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

‘Good mix of legal and commercial advice, delivered with high customer service.’

‘Very responsive. Deep market knowledge. Good balance of technical and commercial skills.’

‘Stuart Boyd always displays high customer service and good thinking outside the box.’

‘K&E’s PE and corporate team is a City powerhouse. They take reasonable positions, guide their clients expertly away from danger, are relentless in their efforts to close deals, very pleasant to deal with. Very, very knowledgeable and, after having done many deals with them to date, I’ve yet to see them lose a debate with counsel for the other side. Remarkable.’

‘Stuart Boyd and Dan Clarke are two expert professionals. Dan is a relatively junior partner, but leads his deal teams smoothly and with humility. Nevertheless, he’s very knowledgeable and technically excellent.’

‘Stuart is expert in unlocking particularly intractable issues. He is vastly experienced and brings a real gravitas to the negotiating table alongside that experience and immense technical knowledge.‘

‘Joe O’Brien, an associate in their team, is one to watch. He has an excellent bedside manner and is developing a very impressive grip on technical matters. And he works wonderfully with both Dan and Stuart.’

‘Very responsive and willing to go the extra mile. Leave no stone unturned. Very pro-sponsor, and achieve strong terms.’

‘They push very aggressively on terms for their clients.’ 

‘Stephen Lucas is vastly experienced and talented.’ 

‘Kirsteen Nicol is proactive, independent and extremely professional.’

‘I find the team to be extremely diligent, experts in their profession, and in the market as a real force.’

‘Elaine Nolan is one of leading women in restructuring in the UK. Her market knowledge, client service mindset, and reputation are second to none.’

‘We greatly admire this firm’s commercial approach.’

‘Sarah Ullathorne advised us on our firm’s most important deal, which involved providing advice for over a year, much of this under extreme pressure. She did a fantastic job, which included saving our deal by redrafting a critical legal document out of hours, and for that we will be eternally grateful.’

‘Very commercial. Ability to translate technical detail into succinct commercial terms for non-legal/non-debt specialists. Highly responsive. Efficient in delivery of service, do not carry passengers.’

‘Gabe Harley – highly responsive. Very efficient and effective in focusing on key issues and delivery high quality advice and service.’

‘Theon Chalklen supported us throughout the restructure process, he was always diligent and thorough in his advice and guidance.’

‘Kon Asimacopoulos is a star among strong peers.’

‘State of the art in terms of financial sponsor representation. Simply the best firm as far as leveraged finance is concerned. However, very aggressive with terms and negotiation – good for their clients.’

‘Trained at the best firms – deliver high standard of service – faultless. Only disadvantage is they are primarily sponsor side.’

‘Incredibly smart and competent at their craft while at the same time able to break down individual issues to define what really matters / is less relevant for a given business. They go the extra step of translating the legal side of a given document to practicalities of why it’s relevant for a business.’

‘Bill Burke continues to be a standout for me. Consummate professional, I know his client list is long but he somehow has the ability to give 100% focus and attention when we’re working together. Seemingly has the ability to be in 10 different places at once.’

‘Kirkland & Ellis have built an enviable practice with a huge bench of talent and lawyers who are smart, switched-on and very commercial. They understand the market and are on top of all the key issues and developments. As a client, you feel like you are getting clear and up-to-date advice from experts in their fields who understand the commercial expectations of a deal.’

‘Richard Watkins is extremely smart & commercial and understands complex issues very quickly. He provides clear & coherent advice and is a fantastic resource.’

‘Andy Shore is an exceptional lawyer. He is sharp, provides clear commercial advice and is always available. Very much a go-to partner, he is hands-on and is building a great reputation. John Messent is a pleasure to work with; he is always available and provides sensible and practical advice.’

‘The team has an unrivalled breadth of experience in the market. As private funds generally becomes more encompassing of different strategies and initiatives, this breadth is invaluable. In addition, given the number of sponsors KE act for, they have built up a fantastic market data resource.’

‘Individuals at KE are very hard working, and are focused on delivering client outcomes within tight timeframes.’

‘Very innovative team with detailed market insights. Definitely one of the best teams within PE.’

‘Jonathan Tadd is very skilled and he has an amazing team of very capable advisers.’

‘The K&E team is newly established, but they have made great hires in Sara Pickersgill, Toby Parkinson and James Boswell. This gives them a leading practice which will stand up against any of the other firms in terms of client relationships and breadth of experience across M&A and financing.’

‘ Sara is highly experienced and led the infrastructure business at A&O. She is very commercial, on top of the detail, pragmatic, easy to work with and experienced across multiple sectors. Toby brings some in-house experience from OMERS so really understands the investor’s perspectives. He is hard working, in the detail, sharp and effective’

‘James Boswell is a market leading partner with huge experience across all sub-sectors. The wider team is also being built out to cover all relevant sectors’

‘Sara Pickersgill – incredibly bright, excellent personable skills, great communication and can stand up to anyone. Calm and a joy to work with – breath of fresh air. Like a thoroughbred race horse. James Boswell is very commercial, hands on and always make sure the legal process in deals runs smoothly’

‘Open and honest communication from James Boswell and his team. They have a pragmatic approach to problem solving and do not only stick to the legal technicalities around these transactions and agreements.’

‘The Kirkland team is incredibly talented, hard-working and works well as a coherent unit to bring about the best results for clients.’

‘Nicola Dagg is the head of the IP team and is a force of nature. Amazing at bringing the work in she effectively manages her team to keep all the plates spinning.’

‘Jin Ooi has an extremely sharp eye for detail and a wonderful ability to connect points in a case. He is a deep and strategic thinker.’

‘Daniel Lim has a rare ability to cross-over from patent regulatory to patent litigation. He is highly recommended for his experience in pharmaceutical patent litigation.’

‘Steve Baldwin is a great lawyer who easily gets to grips with the most complex of telecoms litigation.’

‘Well resourced and capable team. There is real passion and dedication towards delivering a top-class service to clients.’

‘Kirkland & Ellis are pioneering litigators. They have a wealth of experience in the (legally and technically) most complex cases and are very much part of the cutting-edge litigation teams that are driving forward practice before the English courts. Their can-do attitude is second to none.’

‘K&E have enormous strength and enormous depth. Their reputation as ferocious litigators is well deserved, and their ability to create maximal pressure on opponents and to grasp strategic advantages when they arise is exceptional.’

‘Very commercial outlook with technical strength behind it too. With such extensive experience, they bring a heft that makes them an invaluable partner, not just an adviser.’

‘In my experience the Kirkland tax team lead the charts in the UK. They have a very experienced and professional team that are able to translate highly complex tax matters into practical advice.’

‘Mavnick Nerwal is very smart, technically outstanding and has a very broad experience across many investment asset classes. Good business sense and able to always keep focus on big ticket items and put tax risks in perspective. He is outstanding.’

‘One of the strongest tax teams in London. They have smart people with detailed knowledge of their sectors but with the agility to take on new areas.’

‘They have good coverage across the US and Europe which means that this team is able to give a complete picture when providing advice or insight. The partners have excellent market insight across both the European and US landscape and have produced some high quality market papers which we have really appreciated. They have also made time to discuss the findings from these papers.’

‘The team is at the forefront of innovation and is reliable and dependable.’

‘They are reliable, straightforward and easy to work with. George Dyesmith in particular is an individual who can be commended for providing straightforward and practical advice in a range of scenarios.’

‘We have worked with the K&E team and Susannah in particular for a number of years. Susannah and the team provide invaluable hands on support, they are excellent in marrying the technical detail with a practical approach to ensuring the right commercial deal is achieved.’

‘Susannah and more recently the expanded team bring with them market leading knowledge and relevant precedent across the entire range of fund financing products. We have benefited immensely from their ability to execute complex transactions on or before deadlines which given current levels of liquidity in the market is no small feat.’

‘K&E financing team are best in class. They are incredibly thoughtful and commercial and always get it done despite the difficulty of circumstances or counterparties.’

‘Jonny Birks and Kazik Michalski are outstanding lawyers. They are able to cut through all the less important issues to focus on what the threshold issues are and come up with solutions to complicated problems.’

‘The Kirkland and Ellis real estate financing team are world-class. Their knowledge of the market is exceptional and their ability to execute is second to none.’

‘Kazik is an exceptional lawyer, he knows the real estate finance markets better than anyone. Collectively we have worked with him on over 6billion of financing transactions across Europe’

‘Kirkland & Ellis are our most trusted law firm working with us on M&A, financing and fund structuring. They are exceptionally good at breaking down complex transactions and particularly strong in their financing advice. Their work ethic and commitment is as good as any, whilst always keeping a commercial approach.’

‘Kazik and Jonny do all of our financings across Europe. They expertly balance strong technical knowledge with commercial acumen.’

‘Satnam Tumani is undoubtedly the key individual in the team. He was an outstanding lawyer with the SFO rising to become Head of Bribery & Corruption and International Assistance, to which he has added further years of experience in private practice. His understanding of tactical and strategic issues is profound and his knowledge of legal issues broad and deep.’

‘The firm’s specialism in financial crime builds upon its multijurisdictional expertise. It has exceptional niche expertise in representing executives and corporates in  bribery and corruption cases in which there is linked litigation across jurisdictions.’

‘Those I have worked with are particularly adept at being able to speak to corporate executives in their own language and to be unfazed by the management of multijurisdictional cases involving the coordination with lawyers and executives in other jurisdictions and the management of multiple work streams. They make sure that they have covered all the bases and do not miss a point. In addition to their own expertise, they are adept at identifying areas in which they require specialist expertise and commissioning such work.’

‘The Kirkland team are outstanding at methodically working through complex internal investigations and ensuring that all relevant facts are identified. This is largely a result of their forensic attention to detail and ability to join a disparate array of facts to present the relevant narrative to the client (and regulator if required). The Kirkland team are tireless in making sure that there are no gaps in the methodology or lingering questions once the matter is concluded.’

‘Patrick Navein has outstanding attention to detail and is always able to find a practical solution to seemingly insurmountable problems. He is calm under pressure and is able to ensure that all moving parts in a complex investigation are joined up. Patrick is especially adept at using new technologies for maximum efficiency.’

‘Satnam Tumani brings a huge amount of experience and is able to use this experience to educate clients about the most effective way to resolve issues which arise during internal investigations.’

‘Andrew Butel is able to rapidly focus in on the key issues in a complex and wide-ranging investigation.’

‘They offer an excellent service in creating a well organised, efficient and project managed service for transactional clients in a highly technical area.’

‘Their use of data management and staffing (including paralegals) means you feel that you are getting an efficient and high value for money service, with appropriate input from senior lawyers where needed.’

‘One of the most diverse teams I have worked with, which is of key importance.’

‘Work very well in delivering under extremely tight deadlines.’

‘Paula Riedel and Sally Evans – both excellent and technically skilled partners who are always available when required, but also run a well managed team with trust in their associates. They offer a commercial approach and are very good at translating the more technical legal aspects of their work for non-legal people.’

‘Samantha Jones – up and coming associate, who really takes ownership of the client relationship and offers a quality level of service.’

‘A pragmatic, supremely knowledgeable, very commercial team with the very able Paula Riedel at its helm.’

‘Paula Riedel is absolutely first rate. A wonderful and deeply respected lawyer who’s judgement is trusted absolutely by my lawyers and business colleagues alike. A truly wonderful practitioner.’

‘The Kirkland & Ellis team stand out for their impeccable customer service. There is no ask that’s too little or too big, and they pre-empt issues before they arise to provide a streamlined and effective service and support.’

‘Well-resourced, expertise across an extensive range of topics and great market knowledge.’

‘Adam Skinner is responsive, strong technically and very easy to work with.’

‘Experienced partners, and enthusiastic and diligent associates.’

‘Rajinder Bassi is vastly experienced and brings a clear head to provide practical solutions.’

‘Kirkland’s practice is unique for its preparation of cases and the close relationship created by its lawyers and staff with clients.’

‘Noah Stewart-Ornstein is enthusiastic and diligent, and always looking for creative ideas.’

‘Kirkland & Ellis has a stellar and leading practice in this area. They also have a strong following in the market and benefit from great global coverage, which provides a source of referrals for the London team.’

‘Always does its utmost to secure wins for clients and provides a simply incredible service that is second to none. One particular feature of Kirkland & Ellis’ offering is that they are real leaders in the field of investment arbitration.’

‘Nicola Dagg is one of the outstanding patent litigators of current times, combining strategic insight with very robust and detailed litigation skills. Firm but very fair and keen to get to a sensible solution, she is trusted by many of the largest undertakings in the area. She also leads her teams in an energetic way – very much from the front.’

‘Jin Ooi is extremely impressive and has a laser sharp focus when its comes to patent litigation. All over the detail and an expert on strategy. Jin stands out in every aspect when it comes to patent related matters. He is experienced, with great judgement and deep understanding of the legal and commercial matters of each case. One of the most brilliant lawyers we have ever worked with.’

‘Talented and experienced lawyers with good judgement and creative problem solving. Their strategic approach and deep understanding of legal and commercial matters involved deliver a high quality of work that meet client’s expectations.’

‘Daniel Lim has the rare skill of being able to be fully across both the minute detail as well as the big picture strategy of the case. He has all the qualities of a top-class litigator. I would also like to highlight that each team member is highly responsive, competent and talented which reflects a strong team culture and is a joy to work with.’

‘Nicola Dagg is a force of nature, not simply a rainmaker, but a typhoon maker who always goes the extra mile. She is a titan of IP litigation and rightly so.’

‘Kirkland & Ellis have an excellent life sciences and healthcare practice. They excel at combining deep scientific and technical knowledge with tremendous cross-border dispute resolution skill and expertise to secure optimal outcomes.’

‘Nicola Dagg is an exceptional litigator. When handling a patent case, she will leave no stone unturned to bring a claim to its full potential.’

 ‘Steven Baldwin is relentless in pursuit of his clients’ interests.’

‘Very good knowledge and understanding of enforcement matters.’

‘Julia Dixon – very bright and personable.’

‘Great resources and global reach.’

‘Julia Dixon – fantastic new hire, adds crucial financial regulatory experience.’

‘Relatively new team – I was not aware of Kirkland in this space until recently, but they have made some key hires and internal promotions.’

‘Julia Dixon is very sensible, knowledgeable and easy to work with.’

‘‘Kirkland is one of the very top commercial litigation practices on both sides of the Atlantic. Their ability to co-ordinate the very largest cases across the world is enormously valued by big clients.’

‘Experienced partners, and enthusiastic and diligent associates.’

‘Rajinder Bassi is vastly experienced and brings a clear head to provide practical solutions.’

‘Noah Stewart-Ornstein is bright, immensely hard-working, highly articulate, and very able.’

‘Jon Newman is a committed litigator with a deep knowledge of the detail in any case.’

‘K&E’s litigation team is becoming a major player in the London litigation market, and they are now picking up some of the largest cases. They have a small, but exceptionally able, team.’

‘Richard Boynton is a commercial litigation superstar. Having worked with him on many cases, I can safely say he would be my first port of call for any major piece of commercial litigation. He’s massively brainy; he’s a first rate lawyer, with a very fine breadth of legal expertise; he’s brilliant at organising and running a massive case, and a large team; he’s immensely hard-working; he produces terrifyingly good documents; he’s a fearsome opponent; he’s a delightful team-leader and team-player; and he’s an excellent tactician. He’s monstrously good!

‘Rajinder Bassi is excellent. She, rightfully, has a massive practice. She has a wonderful manner with clients, and with every member of the team that she leads so adeptly; she’s an extremely thoughtful and able lawyer, and tactician; and she radiates both deep commercial experience and great confidence. Absolutely top quality.’