Who Founded Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis was founded by John W. Kirkland and Henry Ellis in 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. The firm started as a small boutique practice focused on corporate law and litigation, later expanding into a global powerhouse with offices across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Today it is consistently ranked among the largest and most profitable law firms in the world by revenue and lawyer headcount.
The original Kirkland founder, John W. Kirkland, built the firm on a client-first model emphasizing deep industry knowledge and transactional efficiency. Under his leadership and that of subsequent managing partners, the firm grew through strategic lateral hiring and a focus on complex, high-value deals in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring.
Kirkland & Ellis Revenue and Global Rankings
Kirkland & Ellis has repeatedly topped the Forbes list of highest-grossing law firms, with annual revenue exceeding $6 billion in recent years. The firm employs thousands of attorneys worldwide and is known for generating some of the highest average revenue per lawyer in the industry.
Rankings from sources such as The American Lawyer and Vault consistently place Kirkland & Ellis at the top for private equity, M&A, and restructuring work. Its profitability per partner often surpasses that of many Wall Street firms, driven by a leaner partnership model and a focus on high-margin transactional and advisory mandates.
Major Deals and Client Representation
Kirkland & Ellis has advised on landmark transactions across private equity, technology, healthcare, and energy. The firm represents leading private equity firms and corporate clients in buyouts, joint ventures, and cross-border mergers, often structuring complex financing arrangements and regulatory filings.
Notable engagements include advising on some of the largest leveraged buyouts and restructuring assignments in U.S. history. The firm also plays a significant role in capital markets, representing issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings, and frequently appears in high-profile litigation and regulatory matters before agencies such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.