Firm Profile > Kirkland & Ellis International LLP > London, England

The team is available 24/7 and adopts a real client service model, even when not on a specific assignment.

The team is highly plugged into the market and is able to be aggressive on terms at the right times.

Stephen Lucas is technically strong.

The exceptional Kirsteen Nicol has good commercial judgement, is responsive and can adapt to the situation.

Probably the best restructuring team in Europe. The number of transactions they have advised on is astounding, and the relationships with the fund and financial advisor communities is truly unique.

The firm has very strong experience and are stand out practitioners in designing, implementing and adapting complex Company Voluntary Arrangements.

They are knowledgeable, experienced and well-connected, thoughtful and smart, and (very importantly) appropriately aggressive when the situation requires it.

Kon Asimacopoulos, Partha Kar and Sean Lacey are truly formidable, because they are so consistently successful. They are helpful and experienced, and will be at the top of the list of lawyers to call when a restructuring situation arises.

Elaine Nolan has been extremely helpful in considering various options and advising on both the technical and commercial aspects of each.

‘The firm really dominates in its space and is the gold standard on the sponsor side.’

‘The team is highly responsive, very knowledgable, always friendly and a pleasure to work with.’

‘The Kirkland team is truly amazing with an incredibly high quality, both in tech and in life sciences. They excel on every front. Very quick, very responsive and with a thorough analysis. Laser-focused on strategy from the outset, with a clear plan for how to achieve the best result and then works extremely hard to make sure it happens.‘

‘Jin Ooi’s knowledge of second medical use issues is market leading.‘

‘Nicola Dagg is an excellent strategist and very valuable in advising on overarching strategic considerations in complex global patent disputes.‘

‘They push the envelope on strategic advice and thinking.‘

‘Nicola Dagg and Katie Coltart are fantastic. They are unique due to their clever strategy, their high reactivity and their winning spirit. And they are enthusiastic, which makes working with them a great pleasure.‘

‘Nicola Dagg is a force to be reckoned with and is great at getting the right people involved whether it’s mobilising client staff, barristers or experts’

Jin Ooi is a powerhouse and is always available and highly responsive. He is a master of detail and able to clearly explain complex issues.’

‘Nicola Dagg, Daniel Lim and Stephen Baldwin are the types of attorneys that any in-house attorney would love working with. They give good, practical advice but have a keen sense of not wasting time. I completely trust them and the team.‘

Strong market knowledge; deep team and plenty of resource; good knowledge of investor base

Very responsive; personable and extremely hard-working; transparent and work well as a team.

To the point and solution driven. Very competent team always delivering high quality advice in a time efficient manner

Dedicated, responsive, commercial and very pleasant to work with. All very high calibre professionals but to mention two in particular – I have had the pleasure to work closely with Amala Ejikeme (Partner) and Fraser Burlingham (Associate).

Commercial, pragmatic, knowledgeable and always available

Richard Watkins always has an opinion and is very responsive. He is commercial and pragmatic – a trusted adviser who provides clear and thoughtful guidance. He leads by example.

The Kirkland funds team are top-quality. They know the market extremely well and guide through complex matters in a commercial and practical way.

Amala Ejikeme balances extensive technical knowledge with commercial pragmatism.

Ted Cardos knows the secondary market inside-out and guides through complex transactions in a calm and measured way.

‘Large firm with a very strong corporate crime arm’.

‘Satnam Tumani is incredibly diligent and has a practical approach to issues’.

‘They have a wealth of technical and corporate experience to provide reliable and imaginative assurance to corporates’.

‘Marcus Thompson is the most technically knowledgeable and commercially sensitive partner in London’.

‘Satnam Tumani and Andrew Butel are very strategic, responsive, pragmatic and easy to work with’.

‘They are very client-centric, provide clear advice and are excellent at managing all of the moving parts of a complex multi-jurisdictional matter’.

‘The team is extremely knowledgeable, very commercially orientated and has great experience in this field’.

‘Marcus Thompson is very experienced, very commercial and gives practical advice which is very important in this field’.

‘The team has a very good understanding of the antitrust implications that need to be considered for any potential or completed transaction. Thorough diligence is completed to ensure that we have a clear view on the potential outcomes, should we proceed with a transaction.‘

‘Expert advice, professionalism and real commercial application. The lawyers understand the client’s business and requirements quickly and simplify a hugely complex workstream – this ensures that the client always feels in control.‘

‘The team is knowledgeable and hardworking and is incredibly responsive, even when working with US clients during US business hours. Strong capabilities in coordinating filings across multiple global jurisdictions.‘

‘Never presented problems, only solutions. Team members are approachable and leveraged good professional relationships with the regulators.‘

‘Paula Riedel is knowledgeable, patient and cool under pressure. Paula has experience with high-value matters raising antitrust concerns.‘

‘Sarah Jordan is always on hand to answer questions and provide guidance on potential antitrust issues.‘

‘The Kirkland financial services team manage to provide practical guidance on extremely technical matters, with a focus on what really matters’

‘No matter who you work with in the compliance department – whether it be a partner or an associate – I know I can rely on the advice given’

‘Lisa Cawley delivers very clear advice and gives you confidence on issues involving difficult judgement calls’

‘Prem Mohan is very responsive and provides a commercial overlay on the technical issues’

‘Callum Wright is fantastic to work with and balances technical knowledge with commercial pragmatism’

‘Adam Skinner provides timely and clear advice.’

‘Lisa Cawley is an excellent lawyer in the financial services regulatory space.  She is technical but commercial. ‘

‘They acknowledge your inquiry straight away and either answer it immediately or let you know in a reasonable time frame when to expect a response. This communication is second to none’

‘Sophisticated and motivated legal team. Providing first rate client service.’

‘Rajinder Bassi – great litigator with excellent legal acumen. Phillip Kurek – thoughtful strategist.’

‘Experienced and effective lawyers. Good commercial judgement. Good at managing extended teams for larger cases, involving counsel teams and other lawyers and professionals.’

‘Rajinder Bassi: retains excellent judgement and poise under the pressures of litigation. Good at taking charge of the litigation and keeping in control of all its aspects. Chris Colbridge: very experienced and senior litigator. Excellent commercial judgement and recognition of the realities and likely outcomes.’

‘Philipp Kurek has proved excellent in terms of the day to day running of the case, drafting, and showing a very good sense of when counsel does or does not need to become involved. The partner involved, Chris Colbridge, has been present when needed, showing a very good sense of judgement and litigation tactics, and being very easy to work with.’

‘Rajinder Bassi is a standout name in international arbitration : a first-class intellect, oodles of experience, natural charm with clients and opponents and tough as nails when the occasion demands.’

‘Kirkland’s IP team fully deserves the recognition in the industry as a leading, cross-border transactional and litigation experts.  The team is not only at the cutting edge of legal practice but also is deeply knowledgeable about the industry of their clients.  This combination of industry knowledge and legal expertise was impressive as well as their fluidity and efficiency with which the team was able to manage and handle complex, multi-jurisdictional matters.  Their rates are high, but this is expected when retaining such a robust and sophisticated team.’

‘Kirkland and Ellis is nowadays certainly in the first league when it comes to litigation issues and infringement questions, last but not least also in the life science field. The extremely open-minded, effective and co-operative team has a great reputation as being collegial coordinators of international litigations and disputes and the team is characterized by its sharp and focused partners and associates.’

‘This is a young and relatively small but high-powered team, recently founded but led by one of the profession’s best known senior solicitors, Nicola Dagg (formerly at Allen & Overy). Some of the team came with Nicola from A&O and others have been added since. As a new entrant to the market, this team has a hunger and drive to succeed that may be useful to clients, and as a part of a US-led operation as opposed to a UK-led one like most of its peers, it offers a different “flavour” but the same quality.’

‘The Kirkland patent litigation team are very strong at all levels, from the junior associates through to the most senior partner, Nicola Dagg. The firm’s global presence, especially in the US, is an advantage in major patent litigation.’

‘Katie Coltart is also very good – She is very good at handling complex matters and is good at dealing with clients – she sets expectations and meet them. She shows an ability to think strategically about all aspects of the case.’

‘Jin Ooi is very knowledgeable and very good at simplifying complicated issues.’ 

‘Nicola Dagg is an exceptional litigator. She has a unique understanding of cross-jurisdiction strategies and business aspects of patent litigation cases. She has an exceptional legal mind and has in-depth comprehension of the technical fields.’

‘Katie Coltart, when handling a patent case, will leave no stone unturned to bring a claim to its full potential. They are really a winning team.’

‘Jin Ooi has an impressive knowledge of the case law, especially second medical use cases. He is very perceptive and appreciative of in-put and takes input in order to lead a team effort.’

‘Able to deal with the most complex situation and to break it down simply to enable clients to take good decisions.’

‘Very good judgement and thoughtful advice. Excellent from a technical perspective. Always willing to go the extra mile to deliver. Very enjoyable to work with and able to work seamlessly with other practices at the firm, including corporate and restructuring.’

‘Jonathan Birks stands out as able to handle the most complex deal and to see through complexity to give very well-thought-through advice. He is definitely an exceptional strategic thinker. He also has great commercial judgement, which is helpful in achieving the desired goal. He is also able to build strong relationships with counterparties on deals and to be influential to drive outcomes.’

‘A very good team in property finance – the best we have worked with. Jonny Birks is an excellent lawyer with extremely impressive capabilities in providing real estate finance services. He was extremely knowledgeable and constructive throughout the process.’

‘Excellent execution capabilities. Jonathan Birks is an extremely bright, creative and collaborative lawyer.’

‘Kirkland & Ellis has a great real estate finance team. In particular, the partners are very impressive as they tend to take full ownership of the projects they work on. In addition, not only do they help out with the task at hand, they also genuinely try to think ahead and try to add value beyond the initial instruction.’

‘Jonathan Birks stands out in my opinion. He is extremely responsive and committed to the projects he works on. He will always ensure there is sufficient follow up, and he really works with the the investor to think how to prevent future issues and add value.’

‘This practice is differentiated by the breadth and depth of the experience of the team, particularly Jonathan Birks and Kazik Michalski. They work with many of the leading sponsors and lenders in the market, so they know the terms that leading borrowers should be getting.’

‘They have great commercial judgement and know how to get deals done. Jonathan Birks and Kazik Michalski are both fantastic. Extremely responsive, technically sound, and very commercial. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.’

‘Experienced and effective lawyers. Good commercial judgement. Good at managing extended teams for larger cases, involving counsel teams and other lawyers and professionals.‘

‘Top firm providing advice in the most complex cases.‘

‘Rajinder Bassi is a standout name in commercial litigation: a first-class intellect, oodles of experience, natural charm with clients and opponents and tough as nails when the occasion demands. He is first-rate: very bright, commercially extremely savvy, great with clients, and a fearsome opponent.‘

‘Richard Boynton is one of the best commercial litigation solicitors I’ve come across. He was the single best associate I’ve ever seen (when at Clifford Chance); and he’s grown into a top-class litigation partner. He knows how to run a massive case better than almost anyone else in the market; he’s tremendously clever; he’s stunningly hard-working and he’s a total joy to work with. Pound-for-pound he’s as good a commercial litigation solicitor as you could find.‘

‘Chris Colbridge: very experienced and senior litigator. Excellent commercial judgement and recognition of the realities and likely outcomes.‘

‘Noah Stewart-Ornstein is a ‘stand out’ associate destined for partnership.‘