With a global platform of approximately 4,000 lawyers in 20 cities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Kirkland & Ellis provides elite legal advice and a relentless commitment to client service. Kirkland is a market-leader in each of its core practice areas, including private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and alternative asset management; restructurings; high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation; and government, regulatory and internal investigations.

Based in the heart of the City, our London office – comprising over 500 lawyers – acts in some of the most complex, high value and high profile corporate transactions in Europe. At Kirkland & Ellis, we are renowned for our private equity work (across our practice areas) but also recognised for our experience across the corporate spectrum:

Corporate/M&A 

Kirkland has the largest corporate practice in Europe, focused solely on private equity and financial sponsors. The team advises across the full spectrum of corporate matters including acquisitions, reorganisations, restructurings, public to privates, minority investments, carve outs and sales.

Debt finance

Kirkland has the largest sponsor-focused debt finance practice in Europe, advising on TLB, second lien, PIK, bank/bond, ABL, unitranche and preferred equity structures across large cap and middle market deals. This also includes a market-leading fund finance practice.

Investment funds

Kirkland has the largest and most active investment funds practice in the world and is uniquely positioned to serve clients across all verticals, including private equity funds, credit funds, secondaries, real estate and infrastructure funds. The practice represents a deeper and wider set of sponsors and products than any other firm.

Fund finance

Kirkland advises private equity sponsors in complex and sophisticated financing transactions, including subscription facilities, NAV facilities, hybrid facilities, GP coinvest financings and professional loan programs, management company financings, US private placements and other types of fund-level facilities, leveraged buyouts, cross-border facilities and asset-based facilities.

Real estate finance

Kirkland has a broad experience in real estate secured lending and structured finance, advising across the full spectrum of products, from acquisitions to developments, restructurings and disposals.

Capital markets

Kirkland advises issuers and sponsors on a wide variety of international securities transactions, across every major industry, with a particular focus on offerings of high-yield, liability management transactions, initial public offerings, SPACs and other complex debt securities.

Restructuring

Kirkland has earned a distinguished international reputation acting for a varied range of clients in complex restructurings. The team provides a range of executable solutions from insolvency to distressed and special situations to event-driven financings through to exit.

Infrastructure

Kirkland has earned a distinguished international reputation acting for a varied range of clients in complex restructurings. The team provides a range of executable solutions from insolvency to distressed and special situations to event-driven financings through to exit.

Tax

Kirkland has a strong international reputation for providing sophisticated tax advice to private equity and financial sponsor clients. The tax team also advises on credit, real estate, infrastructure and fundraising issues as well as acting for clients in tax disputes worldwide.

Antitrust and competition

Kirkland advises across the full spectrum of requirements, from wide-scale multijurisdictional cartel investigations and litigation, to specific antitrust queries such as distribution and resale structures, pricing and behavioural conduct, competitor cooperation agreements and State aid.

Financial services regulatory

Kirkland advises clients in relation to regulations affecting private equity firms, alternative investment funds, fund managers and investment advisers.

ESG and impact

Kirkland provides clients with sophisticated, multidisciplinary advice and state-of-the-art market intelligence as they navigate the opportunities, compliance obligations and legal risks related to ESG and impact investing across the investment and operational life cycles.

Technology and IP transactions

Kirkland represents clients in all areas of IP, trademark matters, outsourcing, computer software, licensing, distribution, joint venture agreements, biotechnology, data protection and e-commerce issues.

Intellectual property litigation

Kirkland supports clients across four areas (i) strategic life sciences patent and product lifecycle advice; (ii) patent litigation; (iii) coordinating global IP enforcement/defence cases; and (iv) standard essential patent (SEP) and FRAND disputes.

International arbitration and litigation

Kirkland advises multinational corporations, governments and government-owned entities in international arbitration and litigation cases around the world. We represent clients under the auspices of all leading arbitral organisations, including the ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, ICSID and the SIAC, as well as ad-hoc arbitrations.

Thanks to the relatively small intakes, trainees are given early responsibility to work on complex multi-jurisdictional matters.

The principal focus of the training is on transactional law with a specialism in private equity. Trainees complete four, six-month seats. Three of our main practice areas are corporate, finance and investment funds and so it is likely trainees will spend a seat in each of these. The other seats will be allocated from one of our other complementary practice areas.

On the job training is actively supported by a carefully tailored education programme.

Kirkland’s commitment to diversity has made the firm more vital, more competitive, and better able to serve a broad and varied client base in complex matters. Diversity at Kirkland transcends race, gender identity, gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Our lawyers boast rich and varied backgrounds, knowledge and skills, and we value and encourage diversity with respect to each individual’s work style, career path and experiences.

We work closely with diversity organisations such as Aspiring Solicitors, PRIME and SEO and many of our current trainees and associates came through this route.

We partner with The University of Law for the PGDL (if required) and the SQE. Full sponsorship is provided for these courses plus a maintenance grant of £20,000.

• Corporate
• Finance
• Investment funds
• One other complementary practice area

• Corporate & Commercial

• Austin
• Bay Area
• Beijing
• Boston
• Brussels
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Frankfurt
• Hong Kong
• Houston
• London
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Munich
• New York
• Paris
• Riyadh
• Salt Lake City
• Shanghai
• Washington DC

• Amicus
• LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group)
• Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre
• University House Legal Advice Centre
• Z2K

• Aspiring Solicitors
• PRIME
• SEO London