Kirkland & Ellis' appellate practice provides a home base to about 20 of the firm's lawyers, but the boundaries between appellate and trial work are porous.

It's not unusual for the firm's appellate lawyers to conduct depositions and run parts of cases, said Christopher Landau, a Washington lawyer who leads the Chicago-based firm's appellate practice.

“We tend to like people who have a broader skill set and a broader perspective,” Landau said.