General Information
Year founded:
1909
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
Overview
Content is provided by the firm.
We are an international law firm that serves a broad range of clients around the world in private equity, M&A and other corporate transactions, litigation, white collar and government disputes, restructurings and intellectual property matters. We offer the highest quality legal advice coupled with extraordinary, tailored service to deliver exceptional results to our clients and help their businesses succeed. We invest in the brightest legal talent and build dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their respective areas. And we believe in empowering our lawyers, encouraging entrepreneurialism, operating ethically and with integrity, and collaborating to bring our best to every engagement. These principles have guided us in building successful long-term partnerships with clients since our founding in 1909.
Rankings
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is nationally ranked in 40 practice areas and metro ranked in 49 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.
Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms"Law Firm of the Year" Awards
2025 "Law Firm of the Year" in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
2025 "Law Firm of the Year" in Corporate Law
National Rankings
Tier 1
Tier 1 for Antitrust Law
Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Copyright Law
Metro Rankings
Austin
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Boston
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Rankings
"Law Firm of the Year" Awards
2025 "Law Firm of the Year" in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
2025 "Law Firm of the Year" in Corporate Law
National Rankings
Tier 1
Tier 1 for Antitrust Law
Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Copyright Law
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust
Tier 1 for Litigation - Bankruptcy
Tier 1 for Litigation - Environmental
Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Tier 1 for Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
Tier 1 for Litigation - Securities
Tier 1 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Oil and Gas Law
Tier 1 for Patent Law
Tier 1 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 1 for Technology Law
Tier 1 for Trademark Law
Tier 1 for Trusts and Estates
Tier 2
Tier 2 for Construction Law
Tier 2 for Energy Law
Tier 2 for Environmental Law
Tier 2 for Financial Services Regulation Law
Tier 2 for Information Technology Law
Tier 2 for Insurance Law
Tier 2 for Mutual Funds Law
Tier 2 for Project Finance Law
Tier 2 for Securities Regulation
Tier 3
Tier 3 for Appellate Practice
Tier 3 for Communications Law
Tier 3 for Litigation - Construction
Regional Rankings
Austin
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Boston
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Chicago
Tier 1 for Antitrust Law
Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Construction Law
Tier 1 for Corporate Governance Law
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Insurance Law
Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust
Tier 1 for Litigation - Bankruptcy
Tier 1 for Litigation - Environmental
Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Tier 1 for Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
Tier 1 for Litigation - Securities
Tier 1 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Patent Law
Tier 1 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 1 for Technology Law
Tier 1 for Trusts and Estates
Tier 2 for Financial Services Regulation Law
Tier 2 for Information Technology Law
Tier 2 for Securities / Capital Markets Law
Tier 3 for Litigation - Construction
Dallas/Fort Worth
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Tier 1 for Environmental Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2 for Appellate Practice
Tier 2 for Litigation - First Amendment
Houston
Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Energy Law
Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 1 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Oil and Gas Law
Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Los Angeles
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 1 for Trademark Law
Tier 2 for Bet-the-Company Litigation
New York City
Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Copyright Law
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Tier 1 for Litigation - Bankruptcy
Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Patent Law
Tier 1 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 1 for Trademark Law
Tier 2 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 3 for Health Care Law
Tier 3 for Mutual Funds Law
San Francisco
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Utah
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Washington, D.C.
Tier 1 for Antitrust Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Tier 1 for Energy Regulatory Law
Tier 1 for International Trade and Finance Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent
Tier 1 for Litigation - Securities
Tier 1 for Mutual Funds Law
Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Tier 1 for Project Finance Law
Tier 1 for Securities Regulation
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 2 for Bet-the-Company Litigation
Tier 2 for Communications Law
Tier 2 for Energy Law
Tier 2 for Government Relations Practice
Tier 2 for Patent Law
Tier 2 for Securities / Capital Markets Law
Tier 3 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Practice Areas
The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
- Administrative / Regulatory Law
- Antitrust Law
- Appellate Practice
- Banking and Finance Law
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Communications Law
- Construction Law
- Copyright Law
- Corporate Governance Law
- Corporate Law
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar
- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Energy Law
- Energy Regulatory Law
- Environmental Law
- Financial Services Regulation Law
- FinTech Practice
- Government Relations Practice
- Health Care Law
- Information Technology Law
- Insurance Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Trade and Finance Law
- Labor and Employment Law - Management
- Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
- Litigation - Antitrust
- Litigation - Bankruptcy
- Litigation - Construction
- Litigation - Environmental
- Litigation - Intellectual Property
- Litigation - Patent
- Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
- Litigation - Securities
- Litigation and Controversy - Tax
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
- Mutual Funds Law
- Oil and Gas Law
- Patent Law
- Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
- Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Project Finance Law
- Public Finance Law
- Real Estate Law
- Securities / Capital Markets Law
- Securities Regulation
- Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Tax Law
- Technology Law
- Trademark Law
- Transportation Law
- Trusts and Estates
Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has 183 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in
America®.
By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Kirkland & Ellis LLP eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings.
For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards.
Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
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Office Locations
Los Angeles,
CA
2049 Century Park East, Suite 3700
Los Angeles, CA 90067
United States
310-552-4200
Call our Los Angeles, CA location at 310-552-4200
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Get directions to our Los Angeles, CA location
Los Angeles,
CA
555 South Flower Street, Suite 3700
Los Angeles, CA 90071
United States
213-680-8400
Call our Los Angeles, CA location at 213-680-8400
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Palo Alto,
CA
3330 Hillview Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94304
United States
650-859-7000
Call our Palo Alto, CA location at 650-859-7000
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San Francisco,
CA
555 California Street, 27th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
United States
415-439-1400
Call our San Francisco, CA location at 415-439-1400
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Washington,
DC
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
United States
202-389-5000
Call our Washington, DC location at 202-389-5000
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Miami,
FL
Three Brickell City Centr, Suite 700
98 S.E. 7th Street
Miami, FL 33131
United States
305-432-5600
Call our Miami, FL location at 305-432-5600
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Chicago,
IL
333 West Wolf Point Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654
United States
312-862-2000
Call our Chicago, IL location at 312-862-2000
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Boston,
MA
200 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
United States
617-385-7500
Call our Boston, MA location at 617-385-7500
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New York,
NY
601 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022
United States
212-446-4800
Call our New York, NY location at 212-446-4800
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Austin,
TX
401 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
United States
512-678-9100
Call our Austin, TX location at 512-678-9100
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Dallas,
TX
4550 Travis Street
Dallas, TX 75205
United States
214-972-1770
Call our Dallas, TX location at 214-972-1770
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Houston,
TX
609 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
United States
713-836-3600
Call our Houston, TX location at 713-836-3600
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Salt Lake City,
UT
95 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
United States
801-877-8090
Call our Salt Lake City, UT location at 801-877-8090
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Beijing,
CN
58th Floor, China World Office Two
No.1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue
Beijing 100004
China: Global Firms
8610 5737 9300
Call our Beijing, CN location at 8610 5737 9300
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Shanghai,
CN
11th Floor, HSBC Building, Shanghai IFC
8 Century Avenue, Pudong New District
Shanghai 200120
China: Global Firms
8621 3857 6300
Call our Shanghai, CN location at 8621 3857 6300
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Frankfurt/Main,
DE
CONTORA Offices
Taunustor One
Frankfurt/Main 60310
Germany
49 69 5050 604255
Call our Frankfurt/Main, DE location at 49 69 5050 604255
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Munich,
DE
Maximilianstrasse 11
Munich 80539
Germany
49 89 2030 6000
Call our Munich, DE location at 49 89 2030 6000
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Paris,
FR
43-45 Avenue Kléber
Paris 75116
France
33 1 88 24 57 00
Call our Paris, FR location at 33 1 88 24 57 00
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London,
GB
30 St Mary Axe
London EC3A 8AF
United Kingdom
44 20 7469 2000
Call our London, GB location at 44 20 7469 2000
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Central,
HK
26th Floor, Gloucester Tower
The Landmark
Fifteen Queen's Road
Central
Hong Kong
852 3761 3300
Call our Central, HK location at 852 3761 3300
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