HBR Consulting is a niche consulting firm. Unlike the Big 4 firms which work across industries, HBR Consulting has a narrow focus, serving law firms and legal departments. If you have a passion for law, then HBR Consulting may be for you! HBR Consulting is a relatively newer firm, founded in 2011, and has grown into a small-to-mid sized firm with 500-1,000 employees. As it is a small-to-mid sized firm, HBR Consulting solely has a domestic (rather than international) footprint.
This article will share more around HBR Consulting’s culture, practice areas, and careers.
Firm Key Stats
Firm Website: www.hbrconsulting.com/
Firm Headquarters: Chicago
Firm Number of Employees: 500-1,000
Firm Number of Locations: 3-5
Firm Chief Executive: Matt Sunderman
Firm Revenue: Undisclosed
HBR Consulting History
HBR Consulting was founded in 2011 as a legal focused consulting firm. HBR Consulting was co-founded by Christopher Petrini-Poli and Nicholas Quil. HBR Consulting grew inorganically by acquiring companies like Managed Technology Services and Kenzo Kozie Associates. These acquisitions were aimed to build out HBR Consulting’s capabilities (e.g., Kenzo Kozie Associates brought capabilities around IT design for law firms). In November 2022, Renovus invested in HBR’s advisory business, and HBR spun out its information and managed services business.
HBR Consulting Careers
A HBR Consulting career enables you to get an in-depth understanding of how law firms and law departments work. Given HBR Consulting has a narrower focus, you can truly become an expert and know the ins- and outs- of law. You will be able to work side-by-side with some of the leading experts in law. You will also gain broad exposure to HBR Consulting’s clients and develop your executive presence. A career at HBR Consulting also gives you the opportunity to grow professionally. HBR Consulting has been ranked as one of the fastest growing firms, and as the firm scales, there will be more professional opportunities for HBR Consulting’s employees. For more information see HBR Consulting Careers page here.
HBR Consulting Internship
Similar to other consulting firms, HBR Consulting offers an internship for students in college. Past interns considered the program a great introduction into consulting. This is true across companies’ internship programs, given the internship is designed to give students an up-close look at consulting. For example, you will be able to work on a hands-on project to develop these skills. It is also a professional development-oriented culture where interns will be given feedback on their performance. Finally, during the internship, you will be able to network with HBR Consulting consultants. These consultants are subject matter experts in their field. Past interns considered the HBR Consulting consultants friendly and welcoming, which was a highlight of the experience.
Practice Areas
Given HBR Consulting focuses on law firms and law departments, the HBR Consulting practice areas are more niche than those of other consulting firms. For example, HBR Consulting does not have a practice area for things like marketing. HBR Consulting practice areas include:
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- Business and legal operations
- Client matter lifecycle
- Information governance
- Law firm IT
- Legal technology
- Library / research + information services
- Managed services
- Software solutions
- Vendor management + expense optimization
Industries
HBR Consulting’s industries are niche and reflect its specialized focus. HBR Consulting’s industries are law-focused and include law firms and legal departments. Given HBR Consulting’s focus, HBR Consulting won’t consult for things like consumer packaged goods and healthcare.
HBR Consulting Locations
HBR Consulting is a domestic consulting firm and HBR Consulting locations include:
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- New York
- Washington DC
- Daytona
- Chicago
Career Path
Unlike other firms like BCG, HBR Consulting does not publish its career path. However, a career at HBR Consulting does not need to be up-and-out. Rather, HBR Consulting provides employees with significant growth opportunities and career longevity. The growth opportunities are supported by the fact that HBR Consulting is rapidly growing.
Exit Opportunities
HBR Consulting is focused on law and law-related fields. As such, the exit opportunities following a stint at HBR Consulting will be much narrower than the exit opportunities following a stint at a Big 4 firm. For example, while you may be able to get into fields like CPG or retail following a stint at a Big 4 firm, it would be more challenging to do that after a stint at HBR Consulting. Example exit opportunities include:
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- Working at another consulting firm
- Working in financial planning at an operating company
- Going to business school
Notable Alumni
HBR Consulting does not publish the HBR Consulting notable alumni. However, some notable alumni include:
Target Schools
Based on LinkedIn, some HBR Consulting target schools include:
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- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (~15 of the ~330 employees on LinkedIn)
- Northwestern (~10 of the ~330 employees on LinkedIn)
- Indiana University Bloomington (~10 of the ~330 employees on LinkedIn)
- DePaul University (~10 of the ~330 employees on LinkedIn)
- Indiana University Bloomington (~5 of the ~330 employees on LinkedIn)
Diversity Programs
Similar to other consulting firms, HBR Consulting has several employee resource groups for diverse employees. Employee resource groups include:
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- Multicultural Resource Group
- HBR Pride Alliance
- The Women’s Network
HBR Consulting Culture
HBR Consulting has 3.9 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor, with 57% recommending HBR Consulting to a friend and 83% approving of the CEO. Aspects of the culture noted from past employees include:
- Great people (e.g., can become friends with coworkers)
- Ability to grow professionally and learn hard and soft skills (e.g., Excel)
- Supportive management
- Interesting projects
- Poor work life balance, potentially causing burn out
To read more about HBR Consulting’s culture, please click here.
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HBR Consulting Interview
The HBR Consulting interview like most consulting interviews comprises a fit and technical component. Anecdotally, HBR Consulting emphasizes the fit portion of the interview rather than the technical components. Example fit interview questions may include:
- Why HBR Consulting?
- Walk me through your resume
- When did you work as a team?
- Why law?
Technical questions can include:
- How proficient are you in Excel?
- Brain teasers (e.g., how many pieces of paper does a law firm use in a year?)
Given this is a consulting firm, it is always best practice to clarify if there will be a case interview component.
Firm Interview Process
The firm interview process is several rounds. The interview process usually starts with a phone screen with human resources. From there, you will go through several rounds with individuals of increasing seniority.
HBR Consulting Salary
Per Glassdoor, the HBR Consulting salary for consultants is ~$120K with a $100K base and a ~$20K bonus. However, unlike in other consulting firms, the consultant role is not always for individuals right out of undergraduate. Instead, the consultants may have 1-3 years of experience. Despite being a role for more senior candidates, the salary is less than the salary for MBB candidates right out of undergraduate (~$130-145K). To compare the HBR Consulting salaries to those of consulting firms, see Management Consulted’s full report here.
Conclusion
Therefore, HBR Consulting is a legal-focused consulting firm. It is a smaller firm with 500-1,000 employees and a domestic presence. Within law, HBR Consulting focuses on several areas including law firm IT and legal technology. Interview questions can be behavioral and technical, including “why HBR consulting?” and “why law?” If you have a passion about law and want to prep for an HBR Consulting interview with an ex-MBB consultant, please click here.
Additional Resources:
- Top Consulting Firms of 2023
- Top 10 Boutique Consulting Firms in US
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide