Kirkland and Ellis LLP is a Chicago-headquartered international law firm prominent for its profitability as well as for its excellent bankruptcy, litigation, and intellectual property practice. Vault Magazine ranked the firm as the United States’ 10th most prestigious law firm. As the nation’s 7th largest law firm, Kirkland and Ellis employs over 1,500 attorneys throughout its local and foreign offices, with its strongest domestic offices located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Palo Alto, Washington, D.C., and New York. It has international offices in Hong Kong, London, and Munich.

Kirkland and Ellis is the world’s 11th highest-earning law firm. Its 2007 revenue amounted to over $1.3 billion. Legal publications give the firm consistent rankings in its legal practices: Vault ranked the firm No. 1 in litigation in 2008; The Lawyer Awards named it the “International Law Firm of the Year”; law firm evaluator Chambers & Partners named it Litigation Department of the Year in 2004. Moreover, it received a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2008 Corporate Equality Index and Best Places to Work evaluation for upholding equality in the workplace, particularly to LGBT rights.

Founded in 1909 by lawyers Stewart G. Shepherd and Robert R. McCormick, the firm’s name was derived from Weymouth Kirkland and Howard Ellis, who joined the firm in 1915 and were considered responsible for securing its largest clients.

Boasting of 100 years of experience in the business, Kirkland and Ellis is an acknowledged top-of-the-line law firm. It is one of the most trusted litigation firms in the corporate world. It has represented a list of high profile clientele that includes United Airlines, Boeing, Motorola, Honeywell, General Motors, Brown & Williamson, Conseco, S. C. Johnson & Son, Raytheon, Schering-Plough, Samsung Electronics, Charter Communications, Westinghouse Electric Company and Siemens AG.

Kirkland and Ellis has employed a powerhouse of current and former lawyers, including three former U.S. Solicitors General: Kenneth Starr, Robert Brook, and Paul Clement.