Survey Results - Trainee feedback on Kirkland & Ellis
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on Kirkland & Ellis
Why did you choose to join this firm? “It’s the best firm in the world, and it’s been the top of my application list since I was 16. Amazing work, people, and perks”, “partners are the smartest and most highly-regarded in the field, who actually care about your development”, “best clients, best career prospects, biggest deals – what more is there to say!”, “independence, open-market work allocation, focus on responsibility and initiative and being rewarded for good work, casual and non-hierarchical, small cohort”
What is the best thing about the firm? “Every person I have worked with has been supportive and ready to explain any concept”, “the quality of work and level of responsibility is amazing if that’s how you value learning and development. The atmosphere is very ambitious but supportive”, “it’s the best firm in the world for private equity, so we get the most interesting and high-profile deals”, “you are not just ‘the trainee/cog in the machine to be delegated all the tasks that no one else wants to do’, “people are willing and are proactive in giving you opportunity to develop your skillset and knowledge”
What could the firm do to improve? “Training – the training programme offered to trainees is fairly poor, which is part of the idea of learning on the job, but there could be some greater structure”, “improve the work-life balance”, “invest more into AI”, “make the gym open 24/7 (admittedly probably unrealistic)”, “more formal and practical training for trainees”, “trainee pay is not top-of-the-market”, “more hands-on/structured training at the trainee level”
What has been the best moment of your training? I gained immense transaction exposure as soon as I joined and was even able to update a facility agreement in my first seat”, “attending court during my litigation seat”, “helping to secure last-minute funding for a company that was hours away from insolvency”, “working with my supervisors – they have been phenomenal people, supportive, and great mentors”, “completing a refinancing using a novel financial instrument and structure”
What has been the most challenging moment of your training? “When I was staffed on multiple deals and had to meet many deadlines at once”, “some of the long hours, especially when the hours are spent doing process-heavy (but important) work with limited learning opportunity”, “intense working hours during a tight deadline bid”, “there have been a few tough weekends where I’ve had to knuckle down and get on with it, although for the most part the associates protect you from weekend work where they can”.
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Kirkland & Ellis
‘Market leader in all areas it touches’ Kirkland & Ellis doesn’t deal in half measures. It is ‘the leading US law firm specialising in private equity’ and ‘the largest and most profitable firm in the world’ because it is ‘the best at what it does – there’s no other way of putting it’.
Recruits were drawn in by the ‘market-leading deals’, ‘the highest quality of work on offer’ and the chance to work on ‘the best transactions for the most well-known clients’. Throw in ‘top-of-the-market NQ salaries’ and a ‘partnership structure and shortest career trajectory to the top’, and Kirkland’s appeal is not exactly hard to decode.
But this isn’t just a brand-name training contract. Trainees repeatedly point to ‘early responsibility’, often ‘being in charge of material workstreams’, and relish getting stuck into work that ‘most other law firms wouldn’t let a junior touch’. Being part of a small trainee cohort helps too, with trainees valuing ‘not just feeling like a cog in the machine’.
The upside is exhilarating: ‘signing multiple multibillion pound deals’, ‘closing a big deal after working on it for five months’, and ‘joining a call with Kirkland partners and the client’s legal counsel – my supervisor invited me to join so I could get an insight into the strategic planning of the deal’.
Colleagues are described as ‘supportive, hard-working and good fun’, with seniors ‘happy to answer any questions (intelligent or basic)’ while still pushing trainees to step up. ‘Everyone around you wants to be the best and in turn wants you to be the best (and will facilitate your development)’.
Inevitably, the Kirkland ride can be bumpy. Multiple deadlines, ‘process-heavy’ late nights, tough weekends and working ‘until 6am on a Saturday morning’ all feature in the feedback.
Alongside calls for better work-life balance, several trainees think that the ‘technical training programme could be improved and prioritised more’, although it was acknowledged that this does vary between seats. Respondents would appreciate ‘greater structure when being introduced to different areas of law’ as well as soft-skills training in areas such as ‘document management’ and ‘working with clients’.
For trainees who want responsibility fast, private equity at full throttle and no hiding place, Kirkland is City law in its most turbo-charged form.
About the firm
The firm: With a global platform of more than 4,000 lawyers in 24 cities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Kirkland & Ellis provides elite legal advice and a relentless commitment to client service.
The clients: Advent International, Antin Infrastructure Partners, Apax, Bain Capital Private Equity, BC Partners, Blackstone, Brookfield, CD&R, Cinven, GIC, Hellman & Friedman, KKR, Long Path, Permira, Starwood Capital Group, TA Associates, Thoma Bravo, TPG, Vista Equity Partners, Warburg Pincus
Other offices: Austin, Bay Area, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Munich, Nashville, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Riyadh, Salt Lake City, Shanghai, Tokyo, Washington, D.C.
Who we are: We are a leading global law firm that is focused on meritocracy and enabling our lawyers to become leading partners as early as possible in their careers. We encourage all of our lawyers to accelerate their growth by advising on complex transactions and being client-facing and business-focused.
What we do: We advise global clients, including holders of private capital, on their M&A and financing transactions, investment fund formations, restructuring and litigation matters.
What we’re looking for: We hire trainees who are hardworking, motivated and focused on gaining as much experience as possible and want to become partners on an accelerated career path.
What you’ll do: Our trainees gain experience through active involvement in deals throughout their careers, together with extensive technical training.
Perks: Business Travel Accident Insurance Plan, CycleScheme, Dental Insurance, Back-up care, Employee Assistance Programme, Eye care, Fertility Support, Flu Shots, GP services, Gym facilities, Health Assessment, Income Protection, Life Insurance, Menopause Plan, Private Medical Insurance, Season ticket loan, Travel Insurance, Wellbeing Apps
Sponsorship
We pay the fees for your PGDL course (if required) and the LLM in Legal Practice (including the SQE exams) and provide a competitive maintenance grant for the year(s) of study.
Seat options
Corporate; finance; investment funds; one other complementary practice area.
Tips from the recruiter
Read the application form carefully. Some applicants do not answer the specific questions being asked. This is perhaps because they haven’t taken their time when reading it, and/or because they have copied an answer from another application form which asks a similar question, but is in fact slightly different. Attention to detail is a really important skill to demonstrate.
Research the firm thoroughly before applying. There is a huge amount of information about the London office online, particularly on our graduate recruitment site. Pick up on our clients, the deals we’ve worked on and what lawyers are expected to do here. All firms in London offer something different, so you have to think about why you want to come here, and what you can offer through your previous experiences and achievements.
Use interviews to further demonstrate your understanding of the firm. Interviewers are looking to get a feel for a candidate’s personality, business acumen and motivations. Some might pose situational questions to get interviewees thinking on their feet. Demonstrating an understanding of the private equity (PE) market is important, given the firm’s focus on PE and transactional work.