Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Chicago, United States > Firm Profile
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Offices
300 NORTH LASALLE
CHICAGO, IL 60654
ILLINOIS
United States
Kirkland & Ellis LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP regularly defends pharmaceutical companies in antitrust and competition disputes involving a full spectrum of antitrust claims including pay-for-delay actions, pricing disputes, monopolization, and intellectual property. The team has experience in government-initiated investigations and private antitrust matters against the DOJ, the FTC, state attorney generals, competitors as well as purchaser and consumer classes. Chicago-based Daniel Laytin handles commercial, antitrust and class action litigation with recent matters raising questions of wage fixing and monopolization. Also situated in Chicago, James Mutchnik focuses on disputes surrounding domestic and international cartels and price discrimination claims while Christa Cottrell is involved in complex commercial litigation involving large companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and AbbVie. Olivia Adendorff in Washington DC and Dallas is well-versed in complex commercial class actions. The firm has expanded the team with several hires from the DOJ including Scott Scheele and Elyse Dorsey in Washington DC and Molly Kelley in the firm’s Chicago office. Katherine Rocco departed from the firm in April 2022 and Sean Royall left in February 2022.Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Kirkland litigators are second-to-none in their legal analysis & strategy, attention to client needs, and ability to win.‘
Key clients
AbbVie
Belcan
Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association
Impax Laboratories
Jeld-Wen
Sanderson Farms
Sun Pharmaceuticals
Teva Pharmaceuticals
The Clemens Family Corporation
UnitedHealth Group
Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
With a deep bench of former senior enforcement officials among its attorneys, Kirkland & Ellis LLP covers the full gamut of corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense. The practice is popular with corporations and their C-suite executives alike, and enjoys a strong market reputation for matters such as securities and futures enforcement, anti-corruption, environmental crimes, and sanctions enforcement. Practice heads Mark Filip and Asheesh Goel split their time between Chicago and Washington DC and are both a popular choice for clients within the financial services sector. In Washington DC, Brigham Cannon‘s strengths lie in FCPA and False Claims Act matters alongside securities law. The firm bolstered its expertise in the first half of 2022 with the arrival of Lindsey Beran and Steve Fahey in Dallas, who both previously served as Assistant US Attorneys for the Northern District of Texas, as well as former Eastern District of New York US Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis in New York.Practice head(s):
Mark Filip; Asheesh Goel
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
AT&T
The Boeing Company
Chevron Corporation
Credit Suisse
Live Nation
Nikola Motors
Pacific Gas & Electric
Citigroup CEO
Truist CEO
Wells Fargo CEO
Work highlights
- Represented Credit Suisse in connection with investigations by the SEC, the DOJ, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York regarding alleged fraud related to loan arrangements and related securities transactions for Mozambique state-run companies.
- Representing Nikola Motors in response to a damaging report issued by activist hedge fund, Hindenburg Research.
- Representing Boeing in investigations by different U.S. regulators, including the DOJ and SEC, in connection with questions concerning the design and testing of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft.
Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP fields a host of civil trial lawyers and appellate specialists, with one of the largest government facing and white-collar practice groups in the US. The team is well-equipped to represent clients in DOJ, SEC, Congressional, and State Attorney General proceedings across the country, and is proficient in securities litigation and class action claims, and bolsters its trial-focused litigation practice with crisis management services. In New York, Sandra Goldstein is well regarded for her expertise in fraud class actions, securities, and commercial disputes. Mark Filip, who splits his time between Chicago and Washington DC, has a strong reputation for handling civil cases for numerous Fortune 100 companies. Chicago-based Diana Watral is regularly trusted by high-value healthcare clients to handle their trade secrets, FCA and contract disputes, while Aaron Marks focuses on financial institutions in New York. Other prominent lawyers include Andrew Kassof in Chicago, Craig Primis and Daniel Donovan in Washington DC, Mark Holscher in Los Angeles and Anna Rotman in Houston. James Hurst returned to the firm in November 2023, and is based in Chicago.Other key lawyers:
Sandra Goldstein; Mark Filip; Diana Watral; Aaron Marks; Andrew Kassof; Craig Primis; Daniel Donovan; Mark Holscher; Anna Rotman
Testimonials
‘Amazing team. Hard working, diligent, great judgement.’
‘The whole team was tremendous.’
‘Our Mark Holscher-led team was highly organized and very insightful about the strengths and weaknesses of a client’s case. The Kirkland lawyers did a great job in identifying the weakness of the antagonist’s case and then making effective arguments using such weaknesses.’
Key clients
AbbVie, Inc.
Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc.
Allergan plc
American Rail Partners LLC
AMLI Residential
Amplify Energy Corporation
Benefitfocus
Berger Group Holdings, Inc.
Blackstone
The Boeing Company
Calpine Corporation
Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC and Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Constellation Brands
Eli Lilly and Company
Honeywell International Inc.
Huntsman International LLC
Information Resources
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.
Lionbridge Technologies and H.I.G. Capital
LivePerson
Natural Gas Companies and Electricity Generators
Owl Rock Capital Group
Rice Drilling D, LLC
Riverbed Technology
Toll Brothers, Inc.
TOTAL Energies E&P USA, Inc. and TOTAL Energies Specialties USA, Inc.
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.
Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP's ‘exceptional’ M&A litigators ‘do outstanding work, coordinate well on technical matters, and show great commitment to understanding the facts and the relevant context’. The firm has strong ties to leading private equity houses, as well as acting for a number of blue-chip corporates, and it handles every stage from pre-litigation on deal structures and strategies all the way to trial. Its caseload involves disputes concerning tender offers, LBO and SPAC transactions, as well as poison pill matters, breach of contract claims, books and records demands, appraisal rights and a host of other disputes. Standout partner Sandra Goldstein and up-and-coming partner Stefan Atkinson (‘a trusted advisor to C-suite and board members’) successfully represented Grubhub in numerous individual shareholder lawsuits arising out of its acquisition by Just Eat Takeaway.com for $7.3bn, while Matthew Solum and Yosef Riemer are also active. In addition to the aforementioned, who are all based in New York, emerging partner talent Joshua Rabinovitz in Washington DC also plays a central role in the practice.Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Frankly they’re exceptional. They do outstanding work, coordinate well with counsel on technical matters, and show great commitment to understanding the facts and relevant context.’
‘Stefan Atkinson is great, he’s a trusted advisor to our c-suite and board, and thoughtfully guides our leaders through complex issues.’
Key clients
Grubhub
Lee Enterprises
AbbVie
TMC The Metals Company
Stable Road Capital
NortonLifeLock
Nordic Capital
ArcLight Capital
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense Tier 1
At Kirkland & Ellis LLP, ‘the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience is exceptional’. Clients remark that the firm is ‘highly strategic and tactical, achieving excellent and practical outcomes’. The team is led by Sandra Goldstein in New York and Mark Filip in Chicago. Goldstein is among the most successful securities litigators in the country, and she is currently handling more than twelve 10b-5 stock drop and derivative suits, as well as a substantial volume of M&A-related cases. The firm’s New York office is home to outstanding talent, including Stefan Atkinson who has been particularly prominent in the wave of SPAC-related cases. Atkinson and Goldstein achieved a major victory for Textron Inc., which was accused of deceiving the market about the growth and earnings prospects of Arctic Cat, a recreational vehicle business that it had acquired. The case settled favourably in 2022. Rachel Fritzler handles a broad range of matters for Fortune 500 companies, including antitrust and securities cases. She worked with Goldstein on numerous cases, among the defense of Honeywell International in a multibillion-dollar securities class action concerning the company’s asbestos-related liabilities. Matthew Solum is ‘highly responsive and even-keeled’. Joshua Rabinovitz in Washington DC acted for Boeing Company in a derivative suit arising out of Boeing’s 737 MAX jet aircraft’s October 2018 Lion Air Flight crash into the Java Sea and the March 2019 Ethiopian Flight crash minutes after takeoff.Practice head(s):
Sandra Goldstein; Mark Filip
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The depth and breadth of knowledge and experience is exceptional.’
‘Josh Rabinovitz was the lead on our engagement. From our first conversation he worked to help me understand exactly what we were dealing with, outlining every possible twist and turn we could (and in our case did) face as the litigation developed. Though this was not unique, he even shared some questions to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of each of the firms we were interviewing. I particularly valued the fact that, when we engaged Kirkland with Josh as the lead, we got Josh as the lead. There was a team, but staffing was lean, and the engagement was handled efficiently.’
‘Highly strategic and tactical. Excellent and practical outcomes. Extremely responsive and understands how to effectively synthesize information for General Counsel, Board and C-suite.’
‘Matthew Solum is a stand-out. He effectively manages complex litigation with excellent outcomes while quickly and easily synthesizing information for management. He is highly responsive and even-keeled. Matt and his team are a delight to work with.’
Key clients
3G Capital, Inc.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Grubhub, Inc.
Honeywell International Inc.
Lannett Company
Lee Enterprises
Six Flags Entertainment
Stable Road Capital
Thoma Bravo
The Boeing Company
Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas Tier 1
With lawyers based in Texas and Washington DC, Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s energy litigation department supports oil and gas clients before all federal and state agencies, including testifying to congress, the Department of Energy and FERC. The firm also has considerable experience in international arbitration, supporting multinational energy corporates in regulatory proceedings before the EU. Houston-based Anna Rotman has significant first-chair trial experience in business disputes and restructuring on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, while Dallas’ Jeremy Fielding handles high-end commercial litigation in state and federal courts. Daniel Donovan acts on a broad range of energy issues and Ragan Naresh litigates civil disputes in the energy and agriculture sectors.Other key lawyers:
Anna Rotman; Jeremy Fielding; Daniel Donovan; Ragan Naresh; Kenneth Young; Ben Barnes; Holly Trogdon
Key clients
Amplify Energy Corporation
Bayou City Energy Management LLC
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Expedi, Inc. d/b/a GoExpedi
Fleur De Lis Energy
Gulfport Energy Corporation
Howard Midstream Energy Partners, LLC
Peaker Power, LLC
Rice Drilling
TOTAL Energies E&P USA, Inc. and TOTAL Energies Specialties USA, Inc.
Ultra Petroleum Corp.
Chord Energy
EQT Corporation
Energy Transfer Partners
Targa Resources Partners
BP plc and affiliates
Diversified Energy
Marathon Oil Corporation
Hess Corporation
Work highlights
- Representing Amplify in connection with the rupture of its offshore oil pipeline near the California coast. Dozens of lawsuits were filed in connection with the event by individuals and purported classes in the Southern District of California and California state courts.
- Representing Hess in four class actions concerning the application of North Dakota law to oil and gas leases.
- Representing a group of 21 clients that are either natural gas companies or electricity generators operating within the state of Texas. They are all part of a state court multi-district litigation that involves 150+ cases and 160+ defendants.
Energy > Energy transactions: electric power Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has a strong energy presence in Texas, New York, California, Washington DC and San Francisco, handling matters related to acquisition and sale of energy and infrastructure assets, alongside private transactions and acquisitions of minority assets. The firm has also been involved in a number of matters involving unique technology in the renewable and alternative power space, such as a recent matter for Gates Frontier, which was led by Kristin Mendoza and involved advising the company in connection with its additional investment in TerraPower, yielding more finance to further its work in advanced nuclear energy technologies and medicine. Andrew Calder focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and corporate and securities law, while Rhett Van Syoc has an experienced practice in domestic and international M&A in energy mining and infrastructure, with an emphasis on private equity and complex joint ventures. Rohit Chaudhry specializes in energy and project finance transactions, sales and acquisitions, alongside project restructurings across the energy sector, likewise Allan Kirk stands out for his work in broad matters including power generation, energy services, midstream and refining. Robert Eberhardt and William Nicholson both joined from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, while Kate Rainey Willson joined from Vinson & Elkins LLP.Practice head(s):
Andrew Calder
Other key lawyers:
Kristin Mendoza; Rohit Chaudhry; Rhett A. Van Syoc; Allan Kirk; Ahmed Sidik; Robert Goodin
Key clients
Apollo Global Management
ArcLight Capital Partners
Ares Management and Ares Infrastructure and Power
Arroyo Investors
The Blackstone Group
Bluescape Energy Partners
Brookfield Asset Management
The Carlyle Group
CleanCapital
Cypress Creek Renewables
EQT Infrastructure
Gates Frontier
GenOn
Investec
JDH Capital
Just Energy Group
KKR
Macquarie Asset Management
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
Spring Valley Acquisition Corp.
Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
TPG Rise and TPG Rise Climate
Transmission Developers
Trilantic Capital Partners
True Green Capital Management
United Utility Services
Warburg Pincus
Work highlights
- Advised Blackstone and Transmission Developers Inc. in connection with the development and construction financing of the $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express, an approximately 339-mile fully-buried transmission line that will deliver approximately 1,250 MW of clean and renewable hydropower from Québec to New York City.
- Offered counsel to Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SV), a special purpose acquisition company, in its $1.9 billion business combination with NuScale Power, a provider of proprietary and innovative advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) technology.
- Advised TPG Rise Climate, as lead investor, in the $750 million growth investment in Intersect Power, an independent developer of solar, energy storage, hydrogen, wind and other renewable power generation projects.
Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas Tier 1
The ‘top-notch team’ at Kirkland & Ellis LLP represents major players in the oil and gas market on large-scale transactions, with demonstrable experience advising energy companies and private equity funds and standout expertise in asset-backed deals involving assets located in significant domestic shale and conventional plays, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Other key areas of focus include M&A, private equity, fund formations, capital markets, project finance and restructuring. Andrew Calder, who advises on high-value M&A, securities law and corporate governance matters, jointly leads the team alongside Anthony Speier, who is an expert in acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. David Castro handles the purchase and sale of various assets in the midstream and upstream oil and gas sector, while Sean Wheeler’s practice includes securities offerings, M&A and corporate governance work. William Benitez advises on energy transactions related to venture capital investments, leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations and Lindsey Jaquillard focuses on acquisitions and joint ventures in the upstream oil and gas market. All named partners are based in the firm’s Houston office. Rahul Vashi left the firm in May 2023.
Practice head(s):
Andrew Calder; Anthony Speier
Other key lawyers:
Sean Wheeler; David Castro; John Pitts; Doug Bacon; William Benitez; Chad Smith; Christopher Heasley; Lindsey Jaquillard; Cy Jones; Thomas Laughlin
Testimonials
‘Ability to quickly assemble a top-notch team to turn documents quickly and depth of knowledge on every aspect of oil and gas is what sets Kirkland apart.’
‘David Castro is the best M&A attorney I’ve worked with. A standard to measure others by. He is extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful and practical when it comes up to crafting solutions to getting deals done.’
‘Highly commercial team. Very experienced with highly complex transactions in this space and familiar with key players. Their value to us goes well beyond their technical legal skills. Very strong team that can carry a significant workload at a fast pace with high quality leadership.’
‘Practical, real-world advice. Very collaborative with the internal team. Smart negotiators who are thoughtful about how to influence counterparties and get things done.’
‘Thomas Laughlin and his team have been fantastic for us in the past five years. I very much appreciate the attention to detail pre-transaction, during the transaction and continued follow up post-transaction.’
‘Highly intelligent and commercial. Very capable of balancing legal obligations/liabilities with deal success oriented thought processes.’
‘The Kirkland & Ellis team was able to take a very complicated transaction and understand it better and manage the deal dynamics. They focused on what was important and properly framed the commercial considerations for our management team, so we could make the appropriate decisions and then implement them from legal and drafting side.’
Key clients
BCE-Mach
Blackstone Credit
Bison Oil & Gas
Carnelian Energy Capital
Callon Petroleum Company
Civitas Resources
Crescent Energy
Delaware Basin Resources
Devon Energy
Diamondback Energy
Diversified Energy Company
East Resources Management
EnerVest
EQT Corporation
Freehold Royalties
Hatch Resources
Haymaker Minerals
HG Energy
Hilcorp
HPS Investment Partners
Javelin Energy Partners
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Magnolia Oil and Gas Corporation
Maverick Natural Resources
Mesa Minerals
Mountain Capital
NGP Energy Capital Management
National Fuel Gas Company
Northern Oil and Gas
Parsley Energy, Inc.
Permian Resources
Quantum Energy Partners, LP
Riverbend Natural Resources
Roff Resources
SemGroup Corporation
Sentinel Midstream
Siguler Guff
Sixth Street Partners
SLANT Energy
The Blackstone Group
Warburg Pincus
Environment > Environment: transactional Tier 1
The environmental transactional practice group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is ‘respectful, knowledgeable, and client-focused’ and is led out of San Francisco by Paul Tanaka. It fields practitioners across the US and is well versed in environmental due diligence, pre-deal counseling, risk mitigation, environmental insurance analysis and procurement, and regulatory and enforcement matters. The firm is well known for its representation of top-tier private equity clients and handles deals in the energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors, among other areas. Tanaka handles the full gamut of transactional issues from compliance and governance to crisis management and is experienced in a wide range of transactions from small venture capital investments to large cross-border deals. Jonathan Kidwell in Dallas is a key name for M&A, bankruptcies, financing transactions and real estate investments hand has considerable experience of deals in heavily regulated sectors. Toby Chun left in January 2022, while Emily Tabak joined in Salt Lake city from Holland & Hart LLP and Sam Dykstra joined from Ballard Spahr LLP in New York.
Practice head(s):
Paul Tanaka
Other key lawyers:
Jonathan Kidwell; Stefanie Gitler; Sara Michaelchuck Webber; Carleigh Rodriguez; Michael Saretsky; James Dolphin; Ty’Meka Reeves-Sobers; Emily Tabak; Sam Dykstra
Testimonials
‘Exceptionally thorough and very knowledgeable on local and national environmental considerations.’
‘Incredibly commercial and pragmatic approach to environmental work.’
‘Work very well with other advisors (including legal) to guide on risk exposure and how to structure and incorporate into the deal process.’
‘Key strength from top to bottom, led by Paul Tanaka and supported by Michael Saretsky. They bring the unique angle of blending commercial judgment with technical expertise.’
‘I work with a lot of environmental transactional attorneys, but Kirkland’s team is the most cohesive, professional, organized, and client-focused among them.’
‘They are able to choreograph calls so as to be maximally efficient, and they work seamlessly with technical advisors.’
‘They recommend and bring in legal experts as needed, and they consistently meet demanding client expectations.’
‘As a consultant, I feel better working on a project with Kirkland because I know they will do high quality work that ethically serves the client’s best interests.’
Key clients
Antylia Scientific
ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. II
Ares Management Corporation
Blackstone Inc.
Carvana
Celanese Corporation
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Clearlake Capital Group
Colgate Energy Partners III, LLC
EQT Partners AB
Incline Equity Partners
Ivanhoe Capital Acquisition Corp.
Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts & Co. LLP (KKR)
Material Handling Systems
Navitas Midstream Partners Holdings
Bernhard Capital Partners
Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition Corp.
Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Verso Corp.
Gamut Capital Management, L.P.
Whiting Petroleum Corp.
Work highlights
- Advised Celanese Corporation on its acquisition of DuPont’s mobility and materials business for $11bn.
- Advised Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on its $5.8bn acquisition of Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc.
- Advised KKR on its acquisition of all outstanding shares of common stock of CyrusOne Inc. valued at approximately $15bn.
Environment > Environment: litigation
Kirkland & Ellis LLP fields a strong litigation group which handles a range of environmental enforcement defense and regulatory compliance matters for high-profile clients with a focus on the oil and gas, and chemical sectors. Key areas of focus include civil, criminal and administrative proceedings, mass tort and class actions, and challenges to federal and state rulemakings. Andrew Running is a key practitioner with experience in litigation and arbitration relating to contamination and hazardous waste, product liability and toxic tort, as well as broader commercial issues. Bradley Weidenhammer acts for clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the US and handles environmental and commercial disputes, while Nader Boulos is a name for insurance coverage matters in the aerospace, manufacturing, telecoms and energy sectors. Named lawyers are based in Chicago.Other key lawyers:
Andrew Running; Kevin Van Wart; Nader Boulos; Bradley Weidenhammer
Key clients
Dow Chemical Company
E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Company, Inc.
Hilco Redevelopment
The Boeing Company
Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has an outstanding record in high-yield debt offerings. The firm primarily operates on the issuer side, benefitting from its extensive private equity client base and their portfolio companies; it has a record of advising more sponsor-backed companies in high-yield debt offerings than any other law firm. Private equity clients include Bain Capital, Hellman & Friedman and TPG Capital, while the firm also represents a wide range of public companies, along with a sprinkling of underwriters. It is additionally recognised for its expertise in debt offerings linked to refinancings and restructurings. Joshua Korff is widely regarded as one of the premier names in high-yield debt, while Sophia Hudson and Los Angeles partner Philippa Bond are also rated. Named partners are based in New York unless stated otherwise.Other key lawyers:
Sophia Hudson; Joshua Korff; Philippa Bond; Monica Shilling; Matthew Pacey
Key clients
Advent International Corporation
Autostore
Bain Capital
Black Rifle Coffee Company
Blue Owl Capital
Cvent
Envision Healthcare
Evotec SE
Hellman & Friedman
Instructure Holdings Inc.
John Deere Capital Corporation
Kellogg Co.
Macy’s, Inc.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Paycor HCM
Permira Advisers LLC
Ryan Specialty Group
Thoughtworks
TPG Capital
Vista Equity Partners
Whirlpool Corp.
Work highlights
Finance > Commercial lending Tier 1
The debt finance practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP has an impressive reputation for advising borrowers in a range of complex leveraged buyouts, stand-alone financings and complicated restructurings, covering senior, subordinated, mezzanine, bridge and preferred equity transactions. The firm’s offering is primarily tailored towards private equity sponsors and their affiliates, with a client portfolio featuring the likes of Ares and Carlyle Group. Key figures at the widespread practice include Melissa Hutson and Jay Ptashek in New York, and Michelle Kilkenney and Maureen Dixon in Chicago. Fredrich Lim joined the firm from Goodwin in January 2022, followed by the arrival of Austin Witt from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in July 2022; Linda Myers retired from practice in February 2022. Eric Wedel left the firm in August 2023.Other key lawyers:
Melissa Hutson; Jay Ptashek; Michelle Kilkenney; Maureen Dixon; Fredrich Lim; Austin Witt; Andrew Idrizovic
Testimonials
‘Very experienced team that is highly commercial – their advice goes well beyond technical legal work. Our C-suite considers them to be key partners in our commercial lending strategy.’
‘Strong expertise, extremely responsive, and genuinely good people to work with.’
‘Plugged into the latest terms in the market, knowledgeable, friendly, easy to work with, thoughtful.’
‘Andrew Idrizovic is great. He’s helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, understands our needs and appropriately addresses concerns with that in mind. Very easy and enjoyable to work with.’
Key clients
Ares Capital Management
Atlantic Park
The Carlyle Group
Fortress Credit Corporation
Investec
Oaktree Capital Management
Work highlights
- Advised Ares Management Corporation in its credit facility to GI Partners-backed Flexential.
- Advised Fortress Credit Corporation on $250m in financing to an investor group led by affiliates of Taylor Sheridan and the Yucaipa Companies in connection with the purchase of the historic 6666 Ranch.
- Represented CarVal, Generate Capital and Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, as lenders to Intersect Power in eight separate transactions representing an aggregate of $2.6bn of financing commitments for the construction and operations of a six-project portfolio.
Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s restructuring group, jointly led by Edward Sassower and Joshua Sussberg in New York, has an outstanding reputation for representing debtors in connection with major Chapter 11 cases, with Sassower leading the Chapter 11 reorganization of Indianapolis-based Aearo Technologies, while Sussberg has recently led teams representing BlockFi, a major provider of cryptocurrency-related products, and Celsius Network LLC, a cryptocurrency-based finance platform, following the collapse of the cryptocurrency market. The practice also represents a broad range of non-debtor clients from a variety of sectors. Anup Sathy, operating from Chicago and New York, has considerable experience representing companies, buyers, boards, investors, and lenders in relation to all aspects of insolvency situations and has restructured more than $100bn of debt obligations in his career. Patrick Nash in Chicago specializes in complex business reorganizations, troubled company M&A, debt restructurings, and distressed asset investment, and has notable cross-border insolvency experience. New York-based Nicole Greenblatt represents high-profile clients, including debtors, creditors, equity holders, and investors, in relation to chapter 11 cases, out-of-court restructurings, and special situation investments or acquisitions, while Chicago-based Ryan Bennett focuses on advising corporate debtors and secured and unsecured creditors on various transactional and litigation-related matters. Christine Okike in New York has experience in various industries, including financial services, sports, retail, energy, technology, and telecommunications. Notably, Ciara Foster, also in New York, has led on several matters, including the Chapter 11 case of Cineworld Group plc.Practice head(s):
Edward Sassower; Joshua Sussberg
Other key lawyers:
Alexandra Schwarzman; Anup Sathy; Chad Husnick; Ciara Foster; Christine Okike; Emily Geier; John Luze; Matthew Fagen; Nicole Greenblatt; Patrick Nash; Ryan Bennett; Steven Serajeddini
Testimonials
‘Kirkland is the market leader in debtor representations and brings to bear a wide array of experts in a variety of fields to support their clients. They have well established working relationships with virtually all participants in the corporate restructuring sector including lenders and other financing sources and financial advisors. They understand the market and what can and can’t be accomplished in a restructuring and are strong advocates for their clients. I believe that only a very few firms, if any, have the capabilities that Kirkland brings to a restructuring representation.’
‘All of the partners I’ve worked with have extensive restructuring experience and are capable of managing complex restructuring transactions. They also recognize when the process demands that they bring in additional expertise or support and can do so promptly and effectively. Joshua Sussberg, Steve Serajeddini, Chad Husnick, Emily Geier, Matt Fagen and John Luze all stand out.
‘They bring truly deep expertise and a willingness to play a hands on role in guiding companies through complex and challenging processes. The people on the team were the differentiator here – top talent with great ability to work with an executive team and bring them along in the process.’
‘The top partners are Alex Schwarzman and Ryan Bennett, both of whom really are top 1% professionals in this space. Alex is extremely knowledgeable, an innovative problem solver, and has great relationships with other firms which is critical in this process. Her availability and work style were fantastic and she had a hugely positive impact on the outcome of the process. Ryan Bennett is a great leader with an exceptional talent for development and with exceptional communication skills. He has great relationships with other firms which plays a critical role in success of this process. He also has great style with our board which was very impactful in securing a positive outcome. Overall the team at K&E was fantastic with excellent availability, guidance, expertise and work ethic.’
‘Huge depth of talent and expertise. Dominate the sector.’
‘Chad Husnick is a superb practitioner. He is goal oriented, commercially astute and very direct in his advice. He is easy to get along with too.’
Key clients
Aearo Technologies
Altera Infrastructure L.P.
BlockFi
Carestream Health, Inc.
Carlson Travel, Inc.
Celsius Network LLC
Cineworld Group plc
Envision Healthcare Corporation
GTT Communications
HONX, Inc.
Intelsat S.A.
Just Energy Group, Inc.
Nordic Aviation Capital
Pipeline Health System, LLC
Riverbed Technology, Inc.
Seadrill Limited
Seadrill New Finance Limited
Service King
Ad Hoc Group of Unsecured Noteholders of Talen Energy Supply, LLC
Voyager Digital Holdings, Inc.
Government > Government relations Tier 1
Intellectual property > Copyright Tier 1
Leveraging the deep bench strength of locations across the US, Europe and Asia, the team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP remains a leader in the copyright space, advising multinational corporates across the tech, video games, aerospace, software, publishing and media sectors, including Epic Games, Riot Games and Take-Two Interactive. Intellectual property authority Dale Cendali, who represented Oracle in the Supreme Court and throughout the long-running Google v Oracle case, heads the practice, bringing experience to high-stakes infringement matters. Claudia Ray litigates complex combined copyright and competition law matters, while Joshua Simmons supports Cendali in assisting clients in tech and medical devices. All lawyers mentioned are in New York.Practice head(s):
Dale Cendali
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
“This team has real expertise in copyright law and consistently apply winning strategies.”
“This team understands how not to waste client resources. Due to their expertise, they know how things go and when to expend resources versus when to cut to the chase and resolve the issue.”
“Kirkland’s team combine encyclopedic knowledge of IP law, passion for the businesses and sectors they serve, and best-in-class client service.”
“Dale Cendali and Josh Simmons are some of the best IP litigators.”
Key clients
Alcon Vision LLC
Astronics Corp. and Astronics Test Systems, Inc.
Epic Games, Inc.
Riot Games, Inc.
SAS Institute Inc.
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH and West Publishing Corp.
Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage) Tier 1
The intellectual property practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP has extensive experience representing clients across the country in front of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the International Trade Commission, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The team maintains a focus on trial strategy from the beginning to the end of a case, regularly protecting clients’ IP interests at the appellate level, and acts on precedent-setting cases for high-profile cases. Adam Alper is a notable member of the team, acting out of the team’s San Francisco office. Based in Los Angeles, Michael De Vries is another key name, with experience representing clients in a wide range of high-value intellectual property-related matters. Gregory Arovas and Gregg LoCascio are both key names in the group; the former, the practice head out of the New York office, and the latter, a leader of the Washington DC office.Other key lawyers:
Adam Alper; Michael De Vries; Gregory Arovas; Gregg LoCascio
Testimonials
‘The team is very experienced and provided strategic litigation advice that led to successful outcomes.’
‘Jeanne Heffernan is very personable and disarming which plays well in depositions and before judges. At the same time, she’s a strong effective leader in managing complex litigations with large teams and many moving pieces.’
Key clients
Abbott Laboratories
AbbVie Inc.
Alcon Vision, LLC
Apcon, Inc.
Automate Holdings S.à r.l.
Biedermann Technologies
Boehringer Ingelheim USA
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Charter Communications
Cisco Systems
Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
EagleView Technologies
Hospira, Inc.
Impax Laboratories, Inc.
Intel Corporation
iRobot Corp.
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Omnitracs, LLC
Porsche Cars North America
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Sharp, Inc.
SimpliSafe, Inc.
Siemens Energy
Sony Corporation of America
Syngenta Seeds, LLC
Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters) Tier 1
The ‘A-team’ at Kirkland & Ellis LLP offers a number of expert practitioners spanning the US, with significant experience across the offering in representing both plaintiff and defendant clients across a range of industry sectors, including automotive, pharmaceutical, chemical, real estate, aviation, energy and electronics, in complex trade secret disputes. A significant example of such work is the $40m victory the firm achieved in favor of Comet Technologies USA Inc, finding that its competitor, XP, wilfully misappropriated technologies owned and developed by the plaintiff. San Francisco’s Adam Alper, who is adept at litigating high-stakes, and the experienced Michael De Vries in Los Angeles were key representatives in the case. Other key names to note are the ‘creative-thinking’ LA-based Diana Torres, who is noted as going ‘above and beyond’ for her clients, experienced litigator Joshua Simmons, and Dale Cendali, who frequently co-leads renowned clients on complex and high-value matters; both are New York-based.Practice head(s):
Adam Alper; Michael De Vries; Gregg LoCascio; Dale Cendali; Claudia Ray; Diana Torres
Other key lawyers:
Gianni Cutri; Joshua Simmons
Testimonials
‘The A-Team that brings its A-game. All the lawyers, from senior partner to the most junior associate, are well-prepared, creative and strategic.’
‘With other firms, I find I often need to revisit a deliverable, refocus the team on the overlying business context or remind them of the agreed upon budgets, but not with K&E – they are professional from top to bottom; responsive, timely and the first to let me know if I am coming close to exceeding a budget. They also honor their flat fees.’
‘The differentiators of the team truly are: their competence, their creativity and their strategic approach.’
‘Diana Torres of K&E goes above and beyond to help her clients. In particular, she invests time in really learning the business of the company and its objectives, not just the business context of the immediate matter at hand. Not surprisingly, this translates to more effective strategies and better results for the company. Every matter she touches ends up with results that exceed expectations every time. In addition, she is fun to work with, brings the best lawyers to the team and is one of the most creative-thinking in the field.’
Key clients
Byrna Technologies
Comet Technologies
LivePerson, Inc.
Medidata Solutions
Motorola, Inc.
TriZetto and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.
Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation Tier 1
Led in New York by IP litigation authority Dale Cendali, the market-leading team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP acts in high-stakes trademark litigation on behalf of household names such as PepsiCo and Delta Airlines. At the Los Angeles and Silicon Valley offices, Diana Torres brings strength to disputes involving consumer product manufacturers, entertainment and media companies, fitness service providers, and Internet service providers. Allison Buchner, also in LA, acts in complex matters brought by consumers, competitors, and regulators, across sectors ranging from software and consumer goods to apparel, medical devices, and e-commerce. In New York, Claudia Ray, handles unfair competition claims for clients in tech, aviation, entertainment, and financial services, and Shanti Sadtler Conway specializes in right of publicity, social media, and licensing. Yungmoon Chang in Los Angeles was promoted to partner in October 2022.
Practice head(s):
Dale Cendali
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘This team has real expertise in trademark law and know how to apply winning strategies.’
‘This team understands how not to waste client resources. Due to their expertise, they know how things go and when to expend resources versus when and how to effectively cut to the chase and resolve the issue.’
‘Kirkland boasts one of the deepest and most star-studded lineups in all trademark litigation.’
‘Dale Cendali is as decorated a trademark lawyer as there has been, but remains kind, approachable and a joy to work with despite accolades and accomplishments to beat the band.’
Key clients
Biozeal, LLC & Dr. Murray Colin Clarke
Byrna Technologies, Inc.
Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company, LLC
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
GOLO, LLC
Hello Products
Hills Point Industries LLC d/b/a Gorilla Commerce
International Trade > CFIUS Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s formidable offerings in cross-border M&A and private equity translate into a thriving national security practice, which engages with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) across the full transaction lifecycle. Sources highlight the Washington DC-based team’s ‘exceptional relationship with the CFIUS administration’, with department co-chair Mario Mancuso standing out for his experience as a former senior CFIUS decision-maker in his previous role as Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce (DOC). Mancuso recently teamed up with next-generation partner Lucille Hague to advise BDP International on the CFIUS aspects of its sale to Singapore-based PSA International. A ‘down-to-earth expert’, department co-chair Ivan Schlager is widely recognized as a market leader in CFIUS work, with particular experience in the private equity sphere on behalf of clients such as Blackstone, Bain Capital and Warburg Pincus. The group also draws on Nathan Mitchell, who has a focus on CFIUS and national security matters, and Daniel Gerkin, whose practice takes in a wide range of export controls and sanctions, customs and CFIUS-related issues.Practice head(s):
Mario Mancuso; Ivan Schlager
Other key lawyers:
Lucille Hague; Nathan Mitchell; Daniel Gerkin; Michelle Weinbaum
Testimonials
‘The team is very responsive, pragmatic and reassuring when there could be potential doubts or issues.’
‘We value the team’s availability, very quick comprehension of the business and high quality of help in making a decision.’
‘Exceptional relationship with CFIUS administration. Very pragmatic advice.’
‘The team possesses a massive amount of experience. Lawyers are able to provide practical guidance within a complex regulatory regime.’
‘Ivan Schlager is a down-to-earth expert whose advice is exceptionally reliable.’
‘Mario Mancuso and Lucille Hague are extremely commercial and impressive. We always appreciate their thoughtful advice.’
Key clients
BDP International, Inc.
Blackstone, Inc.
Capgemini S.E.
Cornami, Inc.
EQT Corporation
GLP Pte. Ltd.
Investor consortium comprised of BroadPeak Global and the Asia Green Fund
Latécoère, S.A.
Leonardo DRS, Inc.
Nijhuis Saur Industries BV
NortonLifeLock, Inc.
Permira Advisers Ltd.
Stable Road Acquisition Corp.
Thales S.A.
Wendel
Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital) Tier 1
Characterized by an ‘incredible depth of knowledge and expertise’, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is one of the foremost names in the private equity and closed-end funds market. Its team acts in some of the most innovative and lucrative fundraises and deals internationally, as well as in the domestic market. John O’Neil heads the firm’s wider funds department from the New York office, alongside several of the firm’s key practitioners, including Andrew Wright, Erica Berthou, Daniel Lavon-Krein, Nicole Washington and Katrina Rowe. In Chicago, Kelly Ryan is the name to note for real estate funds work, Jeffrey Kaplan has long-standing experience acting for private equity firms, and Katie St. Peters stands out for her work with women-led private equity sponsors. Sean Hill is a key contact in Boston, and the team is also well represented in California and Texas. David Sherman rejoined the firm from Latham & Watkins LLP in November 2023.Practice head(s):
John O’Neil
Other key lawyers:
Erica Berthou; Andrew Wright; Nicole Washington; Katrina Rowe; Katie St. Peters; Sean Hill; Matthew Block; Mark Boyagi; Brad Friedman; Luzia Vaczy; David Sherman
Testimonials
‘The team has incredible depth of knowledge and expertise and has the unique advantage of working with a wide array of advisers, which gives them a high degree of pattern recognition and the ability to see around corners. Their Funded platform makes the subscription process incredibly fluid — it’s frankly better than most solutions on the market.’
‘Our entire team of counsel is top tier. They are all extremely hard working, wide-ranging in their knowledge base, commercially minded, and outcomes oriented.’
Key clients
Antin Infrastructure Partners
Arcline Investment Management
Arctos Sports Partners
Ares Management
BC Partners
Blackstone Group
Clearlake Capital
EQT
Francisco Partners
General Catalyst Group Management
GLP Capital Partners
I Squared Capital
KKR
L Catterton
Macquarie Asset Management
Oaktree Capital Management
One Equity Partners
Patient Square Equity Partners
Quantum Energy Partners
Thoma Bravo
TPG
Veritas Capital Fund Management
Vista Equity Partners
Warburg Pincus
Whitehorse Liquidity Partners
Work highlights
- Acted for Francisco Partners in the closing of nearly $17bn in capital commitments between its $13.5bn flagship fund, Francisco Partners VII, L.P., and its $3.3bn Francisco Partners Agility III, L.P. fund.
- Advised Clearlake Capital on the successful closing of its seventh flagship private equity fund, Clearlake Capital Partners VII, with more than $14.1bn in commitments.
- Acted for I Squared Capital on the formation of ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund III closing at $15.3bn in commitments.
Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP remains a leading firm in the market, with strong expertise in the technology, energy, and gas industries. The team represents domestic and global corporations in all aspects of compensation arising from M&A, recapitalizations, spin-offs, and IPOs, as well as supporting clients on complex employee benefits issues including ESOPs and non-qualified retirement plans. From the Chicago office, Matthew Antinossi focuses on all ERISA-related areas, Alexandra Mihalas handles transactional ERISA matters for private and public entities, and Michael Falk assists clients with qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and equity compensation. New York-based Scott Price is highly experienced at handling executive compensation matters in leveraged buyouts and acquisitions, while Kate Vera deals with Chapter 11 filings and corporate transactions. Jared Whalen operates out of Houston, regularly advising private equity funds on the employee benefits elements of business transactions, and Stephanie Jeane deals with IPOs.Other key lawyers:
Matthew Antinossi; Michael Falk; Robert Fowler; Stephen Jacobson; Stephanie Jeane; Michael Krasnovsky; Alexandra Mihalas; Rohit Nafday; Maureen O’Brien; Scott Price; Kate Vera; Jared Whalen
Key clients
Vista Equity Partners
Verizon
TA Associates
Francisco Partners
Work highlights
M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+) Tier 1
Boasting an extensive, cross-border M&A platform, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is at the helm of several of the highest-profile and most cutting-edge transactions in the US. The practice routinely handles a significant volume of large-cap deals in a variety of industries on behalf of major global public corporations, privately-held companies, financial sponsors and boards of directors. Contested M&A, activism defense and governance matters feature on Daniel Wolf's diverse workload; he is the counsel of choice for several heavyweights operating in the private equity, telecoms, technology and chemicals sectors, among others. In addition to his knowledge of public and private M&A, Jonathan Davis is a key name to note for business combination transactions involving special-purpose acquisition companies. Edward Lee – a respected M&A and public company boardroom advisor – has recently worked on multi-billion dollar deals in the technology and media spaces. All named practitioners are based in the New York office.Other key lawyers:
Daniel Wolf; Jonathan Davis; Eric Schiele; David Feirstein; Edward Lee
Key clients
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.
NortonLifeLock
Celanese Corp.
Danaher Corp.
Datto Verizon
Bristol Myers Squibb
ABB
Work highlights
- Advised Brookfield Infrastructure in a landmark agreement with Intel to jointly fund a $30bn semiconductor plant in Arizona.
- Advised NortonLifeLock on its approximate $25bn merger with Avast.
M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+) Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP maintains its dominant presence in the private equity space, involved in the most high-value and market defining transactions in both the bulge-bracket and middle-market, regularly representing giant funds and sponsors including the likes of Blackstone, Carlyle, Ares, and Warburg Pincus. A defining strength of the practice is the seamless synergy between the PE transactional and investment funds practice’s, with the firm establishing itself as a critical advisor to sponsors considering consolidation, minority investments or change-of-control transactions. Global chairman Jon Ballis is a key figure in Chicago, widely recognized as one the leading PE M&A attorneys in the US, while Peter Martelli is highly regarded for his skill handling significant leveraged buyouts, strategic mergers and other cross-border transactions. Eunu Chun is adept regarding a wide range of transactions, primarily buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth equity investments. Jennifer Perkins represented KKR-backed C.H.I. Overhead Doors in its $3bn sale to Nucor Corp., while Jonathan Benloulou is a key contact for Ares, splitting his time between Los Angeles and Dallas. Also in LA, Damon Fisher brings specialist knowledge of SPAC transactions across a broad range of industries including manufacturing, tech, and healthcare. All lawyers are New York-based unless otherwise stated.Practice head(s):
Jon Ballis; Peter Martelli; Eunu Chun; Jennifer Perkins; Jonathan Benloulou; Damon Fisher
Testimonials
‘The Salt Lake City office is comprised of helpful and knowledgeable lawyers who understand private equity. They are able to effectively scale up and down as needed by tapping specialists from the firm’s deep bench.’
‘The team is very smart and engaging with clients.’
‘They have the most recognized team in Los Angeles!’
Key clients
ABRY Partners
Apax Partners
Ares Management Corporation
Bain Capital Private Equity
Blackstone Inc.
The Carlyle Group
Clearlake Capital
EQT
Francisco Partners
GTCR
KKR
Madison Dearborn Partners
Oaktree Capital
Summit Partners
TA Associates
Thoma Bravo
Thomas H. Lee Partners
TPG Capital
Vista Equity Partners
Warburg Pincus
Work highlights
M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism Tier 1
Public companies as well as boards of directors targeted by activists and unsolicited corporate bidders are key clients for the team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, based out of the firm’s New York office. The multidisciplinary team draws on expertise from many of the firm’s other areas of practice, including M&A, capital markets, ESG, litigation and restructuring, allowing clients to adapt their strategic and defense communication to important market players. Shaun Mathew, Daniel Wolf, and Sarkis Jebejian are among the standout team members whose individual strengths add to the team’s versatility - Mathew is a member of the firm’s crisis response practice group and is therefore well placed to assist clients with high-profile crisis situations including cyber-attacks and short-term activist attacks. An especially noteworthy recent matter of Mathew’s was advising Huntsman Corporation, together with Wolf, on its successful proxy contest defense against prominent activist Starboard Value LP.Other key lawyers:
Shaun Mathew; Daniel Wolf; Sarkis Jebejian
Key clients
Huntsman Corporation
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Sylvamo
AIM ImmunoTech Inc.
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc.
Ingevity Corporation
Cumulus Media Inc.
Verso Corp.
Work highlights
- Advised Huntsman Corporation on its successful proxy contest defense against activist Starboard Value LP.
- Advised Lee Enterprises, Incorporated on its successful hostile takeover and proxy contest defense against Alden Global Capital.
- Advised AIM ImmunoTech on its successful proxy contest defense against Jonathan Jorgl and other members of an activist group that sought to take control of AIM’s board of directors.
Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has a strong track record in handling high-profile matters, covering prosecuting and defending against false and misleading advertising claims, as well as defending against agency actions. It is particularly adept at handling claims in front of the NAD and the National Advertising Review Board. Practice head Ross Weisman, based in Chicago, has broad advertising and promotions law expertise, with significant experience defending and challenging advertising claims in the federal court under the Lanham Act. Also in Chicago, Robin McCue focuses on intellectual property litigation, with particular expertise on trademark and false advertising matters, including in the context of requests for expedited relief. In Washington DC, key practitioners include Gregg LoCascio, who has substantial IP and false advertising disputes expertise, as well as Richard Cunningham and Olivia Adendorff, both of whom are noted for their experience in consumer protection and antitrust matters, with particular expertise handling FTC-related matters. Meanwhile, Los Angeles-based Robyn Bladow focuses on defending against consumer class actions and false advertising claims.Practice head(s):
Ross Weisman
Other key lawyers:
Robin McCue; Gregg LoCascio; Richard Cunningham; Olivia Adendorff; Robyn Bladow; Rachael Rezabek
Testimonials
‘Kirkland & Ellis has a great team and are very client-centric focused.’
‘Richard Cunningham, Olivia Adendorff, and Rachael Rezabek are great to work with. They are all very experienced, have a client-centric approach and are very responsive.’
Key clients
ClassPass, LLC
Charter Communications
Colgate-Palmolive Co.
Credit Karma
Handi-Foil Corp.
Hello Products, LLC
iFit Health & Fitness
LendingClub Corporation
Opendoor Labs, Inc.
Sanderson Farms
Woodstream Corporation
Work highlights
Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions Tier 1
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.Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Accenture
Avaya Holdings
The Blackstone Group International Partners
Bristol Myers Squibb
Celanese Corporation
Charter Communications
Danaher Corp
Eli Lilly and Company
McDonald’s Corporation
Naver
Nexstar Media Group
PowerSchool Group
Redwire
SSM Health
StubHub Holdings
Thoma Bravo, LP
Verizon Communications
Victoria’s Secret
Vista Equity Partners
Wyndham Destinations
Work highlights
- Advising Naver Corp., Korea’s leading internet company and a top 50 global technology company by market capitalization, on its acquisition of Poshmark, a deal representing an equity value of approximately $1.6 billion and an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion.
- Advised McDonald’s on its agreement with IBM to accelerate the development of McDonald’s Automated Order Taking (AOT) technology, a deal that included IBM’s acquisition of McD Tech Labs which develops employee- and customer-facing innovations such as AOT.
- Counseled AEA-Bridges Impact Corp., a SPAC with a dedicated sustainability focus, on its $1.77 billion business combination under which LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle division, combined with ABIC to create a new public company.
Real estate Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is best known for its expertise in asset and portfolio acquisitions and dispositions, debt restructuring, and its extensive track record representing REITs in complex transactions. New York based Jonathan Schechter and Christopher Hartmann act for private equity investors on many of Manhattan’s top joint venture formations and preferred equity investments, for example, advising Access Industries in its joint venture with Witkoff Group for the loan-to-own acquisition of The XI, two mixed-use luxury towers located on the High Line in New York. In Chicago, Andrew Small and Rachel Brown advise funds, lenders and sponsors on private equity capital raising, investment and development of commercial real estate. Robert Keane, Jr. and Kevin Ehrhart in Los Angeles specialize in representing investment banks, commercial banks, non-regulated lenders and pension funds in real estate-related equity investments.Practice head(s):
Jonathan Schechter; Rachel Brown; Kevin Ehrhart
Other key lawyers:
Andrew Small; Christopher Hartmann; Robert Keane, Jr.
Key clients
Starwood Capital Group
GLP Capital Partners
KKR & Co. Inc.
Carlyle Global Credit
Wynn Las Vegas LLC
Cerberus Capital Management
TPG Real Estate Partners
Rockwood Capital, LLC
LaSalle Investment Management
Oaktree Capital Management
Work highlights
- Advised Oak Street Real Estate Capital, a division of Blue Owl, on its acquisition together with GIC of STORE Capital Corporation, an internally managed net-lease real estate investment trust, in a transaction valued at approximately $14 billion.
- Represented Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management LLC on its purchase and financing of a portfolio of real property assets from iStar Inc. for an enterprise value of approximately $3 billion.
- Represented Starwood Capital Group on its joint venture with Blackstone for the $1.5 billion acquisition of Woodspring Suites properties.
Tax > International tax Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises on US and foreign tax issues in addition to representing clients in disputes worldwide. On the transactional front, the team advises clients in connection with M&A, acquisitions, buyouts, fund formations and restructurings. The firm is also well-versed in issues relating to investment fund sponsors and the formation of offshore private equity funds, as well as advocating on behalf of companies at every stage of the tax controversy process from pre-audit planning to administrative appeals. Chicago-based Todd Maynes focuses on debt restructurings and co-heads the team with New York-located Dean Shulman who has extensive experience in structuring transactions. Chicago-located Lee Morlock focuses on international tax planning. Sara Zablotney operates out of New York and handles the tax aspects of joint ventures and spin offs while Mike Carew advises on securities issuances with support from Mark Schwed. The team was strengthened in October 2022 with the arrival of David Cole from Vinson & Elkins LLP, who has expertise in disputes in both federal and state courts.Practice head(s):
Todd Maynes; Dean Shulman
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
17Capital
ABRY Partners
AEA-Bridges Impact Corp.
Brookfield Infrastructure
Charter Communications
Clearlake Capital
Consortium
Intelsat S.A.
KKR
Noble Corporation
Nordic Aviation Capital
Polestar Performance AB
Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
Thoma Bravo
Vista Equity Partners
Wind Point Partners
Tax > US taxes: non-contentious Tier 1
Kirkland & Ellis LLP‘s tax practice is consistently sought out by a myriad of industry leaders for its capabilities in big-ticket M&A, investment fund formations, and restructurings. Chicago-based co-head Todd Maynes focuses on debt restructurings and tax litigation, while fellow co-head Dean Shulman handles the formation and operation of partnerships, limited liability companies, joint ventures, and REITs. Also in Chicago are Gregory Gallagher and Mike Carew, noted for their respective strengths in domestic and international deal structuring, and William Levy, who maintains a robust presence in the real estate space, an area in which Mark Schwed and Adam Kool further excel. Also recommended for their exceptional transactional acumen are Sara Zablotney and Los Angeles-based Anne Kim. Joseph Tootle advises private equity clients on the tax aspects of investment fund formations. The firm’s hiring streak has continued as of late, with headline additions including investment fund expert Christopher Odell, who joined the Chicago office from Mayer Brown in April 2022, and the REIT-focused Adam Arikat, based in Dallas. All named lawyers are based in New York unless stated otherwise.Practice head(s):
Todd Maynes; Dean Shulman
Other key lawyers:
William Levy; Sara Zablotney; Mike Carew; Anthony Sexton; David Grenker; Adam Kool; Anne Kim; David Wheat; David Kung; Douglas Gessner; Mark Schwed; Gregory Gallagher; Joseph Tootle
Testimonials
‘The team manages to distill complex topics into understandable, practical guidance. They are excellent communicators with a terrific understanding of our business.’
‘Knowledgeable, hard-working and creative.’
‘David Wheat is extremely knowledgeable and experienced, able to solve issues creatively and explain a client’s options in a unique fashion. He has a very strong team of other partners and associates backing him up.’
‘The team has extraordinary depth and expertise in virtually all areas of tax, especially private equity transactions and bankruptcies.’
‘Anne Kim is an outstanding tax attorney. She is smart, knowledgeable and practical.’
‘Deep, commercial and knowledgeable team.’
David Kung and Douglas Gessner keep everything working smoothly. I can’t imagine working with anyone else.’
Key clients
Bain Capital
Blue Owl
Brookfield Infrastructure
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Clearlake Capital
Colgate Energy Partners
Apax, CPP, OTPP, Warburg Pincus-backed Inmarsat
Kellogg
KKR
Madison Dearborn Partners
Navitas Midstream Partners Holdings, LLC
Polestar Performance AB
R1 RCM
Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
Thoma Bravo
Vector Capital
Vista Equity Partners
Celsius
Work highlights
Antitrust > Cartel Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has an active cartel practice that frequently sees the team representing clients from a broad range of industries on the full range of cartel issues, with price-fixing, monopolization, generic drugs, and proteins being key areas of expertise. The team is experienced in both government cartel investigations and related litigation, both in the US and abroad. James Mutchnik, Daniel Laytin, and Christa Cottrell are key members of the firm’s antitrust cartel practice. Mutchnik, an experienced litigator based in Chicago, represents corporate and individual clients in antitrust defense matters before federal and state courts and investigative agencies. Laytin and Cottrell, also in Chicago, specialize in civil and criminal cartel litigation and in complex commercial litigation, respectively. The firm’s significant governmental agency experience, exemplified by former Antitrust Division Head of Media, Entertainment and Communications Scott Scheele, was further expanded in 2022, when Elyse Dorsey, former Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division, and Molly Kelley, also formerly at the DOJ, joined the firm. Scheele and Dorsey are based in Washington DC, while Kelley is in Chicago.Practice head(s):
Daniel Laytin; James Mutchnik; Christa Cottrell
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Kirkland’s antitrust lawyers are incredibly smart, well-versed in legal developments and have the backing of Kirkland’s broader teams of top caliber associates and partners.‘
Key clients
AbbVie
Belcan
Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association
Jeld-Wen
Sanderson Farms, Inc.
Teva Pharmaceuticals
The Clemens Family Corporation
UnitedHealth Group
Antitrust > Merger control Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises public and private companies, including major names such as Bain Capital, KKR, and Celanese on merger clearance for M&A and private equity transactions, combining a prolific record in HSR filings with strong capabilities across DOJ and FTC investigations, including Second Request proceedings, global approval processes, and antitrust litigation relating to mergers. The team has deep agency experience, with practice head Matthew Reilly, who is advising Celanese on its proposed $11 billion acquisition of Dupont’s Mobility & Materials business, having acted as assistant director of the FTC Mergers Division, and an expert in high-stakes merger trials across sectors such as pharma, telecoms, and defense. Andrea Murino, who held positions at the FTC and DOJ, focuses securing clearances from the agencies for major deals, including handling Second Requests. New York’s Ian John is a prolific advisor to major clients on complex cross-border transactions, while Marin Boney offers economics expertise and experience in analyzing joint ventures and vertical agreements alongside merger control capabilities. All lawyers are in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.Practice head(s):
Matthew Reilly
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Bain Capital
Celanese Corporation
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Cobham Group
Datto Holding Corp.
Forterra
GTCR, LLC
KKR
Nexstar Media Group
Nordic Capital
Norton LifeLock
Oracle Corporation
Prince International
R1 RCM
UnitedHealth Group
Vestar Capital Partners
Warburg Pincus
Water Street Healthcare Partners
Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
Yale New Haven Health
Work highlights
Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
Historically a strong player in appellate matters, Kirkland & Ellis LLP has established an impressive record of involvement in major cases at the federal courts of appeals, state appellate courts, and the US Supreme Court. In Washington DC, former Deputy Associate Attorney General John O’Quinn is noted for his expertise in IP and regulatory-related cases; he is representing Safeway in False Claims Act litigation alleging that defendants’ pharmacies misrepresented their usual and customary prices. George Hicks splits his practice between Washington DC and Dallas; he recently secured a win in the Eleventh Circuit for BP Exploration & Production in one of the first appeals addressing the ‘Back-End Litigation Option’ process established by the Deepwater Horizon medical settlement agreement. In New York, Jay Lefkowitz is recommended for his broad trial and appellate experience; he recently secured appellate victories for New Mountain Capital portfolio company, Ciox Health before the Ninth and Seventh Circuits. Washington DC-based William Burgess additionally stands out for his emphasis on patent and regulatory-related appeals. The firm saw some significant changes to its appellate practice in 2022: Paul Clement and Erin Murphy left to launch a new boutique and several attorneys followed, including Bartow Farr and Harker Rhodes.
Practice head(s):
John O’Quinn
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
BP Exploration & Production, Inc.
CIOX Health
Gulfport Energy Corporation
Lannett Company, Inc.
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
NetChoice
Parma Investments Ltd.
Safeway Inc.
Ultra Petroleum Corporation
Safeway, Inc. (Albertson Companies, Inc.)
SuperValu, Inc. (Albertson Companies, Inc.)
American Samoa Government
Sanofi
Work highlights
- Scored a win in the Eleventh Circuit for BP Exploration & Production in one of the first appeals addressing the ‘Back-End Litigation Option’ process established by the Deepwater Horizon medical settlement agreement.
- Obtained a major appellate victory over the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), when the Fifth Circuit vacated four FERC orders issued against Gulfport Energy Corporation.
- Represented SuperValu, and a number of its affiliates, in a whistleblower case alleging that pharmacies misrepresented their usual and customary prices in violation of the False Claims Act.
Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport Tier 2
Drawing upon a trial-ready approach should the need arise, litigation powerhouse Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a popular choice among major automotive brands in the defence of high-profile potentially reputational threatening litigation. General Motors remains a cornerstone client for the firm, with Renee Smith continuing to represent the automotive giant across a range of class actions and MDLs, including as it relates to the high-profile Takata airbag inflator recall and its alleged use of emissions defeat devices. Although he has perhaps gained most acclaim for his product liability work in the pharmaceuticals space, ‘well-respected’ Washington DC-based practitioner Mike Brock has also handled a considerable amount of work in the automotive space and is one of many experienced trial lawyers at the firm who is adept at handling a myriad bet-the-company defense work before both judges and juries. All named practitioners are based out of Chicago unless otherwise noted.Other key lawyers:
Mike Brock; Andrew Bloomer; Renee Smith; Wendy Bloom
Key clients
General Motors
Polaris Industries
ZF-TRW Automotive Holdings Corporation
Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco) Tier 2
Centered around its Chicago, New York and Washington DC offices, in particular, Kirkland & Ellis LLP has forged a strong reputation in the space, as a result of its representation of a varied array of consumer-facing manufacturers across a myriad product liability and mass tort matters. Many of these have taken the form of large aggregate disputes. As well as the firm’s technical expertise in often highly scientific issues under dispute and its procedural prowess, it is also able to call upon the proficiency of a slew of accomplished first-chair trial lawyers, ensuring that clients are vigorously defended in jury trials, as well as providing a degree of leverage in the context of early settlements. A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Washington DC-based partner Mike Brock is a formidable practitioner in high-stakes product liability litigation, and has handled jury trials across a multitude of high-profile product liability matters, including in the automotive and pharmaceuticals industries. Drawing upon a storied career in private practice, as well as by dint of his former positions as a federal judge and high-ranking Justice Department official, Chicago-based Mark Filip has an excellent perspective of big-ticket litigation, and offers experience to defendants seeking representation at a trial stage.Other key lawyers:
Richard Godfrey; Renee Smith; Jay Lefkowitz; Donna Welch; Mike Brock; Mark Filip; Jennifer Levy; Hariklia Karis
Key clients
3M
Abbot Laboratories
Amneal Pharmaceuticals
Barretts Minerals
Carrier Global Corporation
GlaxoSmithKline
General Motors
Polaris Industries
Staples, Inc.
Woodstream Corporation
Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices Tier 2
Noted for its ‘highly strategic approach’, which combines first-chair trial skills, alongside deep subject knowledge and procedural expertise, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a popular choice among life sciences and pharma companies facing down high-stakes, bet-the-company litigation. Jennifer Levy in Washington DC and Chicago-based Donna Welch have been pivotal to the firm’s success in the area, most notably for their ‘outstanding’ work on behalf of Allergan, as one of the defendants accused in private and government-led litigation for its role in fuelling the opioid epidemic in the US. ‘Well-respected’ Washington-DC-based trial lawyer Mike Brock is also a key member of the team and has notched up numerous successes for pharma and life sciences companies, particularly in product liability and mass tort cases.Other key lawyers:
Mike Brock; Jennifer Levy; Leslie Smith; Donna Welch
Testimonials
‘The firm provides a highly strategic approach on product liability litigation.’
‘Donna Welch and Jennifer Levy are outstanding.’
‘Mike Brock is a well-respected trial lawyer.’
Key clients
Allergan
Barretts Minerals, Inc.
Syngenta Corporation
Work highlights
- Representing Allergan in state and federal governmental investigations, congressional inquiries and thousands of civil suits (many consolidated in federal MDL) related to its sale and marketing of opioid painkillers.
- Representing Barretts Minerals, Inc and other talc industry defendants in litigation initiated by a plaintiff, which alleges that he acquired mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos from talcum powder products.
Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort Tier 2
Noted for its trial-ready approach and ability to run large-scale teams in resource intensive MDLs, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a popular choice among clients seeking to defend toxic tort allegations in federal and state courts throughout the country. The team has developed particular expertise defending pharmaceutical companies in relation to consolidated personal injury claims initiated by consumers of their products, as well as those sustained by former employees of production facilities and nearby residents. Washington-DC based partner Mike Brock is one of many acclaimed trial lawyers at the firm, and excels in trials involving complex scientific issues, particularly within the pharma space.Other key lawyers:
Mike Brock; Jennifer Levy; Leslie Smith; Renee Smith; Donna Welch; Jay Lefkowitz
Key clients
Abbott Laboratories
Allergan plc
Amneal Pharmaceuticals
Barrett Minerals, Inc.
Dow Chemical Company
E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Company, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
Hilco Redevelopment, LLC
Syngenta Corporation
The Boeing Company
Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Energy > Energy regulation: electric power Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP's energy regulatory team in Washington, DC has experience in matters involving the federal and state regulatory agencies addressing electricity matters. The team regularly represents clients on federal energy regulatory matters before FERC, DOE, CFTC and advises on state public service/utility commission matters. Lawyers such as Brooksany Barrowes and Robert Fleishman act on issues such as changes or transfers of control, power purchase agreements, with Barrowes doing substantial work in advising participants in the energy-intensive data center and data mining space and Fleishman defending industry participants and individuals in energy markets against charges of market manipulation. Marcia Hook advises power and LNG clients in regulatory matters before FERC, state public utility commissions and US Courts of Appeals. Andrew Stuyvenberg is a name to watch for his experience working at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and his representation of clients before FERC.Practice head(s):
Brooksany Barrowes; Robert Fleishman
Other key lawyers:
Marcia Hook; Andrew Stuyvenberg; Cassidy Hall
Key clients
Blackstone Infrastructure Partners
Macquarie Asset Management
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
Apollo
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
TPG Rise Climate
Investec Bank PLC
Blackstone Energy Partners III L.P., Blackstone Capital Partners VIII L.P., and Portfolio Companies
Rice Acquisition Corp.
Calpine Corporation
Cypress Creek Renewables
Air Products
Kindle Energy, LLC
Just Energy Group
Car Val Investors
Ad Hoc Committee of Talen Energy Corporation
EQT AB
Voltus Inc.
Work highlights
Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has a buoyant DCM practice, principally driven by issuer engagements. Along with standalone corporate issuers, the firm also receives numerous mandates through its illustrious private equity clients and their portfolio companies. The firm is particularly well known for sponsor-backed company high-yield debt offerings and acquisition finance-related debt offerings. It represented a consortium led by Hellman & Friedman and Bain Capital on its acquisition of Athenahealth, which involved a $2.35bn offering of senior notes as part of the financing of the deal. The firm is also rated for liability management transactions. Joshua Korff and Sophia Hudson are key partners in New York, along with Robert Hayward in Chicago.Other key lawyers:
Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
Kirkland & Ellis LLP remains known for its advice to private equity houses and their portfolio companies on their equity offerings. It advised Thomas H Lee Partners on its portfolio company AutoStore’s IPO on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The firm has also been active in SPAC IPOs and direct investments by private equity sponsors in public companies. It continues to impress in liability management matters, including advice to Norwegian Cruise Line on its $1.1bn registered direct offering of common equity. Los Angeles partner Philippa Bond and New York’s Sophia Hudson and Joshua Korff are key figures in the team, along with Robert Hayward in Chicago.Other key lawyers:
Joshua Korff; Christian Nagler; Sophia Hudson; Robert Hayward; Philippa Bond
Key clients
Advent International Corporation
Autostore
Bain Capital
Black Rifle Coffee Company
Blue Owl Capital
Cvent
Envision Healthcare
Evotec SE
Hellman & Friedman
Instructure Holdings Inc.
John Deere Capital Corporation
Kellogg Co.
Macy’s, Inc.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Paycor HCM
Permira Advisers LLC
Ryan Specialty Group
Thoughtworks
TPG Capital
Vista Equity Partners
Whirlpool Corp.
Finance > Project finance
Led by experienced transactional partners Rohit Chaudhry and Roald Nashi from the firm’s Washington DC office, Kirkland & Ellis LLP's energy and infrastructure practice has experience advising leading lenders and sponsors, in particular in the private equity space, on the financing of major projects in areas from oil and gas to wind and solar, LNG, and infrastructure including semiconductor facilities and data centers. In the New York office, Robert Eberhardt has broad experience covering wind and solar power and storage projects, while Michael Masri is particularly knowledgeable about energy tax credits and government incentive programs, and Tatiana Monastyrskaya advises PE firms and investment and commercial banks. In Washington DC, Brian Greene stands out for his work with lending agencies and investors.Practice head(s):
Rohit Chaudhry; Roald Nashi
Other key lawyers:
Robert Eberhardt; Michael Masri; Tatiana Monastyrskaya; Kelann Stirling; Brian Greene; Greg Howling; Rob Warfield; Olivia George; Sebastian Chan
Testimonials
‘The group did an excellent job on the transaction. They were able to help navigate challenging counterparties and situations. They have amazing attention to detail.’
‘Brian Greene has a great owner’s mindset helping us figure out which points were worth fighting and which ones were not worth engaging.’
‘Tatiana Monastyrskaya is unrivaled in terms of brilliance, creativity, speed, and business-minded focus.’
Key clients
Apollo Global Management
ArcLight Clean Transition Corp.
Ares Management
Blackstone
Bluescape
Brookfield Asset Management
Carlyle
CarVal
CleanCapital
Cypress Creek
EQT Infrastructure
Generate Capital
Investec
Kindle Energy
KKR
Macquarie
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
TPG Rise Climate and The Rise Fund
True Green Capital
Vineyard Wind
Apollo Global Management
ArcLight Clean Transition Corp.
Ares Management and Ares Infrastructure and Power
Blackstone
Bluescape
Brookfield Asset Management
Carlyle
CarVal
CleanCapital
EQT Infrastructure
Generate Capital
I Squared Capital
Investec
KKR
Macquarie
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
TPG
Warburg Pincus
Work highlights
- Advised Blackstone Energy Partners III L.P. in connection with the development and construction financing of the Champlain Hudson Power Express.
- Advised Blackstone Infrastructure Partners in its $3bn equity investment in Invenergy Renewables Holdings.
- Advised Ares and its portfolio company, Apex Clean Energy Holdings, in the $650m financing for a 30 GW portfolio of renewable projects.
Finance > Structured finance: securitization Tier 2
Counting private equity firms and portfolio companies among its key roster of clients, Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises on asset-backed securitizations involving auto and equipment assets, in addition to oil and gas receivables, floorplan loans and healthcare receivables, among others. Noted for its expertise in whole-business securitizations, the team has demonstrable capability in handling a broad range of transactions involving mainstream assets. In the firm’s Chicago office, Jeffrey O’Connor, who focuses on auto and equipment, oil and gas, credit card and healthcare securitizations, jointly leads the team alongside New York-based Janette McMahan, who specializes in auto loan, auto lease, marketplace loan and trade receivables transactions. In Dallas, Rudgee Charles was promoted to partner in October 2022 and advises on a broad range of asset-backed securitizations. Joel Weinberger, who operates from the firm’s office in Chicago, is another key contact in the group.
Practice head(s):
Jeffrey O’Connor; Janette McMahan
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Deere & Company
Centerbridge Partners
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
MUFG Securities LLC
Navistar Financial Corporation
NextGear Capital, Inc.
Southwest Stage Funding, LLC (d/b/a Cascade Financial Services)
Sylvamo Corporation
Travel + Leisure Co.
World Omni Financial Corp.
Government > State attorneys general Tier 2
With extensive bipartisan expertise, Kirkland & Ellis LLP's state attorneys general team draws on the experience of former senior government officials, including Chicago-based Lisa Madigan, who served as Illinois state attorney general. In Washington DC, Jennifer Levy leads on multistate litigation involving product liability cases on behalf of pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and automotive companies. Also in Washington DC is Reginald Brown, whose practice focuses on assisting financial institutions, energy companies and tech firms with regulatory and reputational matters. Another key name is former federal judge Mark Filip, who splits his time between Chicago and Washington DC and has been particularly active in representing multinational pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies in civil and criminal investigations.Other key lawyers:
Work highlights
- Assisted a a major student loan servicer with an 18-month investigation conducted by a consortium of nearly 30 state attorneys general, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the US Department of Justice into its origination, collection and servicing practices.
- Acted for a global pharmaceutical company in connection with various state attorneys general investigations and related litigation across the country regarding the pricing of insulin.
- Represented a global social media company in a multistate investigation regarding the potential suppression of free expression on social media platforms.
Intellectual property > Patents: licensing Tier 2
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.Other key lawyers:
Seth Traxler; David MacDonald; Russell Levine
Key clients
Eli Lilly & Co.
Open Invention Network
Work highlights
- Advised Eli Lilly (NYS: LLY) in its strategic, multi-year collaboration and patent license agreement with Lycia Therapeutics, a biotechnology company that uses its proprietary lysosomal targeting chimeras (LYTACs) platform to develop first-in-class therapeutics.
- Advised Eli Lilly (NYS: LLY) in its collaboration and patent license agreement with Kumquat Biosciences, which gives Lilly exclusive access to Kumquat’s technology to discover potential novel oncology therapeutics.
- Represented Open Invention Network, a joint venture of eight companies (Google, IBM, NEC, Philips, Red Hat, Sony, SUSE, and Toyota) and 3500+ licensing participants from 100+ countries, which is the largest patent non-aggression community and supports the freedom of action with respect to the Linux operating system.
Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission) Tier 2
The intellectual property practice group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is highly active in the International Trade Commission, representing complainants and respondents. The team is experienced, frequently seeing success in ITC proceedings, with particular knowledge of specific procedural rules and challenges facing parties based in the ITC. The team works on matters spanning industries, recently successfully representing Pegasus Partners’ company Global Value Lighting in industry-wide patent litigation. Also of interest are mutli-disciplinary matters, including competition-related issues, reflected in the firm’s offensive and defensive patent representation for iFit. In Washington DC, Paul Brinkman is a key lawyer in the team, with a track record of success at the ITC. Also of note are Gregory Arovas in New York, Gregg LoCascio, and Chicago-based Jay Emerick.Other key lawyers:
Paul Brinkman; Gregory Arovas; Gregg LoCascio; Jay Emerick
Key clients
AutoStore Technology
Heineken International B.V. et. al.
iRobot Corporation
Intel Corporation
Lighting Science Group Corp.
Kapsch TrafficCom/EZPass
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Porsche Cars North America; Porsche AG
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
TCL Electronics
Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation Tier 2
A particularly popular destination for video game companies, Kirkland & Ellis LLP specializes in complex IP cases in areas where clear legal precedent is yet to be established; in a representative matter, the firm is representing Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. in a suit that pertains to the reproduction of copyrighted tattoos in a basketball videogame. Litigator and team head Dale Cendali is singled out for her IP expertise; she represented Epic Games in precedential litigation concerning the copyrightability of dance steps in a recent highlight. Another name to note is Joshua Simmons, who has significant experience advocating on behalf of video games companies in various copyright infringement litigations. Claudia Ray is further recommended for her copyright and internet litigation. All mentioned lawyers are based in New York.Practice head(s):
Dale Cendali
Other key lawyers:
Joshua Simmons; Claudia Ray; Johanna Schmitt; Diana Torres; Mary Mazzello; Shanti Sadtler Conway
Testimonials
‘Kirkland’s entertainment practice is one of the absolute best in the industry. For bet-the-business and cutting-edge IP litigation there is no better firm.’
‘Dale Cendali thrives at applying existing precedent to novel and cutting-edge subject matter and is comfortable in rapidly evolving high-tech subject matters.’
‘Josh Simmons encyclopedic knowledge of relevant law and measured but firm advocacy inject an aura of calm into even the most stressful disputes.’
Key clients
Association of American Publishers
Cleveland Guardians
Epic Games, Inc.
Fox News Network LLC
J.K. Rowling
Riot Games, Inc.
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
Thomson Reuters
Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises both customers and service providers in a range of industries, not limited to manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and energy, in ITO, BPO, digital transformations and transitions to as-a-service model. The team works on the full suite of mission-critical outsourced services for clients which encompasses master service agreements, revenue cycle managements, digital and innovative transformations as well as application developments. Co-leader of the practice Neil Hirshman is a specialist in handling multi-tower and multi-vendor transformational outsourcing deals. The experienced Gregg Kirchhoefer focuses on transactional matters involving computer, telecoms, biotech and intellectual property as well as corporate and commercial issues. Todd Herst and New York-based Shellie Freedman are the key contact for counselling on IP and tech aspects of merger and acquisition and other corporate deals, while Aaron Lorber represents clients in joint ventures and strategic alliances, such as IP licenses and supply chain agreements. Lawyers are in Chicago unless otherwise stated.Other key lawyers:
Key clients
SSM Health
Continental Casualty
CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc.
Nexus Capital Management LP
SK Capital
TowerBrook Capital Partners
Accenture
Huntsman
Solera Holdings
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Charter Communications, Inc.
Work highlights
- Advised SSM Health on strategic alliance with UnitedHealth Group, which includes a full suite of outsourced services relating to revenue cycle management, care transformation and digital health innovation.
- Advised Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on its 2.5 billion dollars sale of Sirius Computer Solutions, a provider of secure, mission-critical technology-based solutions, to CDW Corp.
- Advised Charter Communications on its joint venture with Comcast Corporation to develop and offer a next generation streaming platform on a variety of 4K streaming devices and smart TVs.
Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs) Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP draws from the firm’s strength across the board to advise public and privately traded REITs on an array of M&A, real estate, tax and capital markets issues including debt and equity offerings, financings and restructurings, portfolio transactions and IPOs. In New York, Michael Brueck focuses on M&A, whilst Mike Beinus represents clients on complex REITs-associated tax matters. Chicago’s Bruce Gelman maintains his practice in advising on organization and structuring of REITs. Also in New York, Sarkis Jebejian is another key name for transactional work.Practice head(s):
Michael Brueck; Mike Beinus
Other key lawyers:
Bruce Gelman; Sarkis Jebejian
Key clients
Safehold Special Committee
Oak Street Real Estate Capital
Dune Real Estate Partners
GLP Capital Partners
Starwood Capital Group Global
Starwood Real Estate Income Trust
Hudson Pacific Properties
Washington Prime Group
StorageMart
Equity Lifestyle Properties
Equity Residential
Sunstone Hotel Investors
Essex Property Trust
Ventas
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co
Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management
Cerberus Capital Management
Brookfield Asset Management
GEM Realty Capital
LaSalle Investment Management
Work highlights
- Advised Oak Street Real Estate Capital on its acquisition together with GIC of STORE Capital Corporation.
- Advised the special committee of the board of Safehold in connection with Safehold’s $6.4 billion tax-free, strategic combination with its controlling shareholder iStar Inc.
- Represented Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management LLC in its purchase and financing of a portfolio of real property assets from iStar Inc. for an enterprise value of approximately $3 billion.
Tax > US taxes: contentious Tier 2
Kirkland & Ellis LLP fields a ‘knowledgeable, responsive, and highly effective’ team with experience at every stage of the tax controversy process. The group places emphasis on diverse tax expertise, and as such covers an extensive range of disputes, including transfer pricing disputes, offshore banking issues, and complex audits for prominent clients in the private equity space. Richard Husseini, based in Houston, co-leads the department alongside Natalie Keller, in Chicago. Husseini has experience representing public and private companies and high net worth individuals before the IRS, courts, and other regulatory bodies, while Keller covers audits, appeals, and litigation, with strength in transfer pricing issues. The department has seen recent growth, with David Foster joining the Washington DC office from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in February 2023, and David Cole entering the Houston team from Vinson & Elkins LLP in October 2022. Of counsel JoAnne Nagjee, in Chicago, is a name to note.Practice head(s):
Richard Husseini; Natalie Keller
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Knowledgeable, responsive, and highly effective.’
Key clients
HcPerf Holdings BV, owned by Lime Rock
Woodside Partners LP
PCMG Trading Partners XII LP
Kalkhoven/Pettit Trading Partners LP
Kalkhoven/Pettit #2 Trading Partners LP
Work highlights
Dispute resolution > E-discovery Tier 3
Kirkland & Ellis LLP's e-discovery practice assists clients facing complex cross-border litigation across the United States, Europe, and Asia, with experience in a range of industries including manufacturing, oil and gas, and technology. The firm offers experience in antitrust and regulatory responses, and handles high-volume and data intensive internal investigations, high-stakes commercial litigation, products liability cases, and government investigations.Other key lawyers:
Vanessa Barsanti; Christopher Costello; Amber Whipkey; James H. Mutchnik; Mark Premo-Hopkins
Work highlights
Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation Tier 3
Kirkland & Ellis LLP concentrates its financial services disputes practice on securities class actions, shareholder derivatives, M&A and structured finance litigation as well as regulatory investigations by the DOJ, SEC and CFTC. The firm also has a recognized accountant liability practice, defending major clients in this space. The firm broadly focuses on securities law and private litigation alleging misleading shareholders, insider trading and other types of financial fraud, as well as developing its concentration in the fintech sector. Sandra Goldstein has a range of litigation experience relating to securities, M&A and commercial disputes for large companies. Goldstein also works alongside Zachary Brez, former SEC attorney, who concentrates on securities and exposures under the FCPA. Both are based in New York. Mark Filip, former federal judge, and Reginald Brown are key contacts in the firm’s government regulatory enforcement defense and investigations group. Filip is based across the firm’s Chicago and Washington DC offices, while Brown is in DC.Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Blackstone
Credit Suisse
FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund LLC
LoanDepot.com
OpenDoor Labs, Inc.
Ovation Partners
Owl Rock Capital Group
Stable Road Capital
Energy > Renewable/alternative power Tier 3
Complex and high-value transactional work lies at the heart of Kirkland & Ellis LLP ‘s renewable energy sector offering, which sees lawyers with significant experience in M&A and project finance advise clients, including major private equity and infrastructure funds, on a broad range of portfolio acquisitions and project transactions. Taking in account the growing importance of ESG related issues in the renewable energy sector, the firm’s offering of a separate ESG & Impact Practice Group is also noted. The practice is jointly led by Andrew Calder in Houston and notable private equity, project finance, and project restructuring partner Rohit Chaudhry in Washington DC. The firm also has a strong offering in Texas, where Houston’s Cyril Jones and John Pitts – who are currently working on advising Archaea Energy Inc on its sale to BP p.l.c. for approximately $4.1bn - are both noted, as is Kevin Crews in Dallas, whose experience extends to investments in the biofuels sector. Kristin Mendoza in New York and Roald Nashi in Washington DC are also recommended for their M&A and financing expertise. The team was further strengthened with the arrival of New York’s Robert Eberhardt and William Nicholson from Norton Rose Fulbright in February 2022.Practice head(s):
Andrew Calder; Rohit Chaudhry
Other key lawyers:
Cyril Jones; John Pitts; Kristin Mendoza; Roald Nashi; Robert Eberhardt; William Nicholson; Kevin Crews
Key clients
Apollo Global Management
Archaea Energy
ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. II
Ares Management and Ares Infrastructure and Power
Array Technologies
Arroyo Investors
Blackstone
Blue Source Sustainable Forests
Bluescape Energy Partners
Brookfield Asset Management
Carlyle Renewable and Sustainable Energy Fund
CleanCapital
Cypress Creek Renewables
EQT Infrastructure
Generate Capital
I Squared Capital
Kimmeridge
KKR
Macquarie Asset Management
Mas CanAm
Magnetar Capital’s Energy & Infrastructure Group
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
Powin
Tailwater Capital
TPG Rise and TPG Rise Climate
Transmission Developers
Trilantic Capital Partners
True Green Capital
Warburg Pincus
Work highlights
- Advised Archaea Energy Inc. on its sale to BP p.l.c. for approximately $4.1 billion.
- Advised Blackstone Infrastructure Partners in its approximately $3 billion equity investment in Invenergy Renewables Holdings, which is one of the largest renewables investments in North American history.
- Advised Blue Source Sustainable Forests Co., in its $1.8 billion acquisition of various entities managed by The Forestland Group.
Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious Tier 3
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises insurers, reinsurers and private equity funds on a variety of insurance-related transactions ranging from M&A, reinsurance, joint ventures and securities offerings. Furthermore, the firm offers support in regard to the regulatory aspect of transactions, and is also increasingly active in representing insurtech firms. Rajab Abbassi has significant experience in handling complex cross-border transactions including strategic investments and is also called upon to advise boards of directors on governance issues. Regulatory matters are the domain of Parimah Hassouri, who supports clients across the the life, health, property and casualty, financial guaranty, mortgage guaranty and title insurance industries with the regulatory aspects of transactions, formation and licensing of new companies, governance and compliance. All lawyers mentioned are based in New York.Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Martello Re
Wilton Re Limited
ORIX USA
Metromile
Centerbridge Partners
Root, Inc.
Insurance Supermarket
Special Committee of the Board of Directors of State Auto
Financial Corp.
Thomas H. Lee Partners and AmeriLife
GI Partners
AssuredPartners, Inc.
Flexpoint Ford, LLC
VSP Vision
Doma Holdings Inc.
Work highlights
- Advised Centerbridge Partners and Martello Re Limited on the launch of Martello Re.
- Advised Wilton Re on its acquisition of Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York.
- Advised Metromile on its agreement to be acquired by insurance company Lemonade in an all-stock transaction.
Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing) Tier 3
The globally-connected team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises household names such as PepsiCo, on the enforcement and management of their international trademark portfolios. Headed by intellectual property authority Dale Cendali, the group’s active client base spans the sporting goods, cosmetics, cybersecurity, video games, fitness, pharma, tech, and apparel sectors. Key figures include Claudia Ray, a specialist in brand-building and protection strategy; Johanna Schmitt, who assists with complex internet issues; Mary Mazzello, who brings expertise to matters ranging from trademarks clearance to new product launches; Shanti Sadtler Conway, who provides experience related to social media, licensing, and contract issues. All the lawyers mentioned work at the New York office.Practice head(s):
Dale Cendali
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Audax Group
Blue Owl Capital
Colgate-Palmolive/Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Dick’s Sporting Goods
E.l.f. Beauty
Emburse
F. Schumacher & Co.
Flow (New venture from We Work’s Adam Neumann)
GoodRx, Inc.
GTCR LLC
K1 Investment Management
Lionel LLC
Major Food Group
Osiris Ventures
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
PepsiCo
Pritzker Group
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
The Herjavac Group
Titan Fitness
Vista Equity Partners
WSHP Pharmaceutical Holdings
Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers Tier 4
Sandra Goldstein – Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Boasting an impressive client roster which includes 3G Capital, Barnes & Noble, and IBM, Sandra Goldstein has a particularly broad practice, with a particular focus on securities, M&A, and commercial disputes. In an impressive recent matter, Goldstein won dismissal of a securities class action litigation on behalf of client Textron, securing a favorable settlement in July on remand. Goldstein is located in the firm’s New York office. Aaron Marks – Kirkland & Ellis LLP Gregory Arovas – Kirkland & Ellis LLP William Pratt – Kirkland & Ellis LLPWork highlights
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Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas Tier 4
Kirkland & Ellis LLP handles a range of regulatory issues concerning oil and natural gas pipelines before the FERC, the DOE and CFTC, with additional experience advising on acquisitions, shipper contracts, enforcement cases and appellate litigation. Based in the firm's Washington DC office, Brooksany Barrowes acts for clients across the energy and infrastructure sectors on the regulatory aspects of the purchase of assets, businesses and commodities, while Robert Fleishman specializes in defending clients against charges of market manipulation before the FERC and CFTC.Practice head(s):
Brooksany Barrowes; Robert Fleishman
Other key lawyers:
Marcia Hook; Andrew Stuyvenberg
Key clients
The Rise Fund
Alta Resources Development, LLC
Archaea Energy Inc.
Whiting Petroleum Corporation
TPG Rise Climate LP
Element Markets
Ultra Petroleum Corp.
Energy Transfer Partners
EQT Corporation
Devon Corporation
ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. II
Colgate Energy Partners III
Gulfport Energy Corporation
Tailwater Capital, LLC
TPG Rise Climate LP
MAS Energy, LLC
Healthcare > Life sciences Tier 4
Regarded by clients as ‘outstanding in every aspect of their practice', the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises private equity and venture capital investors, as well as biotech and pharmaceutical companies, at varying stages of development. New York based litigator Jay Lefkowitz often acts in pharmaceutical antitrust suits, FCA and FDA related internal investigations, and product liability cases. Chicago’s ‘absolutely brilliant‘ Jim Hurst is a litigator who handles commercial, IP and patent disputes, while New York’s ‘highly experienced, highly skilled and talented‘ Patricia Carson is a life sciences litigator who focuses on patent strategy and disputes, often acting for biotech, chemical, and pharmaceutical companies.
Other key lawyers:
Jay Lefkowitz; Matt Rowen; Jim Hurst; Patricia Carson; Jeanna Wacker
Testimonials
‘Excellent biopharma litigation practice (including drafting of settlement agreements), one of the best teams I have had a chance to work with.
‘Whether it be their skills, competence, experience as litigators, knowledge of the industry, or knowledge of the technology, the Kirkland team is absolutely top of the cream. One cannot single out one aspect of their practice which is outstanding. The Kirkland team is outstanding in every aspect of their practice.’
‘Jeanna Wacker is one of the most talented, competent, professional, dedicated, skilled outside counsel I have ever worked with. Jeanna is fantastic and will make sure to provide you with the best legal advice and litigation support available.’
‘Jim Hurst’s experience and skills as a trial lawyer are stunning. Absolutely brilliant.’
‘Patricia Carson is very knowledgeable of the industry and technology, highly experienced, highly skilled and talented.’
Key clients
Abbott Laboratories
Abbvie Inc.
Actavis Generics
Akorn, Inc.
Albertson Companies, Inc.
Allergan plc
Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp. II
Association for Accessible Medicines
Barr Phamaceuticals
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
CEDIPROF Inc.
Cephalon Inc.
Danaher Corp.
Eagle Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Glaxosmithkline plc
Hospira Inc.
Impax Laboratories
Lannett Co.
Lupin Ltd.
Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.
Teva Pharmaceuticals
Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Upsher-Smith Laboratories LLC
Work highlights
Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional Tier 4
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.Other key lawyers:
Seth Traxler; Shellie Freedman; Rory Wellever; Bernadette Coppola
Key clients
ABRY Partners II, LLC
Bazooka Companies, Inc., The
Be Sunshine, LLC
Blackstone Inc.
CC Neuberger Principal Holdings II
Charter Communications
Kodiak Cakes
Hipgnosis Songs Assets (Delaware) LP
Horizon Acquisition Corporation
Kid Distro Holdings, LLC
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., L.P.
Krafton, Inc.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc.
Nexstar Media Group
SESAC Rights
The Blackstone Group International Partners LLP
TPG Real Estate
Verizon
Work highlights
- Represented Charter Communications in its $900 million joint venture with Comcast Corp.
- Represented Hipgnosis Song Management in acquisition of pop icon Justin Timberlake’s current song catalog.
- Represented Blackstone-backed MNRK Music Group in its sale of the Death Row Records brand to hip hop legend and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg.
International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions Tier 5
Leveraging the firm’s platforms in Europe, China and the UK, Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s team stands out for its ability to ‘get experts from across different sanction regimes together to allow clients to make informed decisions’. The cross-department practice draws on Washington DC-based international trade and national security co-heads Mario Mancuso and Ivan Schlager, with Mancuso in particular dedicating a significant portion of his practice to economic sanctions, export controls, and other international risk issues. In New York, government enforcement specialist Zachary Brez is also noted for his expertise in international risk matters.
Practice head(s):
Zachary Brez; Mario Mancuso; Ivan Schlager
Testimonials
‘The team is responsive as our queries require a timely response. One of their strengths is ability to get experts from across different sanction regimes together to allow clients to make informed decisions on sanctions and export control issues.’
‘The individuals are knowledgeable in their respective fields and provide insight and, when circumstances allows, options for consideration.’
Key clients
Arlington Capital Partners
The Jordan Company, LP
Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation) Tier 5
Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
India > Foreign firms
Regularly instructed by clients from across the life sciences and pharma sectors, Kirkland & Ellis LLP regularly handles both contentious and transactional matters for domestic and international companies and investors. Srinivas Kaushik and Atif Khawaja co-head the team from New York, working alongside co-heads Cori Lable, in Hong Kong, and Asheesh Goel, in Chicago. Kaushik advises financial entities and private equity clients on investments and M&A, and litigator Khawaja is recommended for high-value commercial disputes, while Lable and Goel take point on corruption investigations and risk assessments.Practice head(s):
Srinivas Kaushik; Asheesh Goel; Atif Khawaja; Cori Lable
Key clients
Baring Private Equity Asia
Bain Capital Private Equity
Advent International
KKR
Sun Pharmaceuticals
Bain Capital Special Situations
Dabur International Limited and Namaste Laboratories LLC
Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Firm Profile
Kirkland & Ellis is global law firm with more than 3,500 attorneys representing clients in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, restructuring, and intellectual property matters. The firm has 20 offices around the world: Austin, Bay Area, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Munich, New York, Paris, Riyadh, Salt Lake City, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.
Main areas of practice
Antitrust and competition: Kirkland advises on all aspects of competition law, including preeminent criminal and civil antitrust litigation defense, government investigation defense, expedited transaction clearance and real-world counseling experience. The firm provides seamless representation to clients throughout the world. Kirkland successfully defends clients in their most important government-initiated and private cases involving the full spectrum of antitrust claims, from cartels to monopolization to pricing disputes. The group also has an exceptional depth of experience in US and foreign merger and acquisition clearances, from strategic counseling to efficient filing with regulatory agencies and rapid regulatory review.
Capital markets: Kirkland covers the full spectrum of corporate financing techniques. The firm represents issuers, sponsors and underwriters in a wide variety of international securities transactions, with a particular focus on offerings of high-yield and other complex debt securities.
Debt finance: Kirkland services both borrowers and lenders in a wide variety of financing transactions across the entire capital structure. The firm is engaged in every aspect of a financing transaction: advising borrowers and lenders on senior, subordinated, mezzanine and bridge financing transactions, as well as high-yield offerings. Kirkland has unsurpassed experience in structuring and negotiating the layers of senior and unsubordinated debt and equity financing in connection with leveraged acquisitions. The group also handles DIP financings, exit financings and debt restructurings.
Intellectual property litigation: Kirkland has one of the most respected intellectual property litigation practices, with particular experience in large-scale patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret misappropriation and advertising matters. The firm has an active trial practice with one of the best success rates despite handling some of the most challenging IP litigation cases in history.
International litigation and arbitration: Kirkland is renowned for its experience in complex litigation and arbitration around the world, with a proven track record of generating successful results for clients in their most high-stakes cases. The firm has a deep bench of lawyers who have taken cases to verdict since the early stages of their careers. Lawyers in all of Kirkland’s offices have tried cases, successfully to verdict or to judgment, in virtually every substantive area and business segment. Kirkland is also recognised for its international arbitration and white-collar crime and government investigations work on a global basis.
International trade and national security: Kirkland’s international trade and national security practice provides strategic and legal advice to companies, investment funds and financial institutions operating or investing across international borders. We routinely work with clients across industries and geographies on corporate transactions, strategic risk advisory and management, compliance and licensing, and investigations and enforcement matters. Our practice is widely recognized as a leading international advisory practice and is distinguished by the breadth and depth of its approach.
Investment funds: Kirkland is a global leader in providing sophisticated advice to investment fund sponsors, institutional investors and other market participants in the alternative investment fund space. The firm is uniquely positioned to serve its clients in connection with the formation, organization and operation of buyout, growth-equity, venture, real estate, infrastructure, energy, credit, mezzanine, private equity and hedge funds, as well as their respective management companies.
Private equity/mergers and acquisitions: Kirkland covers the full spectrum of corporate transactions important to businesses in today’s global marketplace. Because of the firm’s consistently high volume of complex transactional engagements, it has developed a broad vision of the issues that confront business organizations. The team has extensive experience in the formulation of innovative strategies for structuring acquisitions and financings of private and public companies, negotiated as well as unsolicited acquisitions, going-private transactions, stock-for-stock acquisitions, spin-off transactions and acquisitions of minority interests.
Real estate: Kirkland pursues an interdisciplinary approach to sophisticated transactions in the commercial real estate industry. The firm regularly represents private equity fund sponsors and investors in various industries and investment strategies. Attorneys are also frequently involved in complex transactions involving publicly traded and privately owned REITs, and have broad experience in real estate secured lending, structured finance and the hospitality property area.
Restructuring and insolvency: By combining sophisticated business advisory and crisis management skills with extensive experience in multijurisdictional insolvency matters, Kirkland’s global restructuring group navigates clients through situations involving financially troubled companies. The firm has earned a distinguished reputation by achieving positive results for a wide range of clients in complex corporate restructuring, workout and bankruptcy planning, negotiation and litigation.
Tax: Kirkland has developed a strong international reputation for providing creative and sophisticated tax counseling and effectively representing clients in tax disputes worldwide. Kirkland’s tax practice can be divided broadly into two areas: tax planning in connection with mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, fund formations, restructurings, financings, executive compensation plans and other sophisticated transactions; and contested tax matters.
Technology and intellectual property transactions: Kirkland concentrates on international business transactions that are driven by the acquisition, use or divestiture of rights in intellectual property and technology. The firm represents leading technology companies and brings its experience to all areas of IP, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, outsourcing, computer software, licensing, distribution, joint venture agreements, biotechnology, data protection and e-commerce issues, as well as competition law-related matters.
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Mr Matthew Antinossi | Matthew Antinossi’s practice includes all ERISA-related areas, and he has extensive experience… | View Profile | |
Adam Arikat | Adam Arikat is a tax partner in the Dallas office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Mr Gabor Balassa | Gabor Balassa is a senior litigation partner and trial lawyer. Gabor has… | View Profile | |
Mr Jon Ballis | Jon Ballis is Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. He has long been… | View Profile | |
Vanessa Barsanti | Vanessa Barsanti is a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland &… | View Profile | |
Mr Michael Belsley | Michael Belsley’s practice involves structuring, negotiating and documenting complex business transactions, including… | View Profile | |
Lindsey Beran | Lindsey Beran is a litigation partner in the Dallas office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Mr Ryan Blaine Bennett | Ryan Blaine Bennett is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ Restructuring Group.… | View Profile | |
Mr Andrew Bloomer | Andrew Bloomer is a litigation partner with extensive experience in a variety… | View Profile | |
Mr Nader Boulos | Nader Boulos concentrates his practice on the preparation and trial of complex… | View Profile | |
Ms Rachel Brown | Real Estate partner Rachel Brown has extensive experience representing both borrowers and… | View Profile | |
Mr Christopher Butler | Christopher concentrates his practice in financing transactions with an emphasis on acquisitions… | View Profile | |
Mr Richard Campbell | Rick Campbell is a corporate partner who regularly represents clients in mergers… | View Profile | |
Ms Rachel Cantor | Rachel’s practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex business transactions including… | View Profile | |
Mr Mike Carew | Mike focuses his practice on the tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions, buyouts… | View Profile | |
Mr Kevin Coenen | Kevin Coenen is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office. His practice is… | View Profile | |
Mr Matthew Colman | Matt Colman is a partner in Kirkland’s Technology & IP Transactions Practice… | View Profile | |
Bernadette Coppola | Bernadette Coppola is a technology & IP transactions partner in the Chicago… | View Profile | |
Ms Christa Cottrell | Christa Cottrell represents clients in high-profile commercial and class action litigation, with… | View Profile | |
Mr Keith Crow | Keith S. Crow P.C. is a partner based in the Firm’s Chicago… | View Profile | |
Mr Gianni Cutri | Gianni Cutri is a partner focusing on high-tech IP and commercial litigation,… | View Profile | |
Mr Luke Dauchot | Luke Dauchot is a trial lawyer focusing on patent litigation. Luke has… | View Profile | |
Ms Maureen Dixon | Maureen S. Dixon is a corporate partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office, focusing… | View Profile | |
Robert Ellis | Robert Ellis is a litigation partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office. His practice… | View Profile | |
Jay Emerick | Jay Emerick is an intellectual property partner in the Chicago office of… | View Profile | |
Mr Bruce Ettelson | Bruce Ettelson, a partner and founder of Kirkland’s Investment Funds Group, focuses… | View Profile | |
Steve Fahey | Steve Fahey is a partner in the Dallas office of Kirkland &… | View Profile | |
Mr Michael Falk | Michael Falk advises clients in connection with executive and equity compensation, qualified… | View Profile | |
Mr Mark Filip | Mark represents some of the largest financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies… | View Profile | |
Mr Michael Foradas | Michael P. Foradas is a Fellow of the American College of Trial… | View Profile | |
Mr Corey Fox | Corey Fox is a partner in Kirkland’s corporate transactional group. His practice… | View Profile | |
Mr Ted Frankel | Ted Frankel focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other strategically important transactions… | View Profile | |
Mr Gregory Gallagher | Greg’s practice focuses primarily on domestic and international transactional tax matters. In… | View Profile | |
Mr Bruce Gelman | Tax partner with extensive experience advising fund sponsors and investors (both offshore… | View Profile | |
Mr Douglas Gessner | Doug Gessner is a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland &… | View Profile | |
Mr Richard Godfrey | Rick is a senior litigation partner who for over three decades has… | View Profile | |
Mr Robert Goedert | Robert Goedert concentrates his practice in capital markets transactions and public company… | View Profile | |
Mr Asheesh Goel | Asheesh is co-head of Kirkland & Ellis’ government enforcement defense and internal… | View Profile | |
Mr Christopher Greeno | Christopher focuses his practice on leveraged acquisitions, recapitalizations, divestitures, growth equity investments,… | View Profile | |
Mr Bryan Hales | Bryan Hales is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer with a focus on… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey Hammes | View Profile | ||
Mr Joshua Hanna | Joshua Hanna is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group in… | View Profile | |
Mr Ryan Harris | Ryan Harris is a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Mr John Hartmann | John concentrates in shareholder and commercial litigation. He also handles white collar… | View Profile | |
Mr Robert Hayward | Robert M. Hayward is a partner in the corporate transactional group, and… | View Profile | |
Mr Brendan Head | Brendan primarily represents buyout funds and their portfolio companies in domestic and… | View Profile | |
Mr Todd Herst | Todd Herst is an associate in Kirkland’s Chicago Technology & IP Transactions… | View Profile | |
Ms Elizabeth Hess | Elizabeth Hess has broad experience representing clients in government enforcement defense and… | View Profile | |
Mr Neil Hirshman | Neil’s practice focuses on intellectual property and technology-related transactions, including outsourcing (business… | View Profile | |
Ms Amanda Hollis | Amanda Hollis is an intellectual property litigator and partner in Kirkland’s Chicago… | View Profile | |
Mr Walter Holzer | Walt Holzer is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office focusing on complex… | View Profile | |
Ms Vicki Hood | Vicki Hood is the most senior partner of the Firm’s Employee Benefits… | View Profile | |
Mr James Hurst | Jim Hurst is a trial lawyer who serves on Kirkland’s Executive Committee.… | View Profile | |
Mr Chad Husnick | Chad Husnick represents debtors, creditors, equity holders and other stakeholders in all… | View Profile | |
Jeffrey Kaplan | Jeffrey Kaplan is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading private… | View Profile | |
Ms Hariklia Karis | Hariklia Karis is a litigation partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Mr Andrew Kassof | Andrew Kassof is one of the leaders of Kirkland’s litigation practice and… | View Profile | |
Ms Natalie Keller | Natalie Keller’s practice focuses on all aspects of tax controversies, including audits,… | View Profile | |
Molly Kelley | Molly Kelley is a litigation partner concentrating in government enforcement and antitrust in… | View Profile | |
Mr Marc Kieselstein | Marc Kieselstein has extensive experience in complex corporate restructurings, representing debtors and… | View Profile | |
Ms Michelle Kilkenney | Michelle focuses her practice on debt financing transactions and represents private equity… | View Profile | |
Mr Gregg Kirchhoefer | Gregg Kirchhoefer is a partner of Kirkland & Ellis where he founded… | View Profile | |
Mr Robert Kopecky | Represents leading U.S. corporations and professional firms, as well as their officers,… | View Profile | |
Mr Ross Kwasteniet | Ross Kwasteniet’s practice is focused on the representation of distressed companies in… | View Profile | |
Mr Andrew Langan | Andy Langan has broad experience as litigation and trial counsel in a… | View Profile | |
Mr Daniel Laytin | Dan Laytin represents clients in high-profile commercial, antitrust and class action litigation… | View Profile | |
Mr Garret Leach | Garret Leach is a nationally recognized first chair trial lawyer who focuses… | View Profile | |
Mr Russell Levine | Trial and ADR: patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation matters, disputes involving… | View Profile | |
Mr William Levy | Bill has spent over 30 years representing a wide range of clients… | View Profile | |
Mr Daniel Lewis | Dan Lewis is a partner in Kirkland’s Technology & IP Transactions Practice… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeremy Liss | Jeremy advises private equity funds, leading companies, family offices and business owners… | View Profile | |
Mr Aaron Lorber | Aaron Lorber is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago Technology & IP Transactions… | View Profile | |
Mr Matthew Lovell | Matthew Lovell is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago Technology & IP Transactions… | View Profile | |
Mr Roger Lucas | Roger Lucas is a tax partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Ms Lisa Madigan | Lisa Madigan is a litigation partner in the Chicago office, with a… | View Profile | |
Mr Todd Maynes | Todd Maynes focuses his practice on the tax aspects of bankruptcy and… | View Profile | |
Ms Robin McCue | Robin McCue is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office who specializes in… | View Profile | |
Mr Andrew McGaan | Andy McGaan is a nationally recognized trial lawyer: Fellow of the American… | View Profile | |
Ms Alexandra Mihalas | Alexandra Mihalas is a partner in the Firm’s employee benefits practice. Her… | View Profile | |
Mr Lee Morlock | Lee Morlock focuses his practice on tax planning and transactional matters. He… | View Profile | |
Mr Kenneth Morrison | Ken is a senior member of Kirkland’s dynamic Asset Finance & Securitization… | View Profile | |
Mr John Muno | John Muno is a partner in the Investment Funds Group. He focuses… | View Profile | |
Mr Nadia Murad | Nadia Murad is a partner in the Investment Funds Group where her… | View Profile | |
Mr James Mutchnik | James Mutchnik represents corporate and individual clients in antitrust, white-collar crime and… | View Profile | |
Mr Dennis Myers | Corporate partner Dennis Myers is a senior member of the Capital Markets… | View Profile | |
Mrs Linda Myers | Linda Myers is a senior leader in Kirkland’s Debt Finance Practice Group… | View Profile | |
Mr JoAnne Nagjee | As an of counsel in Kirkland’s Chicago office, JoAnne Mulder Nagjee focuses… | View Profile | |
Mr Steven Napolitano | Steve represents private equity funds, family offices and public and private corporations… | View Profile | |
Mr Patrick Nash | Patrick represents clients in complex business reorganizations, troubled company mergers and acquisitions,… | View Profile | |
Ms Kim Nemirow | Kim Nemirow is a partner in the Government & Internal Investigations Group… | View Profile | |
Ms Megan New | Megan New is a trial lawyer in Kirkland’s Chicago office, where she… | View Profile | |
Mr Emily Nicklin | Emily Nicklin has been lead trial counsel in both jury and bench… | View Profile | |
Nick Niles | View Profile | ||
Mr Jeffery Norman | Jeffery Norman is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s cutting-edge Technology… | View Profile | |
Mr James Nowacki | James N. Nowacki is Of Counsel to the Litigation Practice Group in… | View Profile | |
Mr Gerald Nowak | Gerald Nowak is a partner in the Firm’s Chicago office. He joined… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey O'Connor | Jeff O’Connor is a leader in the field of dealer floorplan, auto… | View Profile | |
Christopher Odell | Chris Odell is a tax partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Ms Sara Orr | Sara K. Orr is a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Mr Reed Oslan | Reed Oslan is a litigation partner in our Chicago office. Reed has… | View Profile | |
Mr Paul Patrow | Paul is a tax partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland &… | View Profile | |
Mr Sanford Perl | Sanford (Sandy) Perl serves as a lead advisor and counsel in complex… | View Profile | |
Mr Daniel Perlman | Daniel Perlman is a partner in the Real Estate Group in the… | View Profile | |
Mr Adam Petravicius | Adam Petravicius is an experienced technology and IP transactions attorney with substantial… | View Profile | |
Mr Richard Porter | Richard W. Porter is a corporate partner with a wide-ranging practice representing… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey Quinn | Jeffrey Quinn is a partner in Kirkland’s employee benefits practice in the… | View Profile | |
Mr Joshua Rabinovitz | Joshua Rabinovitz is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group, where he… | View Profile | |
Mr Matthew Regan | Matt Regan is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office. He has broad… | View Profile | |
Mr Stephen Ritchie | Stephen Ritchie focuses on complex business transactions, with a particular emphasis on… | View Profile | |
Mr Donald Rocap | Don’s practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex business transactions, including… | View Profile | |
Mr James Rowe | James S. Rowe is a partner in the corporate transactional group with… | View Profile | |
Mr Andrew Running | Andrew R. Running has extensive experience in environmental, insurance, toxic tort and… | View Profile | |
Mr Luke Ruse | Luke is a partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office with ten years of… | View Profile | |
Mr Kelly Ryan | Kelly Ryan is the global leader of Kirkland’s real estate funds practice,… | View Profile | |
Mr Anup Sathy | Anup Sathy is a nationally recognized practitioner in matters relating to corporate… | View Profile | |
Mr Mark Schneider | Mark focuses on representing businesses, their boards and executives in complex criminal,… | View Profile | |
Ms Jessica Schultz | Jessica Schultz is a real estate partner in Kirkland’s Chicago office. Jessica… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey Seifman | Complex business transactions and general corporate counseling, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures,… | View Profile | |
Mr David Seligman | David concentrates his practice in all aspects of complex corporate restructuring and… | View Profile | |
Mr Marcus Sernel | Marc Sernel concentrates his practice on patent and other technology-related litigation with… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey Sheffield | Jeffrey Sheffield concentrates his practice in the areas of tax planning, mergers,… | View Profile | |
Mr Andrew Small | Andrew Small is a partner in the Real Estate Group in the… | View Profile | |
Ms Leslie Smith | Leslie Smith is a litigation partner and was a long-time member of… | View Profile | |
Mr Douglas Smith | Doug Smith has litigated cases at both the trial and appellate stage… | View Profile | |
Ms Renee Smith | Renee Smith is a litigation partner who represents Fortune 500 companies in… | View Profile | |
Mr James Sprayregen | James H.M. Sprayregen is the founder of Kirkland’s worldwide Restructuring Group, building… | View Profile | |
Ms Katie St. Peters | Katie St. Peters is a partner in the Investment Funds Group, where… | View Profile | |
Mr Matthew Steinmetz | Matthew Steinmetz focuses primarily on leveraged buyouts of public and private companies,… | View Profile | |
Mr William Streff | Bill Streff has been practicing intellectual property law for 45 years, concentrating… | View Profile | |
Mr Christopher Thomas | Chris Thomas is a corporate attorney in Kirkland’s Chicago office. His practice… | View Profile | |
Mr Seth Traxler | Seth Traxler co-leads Kirkland’s global Technology & IP Transactions practice. He serves as… | View Profile | |
Mr Kevin Van Wart | Kevin Van Wart is of counsel in Kirkland’s Chicago office, where he… | View Profile | |
Ms Min Wang | Min Wang is a partner in the intellectual property group in the… | View Profile | |
Ms Diana Watral | Diana Watral is a litigation partner and trial lawyer in Kirkland’s Chicago… | View Profile | |
Mr Bradley Weidenhammer | Brad Weidenhammer represents clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts… | View Profile | |
Joel Weinberger | Joel Weinberger is a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland… | View Profile | |
Mr Ross Weisman | Ross Weisman is the head of the advertising, marketing and promotions group… | View Profile | |
Donna Welch | View Profile | ||
Rory Wellever | Rory Wellever is a partner in the Technology & IP Transactions Practice… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey Willian | Jeffrey Willian is a senior litigation partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP.… | View Profile | |
Mr Michael Wright | Michael D. Wright is a corporate partner who represents private equity groups… | View Profile | |
Mr Jeffrey Zeiger | Jeffrey Zeiger is a trial lawyer in Kirkland’s Chicago office. He has… | View Profile | |
Mr David Zott | Trial lawyer. Complex commercial and class action litigation, with emphasis on antitrust,… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of Partners : 1,480 Number of Other Fee-Earners : 2,031 :- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Government > Government relations
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- International Trade > CFIUS
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Real estate
- Tax > International tax
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- 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
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Finance > Project finance
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Government > State attorneys general
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- India > Foreign firms