Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Overview
Kirkland & Ellis is a large international law firm focused on high-value private equity, M&A, investment funds, restructuring and complex litigation work. Founded in the early 20th century, the Firm combines a high-volume transactional platform with trial-ready litigation capabilities and an 'open assignment' model that gives attorneys agency over their careers. The Firm emphasises entrepreneurialism, cross-office collaboration and specialised teams to handle multi-jurisdictional matters; its London office (one of the Firm’s largest outside the U.S.) houses more than 500 lawyers and supports Europe-focused private equity, funds and financing work. The Firm is expanding rapidly in Asia (including a new Tokyo office) and the Middle East, reflecting an international growth strategy.
- Headquarters: No headquarters (firm states it has no headquarters location)
- Founded: 1909
- Lawyers: Approximately 4,000
- Trainees: 15
- Offices: 24
Values & Culture
Practice Areas
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Corporate & M&A
- Investment Funds
- Banking & Finance
- Capital Markets
- Intellectual Property
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Real Estate
- Tax
- Competition & Antitrust
- Technology & Digital
- Data Protection & Privacy
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Insurance & Reinsurance
- Infrastructure & Projects
- Financial Services & Regulation
Geographic Focus: An integrated global platform with particular strength in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The Firm operates large hubs in the U.S. (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and others), a major London office (500+ lawyers) serving Europe-focused private equity, funds and finance work, and a fast-growing Asia presence (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and now Tokyo). The Firm has also established a Middle East regional headquarters in Riyadh to serve clients in Saudi Arabia and the region.
Training Contract
Kirkland operates a structured training and early careers programme with a small trainee intake and early substantive responsibility. The Firm emphasises rotational experience across practice groups and direct partner supervision, complemented by a mentorship/buddy structure and firmwide professional development programmes. The Firm’s open assignment system also allows junior lawyers significant choice in matters and practice areas during their early years.
- Starting Salary: Year 1: £60,000; Year 2: £65,000
- NQ Salary: £175,000
- Trainee Intake: 15
- Qualification Rate: 100%
- Academic Requirements: Minimum degree: 2:1. Minimum A-levels: AAB. The Firm recruits graduates from a variety of academic backgrounds and emphasises talent, drive and enthusiasm.
- Application Deadline: 14 December 2025
Seat Options
- Corporate & M&A
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Investment Funds
- Banking & Finance
- Capital Markets
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Intellectual Property
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Real Estate
- Tax
- Competition & Antitrust
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Technology & Digital
- Employment
Sponsorship
£20,000 PGDL/PGDL grant
SQE Support
£20,000 (SQE grant)
International Opportunities
0% chance of a secondment abroad
Client Secondments
0% chance of client secondment
Mentorship
Formal mentorship and sponsorship: trainees are supported by mentors and internal champions, with buddy networks and access to practice-group sponsors and firmwide development programmes.
Programmes & Schemes
A summer associate programme offering substantive work on live matters, early client responsibility and exposure to the Firm’s open assignment system. Summer associates work directly with partners and teams to gain real transactional and litigation experience.
A targeted insight experience intended to provide networking, learning and career planning with senior lawyers and alumni; designed to give students an inside look at life at the Firm and to support applications for vacation schemes and training contracts.
Office open days and recruitment events run from the UK graduate microsite to introduce applicants to the Firm, showcase practice areas and provide Q&A with trainees and partners.
Notable Matters
Kirkland advised I Squared Capital on its definitive purchase and sale agreement to acquire a portfolio of ten data center facilities from Cogent Fiber for $225 million in cash and on the launch of a U.S. AI inference and edge colocation platform backed by up to $1 billion of committed capital to build the platform. Kirkland’s team spanned corporate, tax, real estate and technology/IP transactional specialists.
Technology & Digital
Kirkland advised ArcLight Capital Partners on its sale to DigitalBridge Group, Inc. in a transaction valued at up to $1.05 billion (base purchase price $650 million plus contingent consideration of up to $400 million). The deal combined two alternative asset managers to create a leading platform at the convergence of power, AI and digital infrastructure.
Corporate & M&A
Kirkland advised CoreWeave on a $3.1 billion financing to expand access to public markets for GPU-backed financing and to support the company’s growth in AI-related infrastructure.
Banking & Finance
Kirkland represented the sponsor on a $435 million whole business securitization to support the company’s continued growth and liquidity strategy.
Capital Markets
Kirkland represented 5th Century Partners on the final close of its second fund above target at $276 million, advising on fund formation and closing matters and supporting the firm's expansion of assets under management.
Investment Funds
Kirkland advised Eli Lilly on its acquisition of LimmaTech Biologics, providing transactional counsel on the strategic acquisition in the life sciences sector.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
What Kirkland & Ellis LLP Looks For
Key Competencies
- Commercial awareness
- Intellectual rigour
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Entrepreneurial drive
- Resilience and ability to manage demanding, high-profile work
- Client‑facing maturity and communication skills
- Technical legal ability and attention to detail
Evidence Signals
- Substantive commercial internships or vacation scheme experience
- Pro bono work or litigation experience (mooting, advocacy)
- Demonstrable commercial awareness (commentary on recent deals/market trends)
- International experience or language skills for Asia/EMEA roles
- Engagement with legal tech or demonstrated aptitude for technology-enabled workflows
Benefits & Wellbeing
- Trainee salary Year 1: £60,000
- Trainee salary Year 2: £65,000
- NQ salary: £175,000
- PGDL grant: £20,000
- SQE grant: £20,000
- Comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage (attorneys and families, including domestic partners)
- 401(k) / retirement savings plans (U.S.)
- Flexible spending and health savings accounts, dependent care assistance, parking/transit benefits
- Support for new parents (nursing rooms, prenatal classes, lactation consultants, breast milk shipping program for U.S. travel)
- Access to in‑home and centre‑based backup childcare and adult/elder care
- Firmwide wellbeing initiatives (Wellbeing Minute, programming and events)
- Variety of fitness and wellbeing activities and preferred relationships with local fitness facilities
- No fixed number of vacation days for associates (attorneys encouraged to take necessary time off)
- Internal mentorship, training & development programmes
Wellbeing
A pioneering Wellbeing Program led by a Firmwide Director of Wellbeing provides education on resilience, connection and fitness/nutrition; resources include firmwide programming, Wellbeing Minute newsletter, fairs and pathways to support for mental health and substance abuse.
Awards & Recognition
- Chambers Global 2026: 86 Kirkland practice areas and 142 attorneys ranked (2026)
- Chambers USA 2025: 121 practice areas and 294 attorneys ranked (2025)
- The Legal 500 U.K. – Top Tier Firm 2025
- Chambers UK – Top Ranked 2025
- Law360 “Firm of the Year” (2025)
- BTI’s Client Service A-Team (ranked: 2023–2025)
- Named on BTI “Best of the Best” list (2025)
- Global Restructuring Review: #1 Firm in the World in Restructuring (2017–2025 listings)
- The Deal: #1 in Out-of-Court Restructurings (2025)
- Multiple Asia awards including China Business Law Awards recognitions (2026)
- 2026 IAM Patent 1000 recognitions
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Firm statements emphasise welcoming attorneys irrespective of race, religion, gender or ethnicity and a commitment to advancing communities through pro bono and charitable giving. The Firm publishes regional pay gap and compliance materials (e.g., London Gender Pay Gap Report, SRA data).
- Kirkland & Ellis Foundation (charitable giving)
- Firmwide pro bono practice and pro bono programmes
- Parenting Link (forum for attorneys and families)
- Alumni Engagement and AlumniLink network
Pro Bono
Firmwide commitment to pro bono legal services; multiple recognitions including D.C. Courts Pro Bono Honor Roll (84 attorneys named), Pro Bono Partner Award from DRLC (2025), and Beacon of Justice Award (2025). No firmwide hours target specified in the provided material.
Innovation
Kirkland emphasises an open assignment workflow that allows lawyers to select matters and accelerate development. The Firm invests in legal technology and training (trainee/insider ratings give the Firm top marks for legal tech), and provides year-round learning & development opportunities that include cutting-edge training on technology and practice tools.
- Open Assignment System
- Firmwide legal technology investments and training (rated highly by trainees)
- Wellbeing Program (as an operational innovation in attorney support)
Quick Application Angles
- Reference the Firm’s open assignment system and explain how you would use it to develop a cross‑border skillset — this demonstrates familiarity with Kirkland’s career model.
- Mention a recent Kirkland deal from the Firm’s press releases (for example ArcLight’s sale to DigitalBridge or the CoreWeave $3.1bn financing) and explain a specific legal or commercial issue you would focus on if you were on the deal team.
- Highlight commercial internships, substantive pro bono or advocacy experience and concrete examples of teamwork — the Firm rates peer support and partner approachability highly and prizes demonstrable real‑work experience.
- If applying for Asia or Middle East roles, emphasise language skills, regional experience and cross‑border transaction exposure (Kirkland is actively expanding in Tokyo, Riyadh and its China offices).
- Show awareness of legal tech and innovation — trainees rate the Firm very highly for legal tech, so noting how you’ve used technology to improve legal workflows will resonate.
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