Fisher & Byrialsen, Pllc

What Fisher & Byrialsen, Pllc does

Fisher & Byrialsen, PLLC is a boutique litigation law firm founded by David N. Fisher and Jane H. Fisher-Byrialsen, both former public defenders at the New York Legal Aid Society. The firm focuses on two interlocking practice areas: civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (wrongful arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, wrongful conviction, and false confession cases) and criminal defense representation in complex state and federal matters. The team of four attorneys — two founding partners plus Of Counsel Hollis Whitson and Eric Samler — operates from offices in Manhattan (99 Park Avenue) and Denver (4600 S. Syracuse St.), serving clients in federal and state courts across the United States. The firm has documented over 100 combined trials, has settled more than 100 civil rights cases, and has secured headline outcomes including a $12.25M settlement for Korey Wise (Central Park Jogger case) and an $8.25M jury verdict in Whitson v. Hanna.

The firm's revenue model is bifurcated: criminal defense work is billed hourly against upfront retainers, while civil rights cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis — meaning the firm receives no payment unless the case is successfully litigated or settled. This structure aligns firm incentives with plaintiff outcomes but produces lumpy, multi-year cash flow tied to case resolution milestones. Client acquisition is driven primarily by reputation, referrals, and earned media (including coverage in Netflix's 'When They See Us,' CBS News, AP News, and Danish-language outlets), supplemented by board-level affiliations with the Korey Wise Innocence Project at CU Law School, Protect Ethical Prosecutors, and the national Innocence Project. The firm has no proprietary technology platform, no app or API, no funding rounds, and no external investment; ownership remains with the founding partners under a traditional PLLC partnership structure. Industry recognition includes Top 10 Verdicts in Colorado (2022), Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rising Star designations (2013–2015), Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist (2015), the Jonathan Olom Award (2014), and the John F. Evans Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy (2003).

Name

Fisher & Byrialsen, Pllc

Legal name

Fisher & Byrialsen, PLLC

Website

https://fblaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fisher & Byrialsen is a four-attorney boutique litigation firm specializing in civil rights (42 U.S.C. § 1983) and criminal defense matters, serving individual plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts from offices in Manhattan and Denver.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Parker

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Criminal Defense Legal Services: The firm provides criminal defense representation on an hourly billing basis. Fees in criminal cases are based on an upfront retainer from which the attorney's hourly time is billed. The attorneys' and investigators' hourly rates vary depending on the level of experience.
2. Civil Rights Litigation: Civil rights cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning the firm does not get paid unless the case is successfully litigated or settled.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fisher & Byrialsen, PLLC is a boutique litigation law firm that specializes in two core areas: civil rights litigation (under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 covering wrongful arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, and failure to investigate) and criminal defense representation for individuals facing serious federal and state criminal charges. The firm is led by founding partners David N. Fisher and Jane H. Fisher-Byrialsen, with of counsel support from Hollis Whitson and Eric Samler, providing client-centered legal representation across offices in Denver, CO and Manhattan, NY.

Product overview

Fisher & Byrialsen, PLLC is a specialized boutique litigation firm offering two core service areas: Civil Rights Litigation (pursuing cases under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for wrongful arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution, failure to investigate, and false imprisonment) and Criminal Defense Services (representing clients in complex federal and state criminal charges). The firm is committed to social justice and handles cases on a contingency fee basis for civil rights matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Criminal Defense Services
• Civil Rights Litigation Civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 covering wrongful arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution, failure to investigate, and false imprisonment cases. The firm has successfully settled over one hundred civil rights cases and taken many to trial. Cases are handled on a contingency fee basis with no fee unless the case is successfully litigated or settled.

Quantifiable outcome

• $12,250,000 settlement for Korey Wise in Central Park Jogger malicious prosecution case
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Korey Wise Innocence Project at CU Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJane Fisher-Byrialsen serves as a board member of the Korey Wise Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School. She has several exoneration cases with KWIP and the national Innocence Project in New York. The firm has a strong connection to this organization, with Jane having been lead counsel in Korey Wise's civil rights case.
• Protect Ethical Prosecutors (PEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJane Fisher-Byrialsen serves as a board member of Protect Ethical Prosecutors, a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness about prosecutorial misconduct nationwide. PEP works to eliminate prosecutorial immunity state by state and create mechanisms to track prosecutors who violate the U.S. Constitution.
• True Crime Agency (Denmark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJane Fisher-Byrialsen is a member of the Danish organization True Crime Agency, which includes various experts in criminal defense, investigation, journalism and more. She can be booked for speaking engagements in Europe through this organization.
• The National Trial LawyersminorOthersThe firm is a member of The National Trial Lawyers, a professional organization. Attorneys have been recognized through the Top 40 Under 40 and Top 10 Verdicts awards.
• Innocence Project (New York)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJane Fisher-Byrialsen has several exoneration cases with the national Innocence Project in New York, working on wrongful conviction cases.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ben Crump Law: Plaintiff firm specializing in civil rights and police misconduct cases. Directly comparable in its national profile, contingency-based plaintiff practice, and media-driven case selection strategy.
• Susman Godfrey LLP: Elite trial boutique handling complex commercial and constitutional litigation. Comparable as a partner-led boutique built around individual trial reputations and contingency/plaintiff matters.
• Geragos & Geragos: High-profile criminal defense and civil litigation boutique with a national reputation for landmark cases. Comparable in trial-heavy orientation, celebrity/high-profile clientele, and criminal-defense + civil rights overlap.
• Neufeld Scheck & Brustin LLP: Boutique civil rights and criminal defense firm focused on wrongful conviction, Section 1983, and police misconduct litigation. Closely comparable to Fisher & Byrialsen in practice mix, case-type focus, and plaintiff-side contingency model.
• Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP: Trial-focused boutique known for high-stakes civil and criminal litigation. Comparable as a similarly sized, reputation-driven boutique with selective caseloads and elite trial outcomes.
• Loevy & Loevy: Largest civil rights firm in the U.S., focused on police misconduct, wrongful conviction, and Section 1983 cases on contingency. Highly comparable plaintiff-side boutique model serving similar clients and case types as Fisher & Byrialsen.
• Cochran Firm: Prominent plaintiff-side law firm with national practice in civil rights, police misconduct, and high-profile criminal defense. Comparable in its focus on landmark Section 1983 litigation and contingency fee model for victims of police and governmental misconduct.

Others

• Center for Constitutional Rights: Nonprofit legal organization litigating civil rights, civil liberties, and government misconduct cases. Adjacent because it operates in the same Section 1983 and constitutional-civil-rights space, often as co-counsel or referral partner for firms like Fisher & Byrialsen.
• Innocence Project: National nonprofit focused on exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals. Adjacent given F&B's documented co-counsel relationship and board involvement with related innocence organizations; comparable through shared wrongful-conviction pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr: Large AmLaw firm with a civil rights and criminal defense practice among a broad portfolio. Comparable in handling constitutional and civil rights matters but operates at vastly greater scale and as part of a full-service firm rather than a boutique.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fisher & Byrialsen, Pllc