Kirkland & Ellis

Overview

Kirkland & Ellis LLP, founded in 1909 and headquartered in Chicago, is a leading multinational law firm widely regarded as the world's highest-grossing law firm. The firm employs approximately 3,828 attorneys (NLJ 2025) and reported $8,801,740,000 in gross revenue for 2024, placing first on The American Lawyer Am Law 200 (2025) and first on the 2024 Global 200, while ranking fourth in the United States by headcount (NLJ 2025). Kirkland is best known for private equity, M&A, investment fund formation and alternative asset management, restructurings, high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation, and government, regulatory and internal investigations across more than 60 practice areas. With a global office footprint beyond Chicago, the firm emphasizes intensive legal education and professional development and is known for a high-performance, demanding culture and a roster of notable alumni and clients.