Kirkland & Ellis offices in Washington, D.C. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM Kirkland Had More to Gain by Cutting Ties With Clement, Even With Public Fallout
The firm's appellate and Supreme Court practices aren't core to the firm, observed one Am Law 100 leader. "So why have everyone hate you for it?"
June 27, 2022 at 05:00 AM
5 minute read
Paul Clement and Erin Murphy's high-profile exit from Kirkland & Ellis, leading to their bitter newspaper op-ed on Thursday, was years in the making, a result of simmering conflict among some in the partnership.
Some legal industry observers said the highest-grossing firm in the U.S. should have been able to predict the messy fallout back in 2016, when the firm absorbed Clement's boutique and after Clement's high-profile exit from King & Spalding. But many also didn't fault Kirkland for Clement and Murphy's exit, noting that firm management likely decided the firm had more to gain by cutting off ties now.
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