The team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is regularly turned to by both domestic and international clients for the gamut of matters including software licensing, outsourcing agreements, M&A, joint ventures and collaborations. The practice spans the US and Europe operating across numerous offices in London, Austin, Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. In Chicago, Daniel Lewis focuses on advising both private equity and public company clients on acquisitions and sales of business in the technology space. Aaron Lorber focuses his practice on structuring, drafting and negotiating business transactions including M&A deals and strategic alliances. Seth Traxler has extensive experience in licensing work, collaborations and joint ventures, while in New York, Daisy Darvall focuses on IP protection, open-source and data privacy issues. Also based in New York, Shellie Freedman assists clients with outsourcing arrangements and strategic commercial contracts. The team was further strengthened with the arrival of Rami Sherman from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, in January 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Key clients
- Ares Acquisition Corporation II
- BETA Technologies Inc.
- The Carlyle Group
- Eli Lilly
- Francisco Partners Management, L.P.
- FTV Capital
- Honeywell International Inc.
- LEO Pharma A/S
- Modernizing Medicine
- Motorola Solutions
- NortonLifeLock Inc.
- Palo Alto Networks
Work highlights
BETA Technologies Inc. on a new strategic partnership and equity investment agreement with GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) to accelerate the development of hybrid electric aviation by combining BETA’s rapid innovation approach with GE Aerospace’s global scale and experience.
Vista Equity Partners on the $8.4 billion acquisition of workplace collaboration software maker Smartsheet.
WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD), a global leader in autonomous driving technology, on a significant expansion of a previously announced strategic partnership with Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER), the world’s largest mobility and delivery platform.
Other key lawyers
Daniel Lewis; Aaron Lorber; Seth Traxler; Daisy Darvall; Shellie Freedman; Rami Sherman