Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan on Tuesday announced it had hired Leonid “Lenny” Feller, a former Kirkland & Ellis share partner, in the firm's Chicago office to lead its Midwest-focused white-collar practice.

Feller, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan, is at least the third former Kirkland partner to jump in recent years to Quinn Emanuel's Chicago office. The office's co-managing partner, Jonathan Bunge, a one-time candidate for Chicago's U.S. attorney position, joined from Kirkland in 2015 alongside former Kirkland commercial litigator Daniel Lombard.

Quinn Emanuel's Chicago office opened in 2009 with a group of lawyers from Latham & Watkins led by David Nelson. The office now has 22 lawyers listed on its website.

Leonid Feller (Courtesy photo)

Quinn is the lone firm with a Chicago office that, according to the Am Law 100, in 2017 enjoyed higher profits per equity partner than Kirkland, long the largest firm by head count in the Windy City. Quinn Emanuel's PEP in 2017 edged just north of Kirkland's at $4.7 million. Kirkland's PEP last year rose to just over $5 million, according to The American Lawyer's early reports of 2018 law firm financials. Quinn Emanuel's 2018 finances have yet to be reported.

“It's an opportunity to lead the white-collar practice in the Midwest and an opportunity to help grow Quinn's Chicago office,” Feller said in an interview, taking pause from vacationing in Spain. “It's very much a startup and exciting atmosphere, with everybody in that office working their butts off and working on exciting things.”

Feller, whose practice is split between white-collar criminal investigations and complex commercial litigation, will bring with him a number of matters from Kirkland.

“We are grateful for Lenny's contributions and wish him success in the future,” a Kirkland spokeswoman said in a statement.

He said he represented Safeguard Properties in successfully dismissing a class action certification in Washington state federal court that is now on appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. And he represents Michael Coscia, who in 2016 became the first defendant convicted of the financial bid-rigging crime known as spoofing, in the financial trader's post-conviction hearings.

“Investigations, government enforcement and white-collar criminal defense continue to be the fastest-growing practice areas at the firm,” John Quinn, Quinn Emanuel's managing partner, said in a statement. “We expect that will continue. We have been looking for some time for a partner to lead our efforts in these areas in the Midwest. We are very fortunate that Lenny has joined the firm.”