Kirkland Announces Partner Mega-Class With 141 Promotions
The firm beat its own prior record for newly minted partners—but partnerships aren't all created equal.
October 02, 2019 at 05:57 PM
2 minute read
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The world's highest-grossing law firm has promoted what it says is its largest-ever class of new partners: 141 in one go.
Kirkland & Ellis announced the names of its newly minted partners on Wednesday, distributing a list that would rival or dwarf the total partnership at plenty of sizable firms.
Like many of the largest law firms, Kirkland has had large partner classes in the past. But according to a firm representative, this one tops the list.
In 2017, the firm announced a class of 97 new partners and in 2018 it announced a class of 122, according to firm data.
Kirkland is No. 1 in the Am Law 100 thanks to its revenue (over $3.7 billion in 2018), but it trails several U.S. and global firms in head count, with about 2,300 lawyers, 430 equity partners and 566 nonequity partners last year.
The firm is also known for an "up or out" approach to partnership, which means large-scale promotions to its partnership don't translate into a top-heavy structure.
Back in 2012 The American Lawyer found that about 20% of Kirkland's income partners became equity partners after they finished a roughly four-year eligibility requirement. A more recent look at promotions at Kirkland from 2013 to 2017 found that only about 43% of the attorneys promoted during that period were still at the firm by the end of it, although the percentages varied widely from class to class.
Those who do leave move on to other Am Law 200 firms, in-house counsel positions or government, in that order of magnitude, the analysis found.
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