says larger firms have different priorities.

"At some of the bigger firms, there is a little more of an expectation that it's the law firm first," she said. "At smaller firms, I think they recognize that you are a person first, and that family is also very important."

While she's only been at her new firm for two weeks, Shukla is getting to know her colleagues in a meaningful way.

"I've already met all of my co-workers kids through Zoom," she said. "That is encouraged, and if a kid shows up on a Zoom call, that is OK."

'Wrecks your home life'

It's the interaction with his two young children that Andy Eliot, who formed The Family Law Firm Healy + Eliot in New Canaan in October 2020 with partner Lauren Healy, says stands out.

Eliot, who worked for a larger matrimonial boutique firm in Westport for five years before forming his new firm, said he didn't always have time for his children, who are 6 and 3.

"In bigger firms, you have set hours of when you have to be in the office, and that wrecks your home life," Eliot said Friday. "Now, I might have to work early or late, but there is time for my home life. I can pick up my daughter from her school bus and spend time with her. That was not possible before."

Eliot said the arrangement benefits him and his law partner.

"The kids' aspect is super important," he said. "Lauren and I both have working spouses, and we both have two small children, but the flexibility with the work schedule allows us to ensure we are meeting all of our clients' needs, while also ensuring we are meaningfully involved with our children at home."

But it doesn't mean he's working less. Eliot surmises he puts in about 50 hours per week, the same or more than he did at his previous firm.

"The big thing is you can work more efficiently," he said. "I'm not working less, but I am working smarter and more efficiently."