Stephen Patton, a former senior litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis, is returning to the firm as of counsel after spending the past six years as Chicago's top lawyer.

“I loved my time with the city and I learned a lot, but I'm also delighted to be back at my old home with a lot of good friends and colleagues,” Patton said Wednesday.

Patton spent 33 years as a litigator in Kirkland's Windy City headquarters. He made partner at the firm in 1984 and eventually went on to lead the firm's litigation managment committee before being tapped by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011 to serve as the city's corporation counsel and Emanuel's senior legal adviser.