Six years ago, Daralyn Durie and her colleagues at their fledgling law firm were seated at low-slung, purple desks, left behind—along with a supply of Nerf guns—in the office building’s basement by a tech-startup tenant.

Not surprisingly, Durie often met her clients outside of the office.

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In 2009, Durie and a handful of former Boalt Hall classmates left the security of venerable litigation boutique Keker & Van Nest to start their own firm. It was a bold move, particularly during a recession. Along with Michael Page, Ragesh Tangri and Stanford law professor Mark Lemley, Durie has found creative ways to make it work, including offering alternative billing arrangements like capped fees, and flat fees on appeals. The firm is now 18 lawyers strong with a growing list of high-profile clients.

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“Daralyn is one of the three smartest people I know,” says Lemley. “She sees to the heart of legal issues with unerring accuracy. And unlike many super-smart people, she is also fabulous in front of a jury. She has a rare combination: the ability to see things other people don’t, and the ability to help others see the same thing.”