Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kirkland & Ellis has approximately 4,145 attorneys across 24 offices. Founded in 1909.

$225,000

Reported to Chambers Associate (Sep 2026)

957

Reporting year not confirmed; Offer rate not reported

6 years

Associates' report to Chambers Associate

Overall firm rank

$11.1M

Am Law #1

$10.6B

Rank #1; 4,145 attorneys

Openings

Every firm on the Job Board

1L Summer 2027 · Class of 2029Opening Soon
New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City
Opens
Nov 1, 2026
Deadline
Not announced
2L Summer 2028 · Class of 2029Opening Soon
New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City
Opens
Nov 1, 2026
Deadline
Not announced

Kirkland pays $225,000, the same as 159 of the 197 firms that publish pay.

Listed firms by announced first-year comp

Firms by first-year comp
First-Year Comp	Firms
Above $225K	18
$225K	159
Below $225K	20

Source: firm announcements. 197 listed firms publish a first-year figure.

About Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis advises on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, investment funds, restructuring, commercial and intellectual property litigation, and white collar matters. The firm describes an open assignment system that allows attorneys to pursue practice areas and matters that interest them.

Description source

Rankings

Latest published editions. Each links to its source.

Size and Standing

$10.6B gross revenueAm Law 100, $10.6B gross revenue: #1 (opens in a new tab)
Lawyers in 7 countriesGlobal 200, Lawyers in 7 countries: #1 (opens in a new tab)
4,145 attorneysNLJ 500, 4,145 attorneys: #4 (opens in a new tab)
PrestigeVault Law 100, Prestige: #6 (opens in a new tab)

Associate Life

Score 76.2The A-List, Score 76.2: #27 (opens in a new tab)
Score 4.38 of 5Midlevel Associates Survey, Score 4.38 of 5: #15 (opens in a new tab)
Best city resultMidlevel Survey, Austin, Best city result: #1 (opens in a new tab)
VaultFormal Training, Vault: #13 (opens in a new tab)
VaultBusiness Outlook, Vault: #17 (opens in a new tab)
VaultMost Selective Law Firms, Vault: #29 (opens in a new tab)

Pro Bono and Inclusion

Vault Practice Rankings

Show All 20

Practice Strength by Market

Every band below appears on this firm’s Chambers USA 2026 profile, checked September 26, 2026. Where Chambers splits a table into The Elite and Highly Regarded, every Elite firm ranks above every Highly Regarded firm.

View firm on Chambers

Scroll sideways to see recognition.

Practice	Market	Recognition, 2026
Antitrust	District of Columbia	Band 1
Antitrust	Illinois	Band 1
Antitrust	Nationwide	Band 1
Asset Management M&A	Nationwide	Band 1
Banking & Finance	California	Band 1
Banking & Finance	Illinois	Band 1
Banking & Finance	Massachusetts	Band 1
Banking & Finance	Nationwide	Band 1
Banking & Finance	New York	Band 1
Banking & Finance	Texas	Band 1
Bankruptcy/Restructuring	Illinois	Band 1
Bankruptcy/RestructuringThe Elite	Nationwide	Band 1
Bankruptcy/RestructuringThe Elite	New York	Band 1
Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt	Nationwide	Band 1
Capital Markets: Securitization: Whole Business	Nationwide	Band 1
Corporate Crime & InvestigationsThe Elite	Nationwide	Band 1
Corporate/M&A	Massachusetts	Band 1
Corporate/M&AThe Elite	Nationwide	Band 1
Corporate/M&AThe Elite	New York	Band 1
Corporate/M&AThe Elite	Texas	Band 1
Corporate/M&A & Private Equity	Illinois	Band 1
Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense	New York	Band 1
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation	Texas: Houston & Surrounds	Band 1
Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)	Nationwide	Band 1
Environment: Mainly Transactional	District of Columbia	Band 1
Environment: Mainly Transactional	Nationwide	Band 1
Environment: Mainly Transactional	Texas	Band 1
Government Relations: Congressional Investigations	Nationwide	Band 1
Intellectual Property	Illinois	Band 1
Intellectual Property	Nationwide	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Appellate	Nationwide	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Litigation	District of Columbia	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Patent	New York	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation	California	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Trade Secrets	Nationwide	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Trademark & Copyright	Nationwide	Band 1
Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets	New York	Band 1
International Trade: CFIUS Experts	Nationwide	Band 1
International Trade: Intellectual Property (Section 337)	Nationwide	Band 1
Investment Funds: Regulatory & Compliance	Nationwide	Band 1
Labor & Employment: Transactional	New York	Band 1
Litigation: General CommercialThe Elite	District of Columbia	Band 1
Litigation: General Commercial	Illinois	Band 1
Litigation: General CommercialThe Elite	Nationwide	Band 1
Litigation: General CommercialThe Elite	New York	Band 1
Litigation: Product Liability	Illinois	Band 1
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations	Illinois	Band 1
Oil & Gas Litigation	Nationwide	Band 1
Private Equity: Buyouts	California	Band 1
Private Equity: Buyouts	Massachusetts	Band 1
Private Equity: Buyouts	New York	Band 1
Private Equity: Buyouts	Texas	Band 1
Private Equity: Buyouts: High-end Capability	Nationwide	Band 1
Private Equity: Fund Formation	Massachusetts	Band 1
Private Equity: Fund Formation	Nationwide	Band 1
Private Equity: Secondaries	Nationwide	Band 1
Product Liability & Mass TortsThe Elite	Nationwide	Band 1
Real Estate	Illinois	Band 1
Real Estate	Nationwide	Band 1
Real Estate: Mainly Corporate & Finance	New York	Band 1
Tax	Illinois	Band 1
Tax	New York	Band 1
Tax	Texas	Band 1
Tax: Corporate & Finance	Nationwide	Band 1
Technology & Outsourcing	Illinois	Band 1
Advertising: Litigation	Nationwide	Band 2
Antitrust	New York	Band 2
Capital Markets: Debt & Equity	Illinois	Band 2
Capital Markets: Debt & Equity	Texas	Band 2
Capital Markets: Equity: Issuer Counsel	Nationwide	Band 2
Capital Markets: Securitization: ABS	Nationwide	Band 2
Corporate/M&A	Texas: Austin & Surrounds	Band 2
Corporate/M&A	Utah	Band 2
E-Discovery & Information Governance	Nationwide	Band 2
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation	Illinois	Band 2
Energy Transition	Nationwide	Band 2
Energy: Electricity (Transactional)	Nationwide	Band 2
Environment: Mainly Transactional	New York	Band 2
Impact Investing	Nationwide	Band 2
Insurance: Transactional & Regulatory	Illinois	Band 2
Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets	California	Band 2
Litigation: General CommercialThe Elite	California	Band 2
Litigation: General Commercial	Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds	Band 2
Litigation: Product Liability	Pennsylvania	Band 2
Litigation: Securities	Illinois	Band 2
Litigation: Securities	New York	Band 2
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations	Texas	Band 2
Media & Entertainment: Litigation	New York	Band 2
Media & Entertainment: Transactional	Illinois	Band 2
Real Estate	California: Southern	Band 2
Registered Funds	Nationwide	Band 2
Retail: Corporate & Transactional	Nationwide	Band 2
Securities: Litigation	Nationwide	Band 2
Tax	Massachusetts	Band 2
Tax: Litigation	Texas	Band 2
Antitrust	Texas	Band 3
Antitrust: Cartel	Nationwide	Band 3
Artificial Intelligence	Nationwide	Band 3
Capital Markets: Debt & Equity	California	Band 3
Capital Markets: Investment Grade Debt: Issuer Counsel	Nationwide	Band 3
Climate Change	Nationwide	Band 3
Corporate/M&A & Private Equity	Florida: South	Band 3
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation	Nationwide	Band 3
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation	New York	Band 3
FCPA	Nationwide	Band 3
Healthcare	New York	Band 3
Insurance: Transactional & Regulatory	Nationwide	Band 3
Insurance: Transactional & Regulatory	New York	Band 3
Life Sciences	Nationwide	Band 3
Litigation: General Commercial	Utah	Band 3
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations	District of Columbia	Band 3
Offshore Energy	Nationwide	Band 3
Projects: Power	Nationwide	Band 3
Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy	Nationwide	Band 3
Securities: Regulation: Enforcement	Nationwide	Band 3
Tax	California: Southern	Band 3
Transportation: Aviation: Litigation	Nationwide	Band 3
Venture Capital: Fund Formation	Nationwide	Band 3
Derivatives	Nationwide	Band 4
Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation)	Nationwide	Band 4
Labor & Employment	District of Columbia	Band 4
Litigation: General Commercial	Texas: Houston & Surrounds	Band 4
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government InvestigationsThe Elite	New York	Band 4
Outsourcing	Nationwide	Band 4
Sports Law	Nationwide	Band 4
Tax	California: Northern	Band 4
Technology	Nationwide	Band 4
Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory & Litigation)	Nationwide	Band 5
Intellectual Property	Texas	Band 5
REITs	Nationwide	Band 5
Tax: Controversy	Nationwide	Band 5
International Trade: Export Controls & Economic SanctionsHighly Regarded	Nationwide	Band 2
Privacy & Data SecurityHighly Regarded	Nationwide	Band 3

133 reported ranking rows

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Locations

24 reported

New York, NY

Washington, DC

Los Angeles, CA

Bay Area, CA (San Francisco and Palo Alto)

San Francisco, CA

Chicago, IL

Boston, MA

Show 17 more locations

Houston, TX

Austin, TX

Beijing, China

Brussels, Belgium

Dallas, TX

Frankfurt, Germany

Hong Kong

London, UK

Miami, FL

Munich, Germany

Nashville, TN

Paris, France

Philadelphia, PA

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Salt Lake City, UT

Shanghai, China

Tokyo, Japan

Firm Facts

: 4,145
US Partners: 1,581
US Associates: 1,920
: 1 : 1.2 (US)
Firm Leadership: Jon Ballis
Notable Alumni: Brett Kavanaugh, William Barr, Paul Clement

Recruiting & Development

: Free market
: Yes

Culture, Diversity & Pro Bono

Women Partners: 32.1%
Pro Bono Hours Per Attorney: 29 hours

Facts verified by BigLaw Bear, narrative by the firm. Figures carry a source link where we hold one; prose is Kirkland & Ellis’s own.

Firm Highlights

Revenue: $10.6BAm Law #1Source
Revenue Per Lawyer: $2.5M
Profits Per Partner: $11.1MSource

Attorneys by role

Associates: 1,920Source
Partners: 1,581Source

Summer Program

Program features

Summer Pay: $225,000Reported to Chambers Associate (Sep 2026)Source
Total Summer Associates: 957486 1Ls, 471 2Ls. Class of 2026Source
Program Length: 10 weeksSource
Early Interviewing: YesThe Summer Associate Program application opens November 1, 2026. Applicants indicate a primary office and preferred practice group(s); interviews run on a rolling basis and offers are determined once first-semester grades are released.Source
Assigned Practice Areas: No, free marketFree marketSource

From the Firm

Videos and news the firm shared. Each opens on the firm's own site or channel.

Practice Areas

Kirkland says summer associates "participate in our distinctive open assignment system, providing realistic exposure to our practice from day one." Summers explore matters across groups with an integrated support network, attend trials, hearings, depositions, closings and client calls, and join a summer edition of the firm's trial advocacy and corporate training programs.

Source

Pro Bono

Summers Can Take Pro Bono: YesSource
Counts as Billable: YesUncapped; every pro bono hour counts toward billablesSource
Average Hours Per Attorney: 29 hoursAm Law pro bono rank #81Source

How pro bono work is assigned

Kirkland staffs pro bono with the same resources as billable work and treats it equivalently in performance reviews and for compensation. In 2025 the firm reports nearly 135,000 pro bono hours across 2,000 plus matters. Every attorney, from summer associates to senior partners, can take projects that match their interests and availability.

More about Kirkland & Ellis

Students who accept a 2L 2028 summer associate offer receive a $50,000 summer associate bonus and the option to join Kirkland's 2027 1L Summer Experience, a four-week program (six weeks in the Texas offices) built around exposure to the firm's practice groups. Students may instead spend the 1L summer in public service, a judicial internship or elsewhere.

Source