Kirkland & Ellis LLP maintains a prominent position in the private equity funds market, supported by the scale of its platform and broad sponsor coverage. The team regularly advises on the formation of flagship and successor vehicles across private equity, private credit, infrastructure and growth strategies, handling complex structuring, governance and fundraising considerations across a wide range of fund types. Team head Erica Berthou leads mandates for a number of the practice’s prominent sponsor-side clients, while co-head Daniel Lavon-Krein is closely associated with complex sponsor advisory and structuring work, and Andrew Wright is regularly involved in significant fund formation mandates. Chicago-based Kelly Ryan is a key contact for real assets fund work, while Boston’s Sean Hill advises investment managers on the formation of private investment funds. The wider team includes Chicago’s Chris Kallos, Jordan Murray and Washington DC-based Matthew Howard. Unless otherwise stated, the team is based in New York.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team has very strong breadth and depth of expertise in all regulatory issues affecting private equity and VC funds’
- ‘The former government partners have a very good understanding of commercial considerations balanced against regulatory priorities and overall market practices.'
- ‘Very knowledgeable about special situations in fund management, can handle the tough work with ease.'
- ‘K&E's team stands out for pairing true, best-in-class, and market-leading fund formation expertise with a practical, execution-oriented model. They bring excellent pattern recognition across PE fund terms.’
- ‘I think everyone recognizes that Kirkland is the largest and most sophisticated fund formation practice in the world. No other firm can match their market intelligence. They can produce a deck on just about any topic imaginable faster and with more insight than anyone else.’
- ‘There really is no one like Erica Berthou. She is smart, informed, responsive, thoughtful, creative, and practical. Even when one of her lieutenants is taking the lead on a fundraise, she always is plugged in and up-to-speed about what is going on.’
Key clients
- Ares Management Corporation
- Berkshire Partners
- Blackstone
- Francisco Partners
- General Catalyst
- L Catterton
- Linden Capital
- Macquarie
- Oaktree Capital Management
- Quantum Capital Group
- Summit Partners
- Thoma Bravo
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Erica Berthou; Daniel Lavon-Krein
Other key lawyers
Andrew Wright; Kelly Ryan; Sean Hill; Katrina Rowe; Katie St. Peters; Chris Kallos; Jordan Murray