Small firms are expected to be everything a business is and more. They are not only providing legal representation for their clients, but they are also performing administrative duties, operations, accounting and billing, development and other tasks, all while turning out a profit. While some aspects of running a business can be outsourced, many small firms do not have the robust resources or massive budget that large organisations have at their disposal to pay for these third-party services.

Big law firms are defined by the number of lawyers they employ, usually 100 or more. They pay high salaries to lawyers who graduate from reputable law schools and who are expected to work very hard in their positions to earn their sizable paychecks. Often, big law firms have multiple locations across the country, if not around the world. They employ different professionals who all work together to help their business grow and turn out sizable profit margins.