The Kirkland & Ellis LLP M&A practice is well versed in handling the full gamut of complex big-ticket cross-border transactions, advising an impressive roster of prominent publicly-listed corporations spanning sectors including technology, healthcare and life sciences. New York-based Daniel Wolf is a highly regarded M&A lawyer, with considerable experience in handling a range of domestic and international transactions and particular expertise advising public company clients on takeovers, shareholder activism defence and contested transactions. Sarkis Jebejian focuses primarily on M&A, shareholder activism and corporate governance matters, while Jonathan Davis is relied upon by high-profile names in the consumer goods and life sciences industries. David Feirstein is equally well versed in advising public companies and private equity sponsors. The team has been reinforced by the recent arrivals of a number of partners from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, including Graham Robinson, based in Boston, who is a key port of call for public M&A in the pharmaceuticals industry.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The firm — and in particular Graham Robinson and his team — are consistently accessible and responsive. Graham has a unique ability to distill complex legal issues into clear, practical guidance, enabling business leaders to make confident, well‑informed decisions.’
- ‘David Klein is an excellent M&A partner for Kirkland. He's knowledgeable and reasonable and had instant credibility with our board.'
- ‘Kirkland & Ellis' extensive experience with large M&A deals puts it in a unique position among peers. Put simply, they have just seen more than most other firms.’
- ‘Daniel Wolf in particular was a great listener, can-do advisor, and built incredible trust both with my team and my board of directors.’
- ‘The team’s depth of knowledge and experience as well as efficiency, effectiveness, and clarity of thought are world class.’
- ‘Graham Robinson, Laura Knoll and the Kirkland team are market leaders in M&A within the drug development/life sciences space. They are the go-to firm for such transactions.’
Key clients
- AbbVie Inc.
- Accenture plc
- Akero Therapeutics, Inc.
- Amcor plc
- Avidity Biosciences, Inc.
- BAE Systems plc
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
- Constellation Energy Corporation
- Danaher Corp
- Eli Lilly and Company
- EQT Corporation
- Gen Digital
Work highlights
Advising IF, Silver Lake and Affinity in their pending $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts.
Advising Kimberly-Clark in its pending $48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue.
Advising an investor consortium comprised of AI Infrastructure Partnership, MGX and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners in its pending $40 billion acquisition of Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Asset Management.
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.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Other key lawyers
Daniel Wolf; Sarkis Jebejian; Jonathan Davis; David Feirstein; Graham Robinson; David Klein; Laura Knoll