Mr Seth Traxler > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Offices
300 NORTH LASALLE
CHICAGO, IL 60654
ILLINOIS
United States
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Mr Seth Traxler
Position
Seth Traxler co-leads Kirkland’s global Technology & IP Transactions practice. He serves as lead counsel in complex or strategic deals where technology assets or opportunities are core to the deal’s value proposition.
Seth helps clients negotiate joint ventures, strategic alliances, outsourcing and service agreements, acquisitions/sales, licenses, development and collaboration agreements, and other strategic commercial contracts. He also works closely with the Kirkland Corporate/M&A Practice on the technology and IP aspects of corporate transactions.
Seth’s long and successful track record has earned him a ranking for six consecutive years in the IAM Patent 1000, which noted that his “tech-intensive M&A experience is virtually second to none” and called him “a master craftsman of complex, international deals of all stripes.” He was also recognized for “Technology: Transactions” and “Patents: Licensing” in the 2018 and 2019 editions of The Legal 500 United States. He is a Recognized Practitioner in the 2018 edition of Chambers USA.
Seth also helps lead Kirkland’s Data Security & Privacy Practice. His experience includes advising Boards of Directors when clients experience significant security breaches.
Seth serves as a Director of the Kirkland & Ellis Foundation and serves on the Firm’s Technology Committee.
Education
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1997; University of Kansas, B.A., cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1993.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
Kirkland & Ellis LLP represents both patent licensors and licensees in patent licensing agreements, with patent portfolio management an area of expertise for the firm, which is also experienced in the negotiation of commercial arrangements implemented alongside patent licensing deals, such as joint development, supply, and technical assistance agreements, and is active on behalf of major companies such as Eli Lilly & Co. Chicago’s Seth Traxler often serves as lead counsel in strategic deals that encompass technology assets or opportunities, alongside other areas of expertise, including in relation to the negotiation of licenses. David MacDonald, based in the New York office, is experienced in the intellectual property, pharma and tech sectors with regard to licensing agreements, among others. Russell Levine, who practices in Chicago, utilizes his trial and appellate practice to handle technology transfer and patent license agreements.
United States > Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
Kirkland & Ellis LLP specializes in joint ventures, strategic alliances and high-profile acquisitions in areas from music catalogs to video game development studios. Carve-out transactions specialist Seth Traxler operates from the firm’s Chicago office – in a recent highlight he represented MNRK Music Group in its sale of the Death Row Records brand to Snoop Dogg. Also in Chicago, Rory Wellever leverages his entertainment industry experience to advise on a range of commercial transactions such as Hipgnosis Song Management’s recent acquisition of Justin Timberlake’s song catalog. In New York, Shellie Freedman centers her practice on IP and technology matters and worked alongside Traxler on the Death Row matter. Another name to note is Chicago-based Bernadette Coppola, who focuses her practice on data-related transactions.
United States > Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
The transactions group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is best known for its support on high value technology-related corporate and private equity M&A deals, particularly those where IP assets are a key driver. This transactional expertise extends to distressed situations, including company restructurings and insolvencies. The highly experienced team also does a considerable amount of standalone technology work, including IP licensing, collaboration agreements, strategic alliances and technology outsourcing deals. Recent examples include assisting Firefly Aerospace on a collaboration with Northrop Grumman Corporation for an upgrade to Northrop’s Antares rocket and a new medium launch vehicle. The firm has a deep bench of specialist partners, including Chicago’s Seth Traxler, Neil Hirshman and Matthew Lovell, all of whom have a strong focus on IP and technology transactions. The San Francisco-based partner John Lynn has also developed extremely good credentials in this area.
Lawyer Rankings
- Technology transactions United States > Media, technology and telecoms
- Patents: licensing United States > Intellectual property
- Media and entertainment: transactional United States > Media, technology and telecoms
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International Trade > CFIUS
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Government > Government relations
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Tax > International tax
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Finance > Project finance
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Government > State attorneys general
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds