Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Headquarters	300 North LaSalle, Chicago,[1] Illinois, United States
No. of offices	12 total, 5 international
No. of attorneys	1,699 (2016)
Major practice areas	General practice
Revenue	$2.30 billion (2015) [2]
Date founded	1909
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Website
www.kirkland.com

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is an international law firm founded in Chicago. Kirkland is widely considered to be one of the world's most elite law firms, and their private equity, restructuring, and intellectual property groups are largely regarded as industry leaders.^[3] Kirkland & Ellis is also known for a globally recognized litigation practice, aimed mainly at corporate clients that go to trial. Kirkland has offices in Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C..

The firm had gross revenue of approximately $2.30 billion in 2015.^[4] As of 2015, it was the sixth largest law firm by headcount in the United States and the fifth largest by revenue. Kirkland is the sixth most profitable law firm per partner, with estimated profits per equity partner of $3.6 million.^[5] Kirkland is also known for paying associates above-market salaries, through performance based bonuses that exceed those offered by peer firms.^[6] The starting salary for first-year associates is $180,000.^[7]

Vault's 2015 rankings placed Kirkland as the most prestigious firm in Chicago, and the #7 most prestigious firm in the United States, each as rated by law firm associates.^[8]

Notable clients

The firm was the primary outside law firm representing BP in litigation related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Volkswagen also hired Kirkland & Ellis after Volkswagen emissions scandal started.^[9]

Political contributions

Kirkland, through its employees, was a top-20 contributor to Barack Obama in 2008, giving at least $493,735.^[10] The firm's attorneys leaned heavily (77%) Democratic in their political contributions during the 2008 election cycle, which were substantial ($579,976 as of 10/29/07).^[11]

The firm has its own Political Action Committee (PAC), which gave 97% of its contributions to Democrats during the 2008 election cycle, as of 12/7/07. The firm's members have given more money to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (by some measures the most liberal Democrat in the Senate)^[12] since 1989 than donors from any other company or organization.^[13]

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Kirkland & Ellis was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $2.49 million, 59% to Republicans.^[14] By comparison, during that same period Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld donated $2.56, 66% to Democrats,^[14] while oil conglomerate ExxonMobil donated $2.66 million, 88% to Republicans.^[15] Since 1990, Kirkland & Ellis has contributed $9.83 million to federal campaigns.^[16]

Endowed professorships

The firm has endowed professorships in its name at four of the leading law schools in the United States:

• $1,500,000 endowment of the Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law Chair at Harvard Law School (currently Michael Klarman).^[17]
• $1,250,000 endowment of the Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law Chair at Northwestern University School of Law (currently David A. Dana).^[18]
• $1,175,000 endowment of the Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law Chair at the University of Michigan Law School (currently Sherman J. Clark).^[19][20]
• $1,000,000 endowment of the Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law Chair at the University of Chicago Law School (currently Eric Posner).^[21]

References

External links

• Firm website