Transactional powerhouse Kirkland & Ellis LLP serves a client base spanning global mega-funds, upper-middle market sponsors and institutional investors. The team advises on leveraged acquisitions, take-privates, carve-outs, minority investments and exit transactions, including strategic sales and sponsor-to-sponsor transfers. In its Chicago office, key names include Jon Ballis, who chairs the firm and is a key figure of the global private equity buyouts platform; Sanford Perl , who focuses on leveraged buyouts, strategic M&A and related restructuring transactions; Peter Martelli, who is active in large-cap leveraged buyouts and exits; and Richard Campbell , who represents private equity sponsors and asset managers. Over in the New York office, Laura Sullivan’s expertise is in leveraged buyouts, strategic acquisitions and carve-outs; Carolyn Vardi is well versed in transactions across financial services, software, healthcare, industrials and consumer sectors; Maggie Flores, is recommended on a range of strategic transactions; Michael Weisser advises private equity sponsors and pension-backed investors; Jennifer Perkins is a key advisor to private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies; and Srinivas Kaushik, who routinely acts for Bain Capital, MSD Partners and Warburg Pincus. Bay Area-based Sean Kramer advises financial sponsors and portfolio companies, with experience across technology, healthcare, consumer and business services. Los Angeles-based Hamed Meshki advises on leveraged buyouts and other complex M&A transactions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Doug Bacon delivers the entirety of the firm as we need it and offers guidance and judgment that is second to none. Lee Blum could not ask for anything more in an M&A partner, quarterbacking every transaction large and small with a diligence and passion that reflects the best-in-class approach the team brings every day.
- Kirkland & Ellis is quite simply the world's largest 'best in class boutique' law firm, offering a soup to nuts service for private equity sponsors, covering well the entire ecosystem of client needs - from fundraising to M&A to compliance - at a service level not matched by another firm in the world.
- Recommended for their responsiveness, fights for what really matters.
- Highly responsive. I'm sure they're working on other teams' deals, but it always feels like yours is their priority. They also have a massive team with a really strong breadth of experience; this is particularly true in private equity. If you have any questions around deal terms, precedents, fund terms, etc., they've seen it 1,000 times and you have comfort they're advising you on the back of real, lived experience.
- ‘Great depth, very responsive, highly proficient, great market knowledge, name rings out, aggressive, not afraid to mix things up’
- ‘Laura Sullivan is highly engaged in every deal’
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
Jon Ballis; Richard Campbell; Srinivas Kaushik; Peter Martelli; Hamed Meshki; Jennifer Perkins; Sanford Perl; Michael Weisser; Sean Kramer; Maggie Flores; Claire Campbell; Carolyn Vardi; Laura Sullivan; Doug Bacon; Lee Blum