About

Alex Dimitrief spent more than 20 years at Kirkland & Ellis before making the leap to in-house, and he hasn’t forgotten his roots. ‘I remember how demanding clients were, and I promised myself I would never be that way’, he says. In sticking with that vow, Dimitrief deliberately avoids Monday morning deadlines, and tries to be reasonable when it comes to agreeing on fees. ‘To attract talent firms need to be profitable, so it is in our interest to help them figure this out. I have no problem with seeing art on their walls as long as I am getting good value for money’. This sense of perspective has stood Dimitrief in good stead during his in-house career. He had no prior international experience, but took on a team that spans 50 different countries, and led it towards some big wins. Among the early challenges he faced were handling an indictment to the company’s healthcare business in India, and overseeing a highly complex joint venture in Russia. He speaks with pride about his team of 450 lawyers, which he considers similar to having a full time, in-house law firm. ‘I would pit my GE “firm” against most law firms in the world’, he says.