Elazar Guttman, a private equity lawyer who has spent his 17-year career at Kirkland & Ellis, joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a New York-based partner Thursday.

Guttman, mostly recently a Kirkland equity partner, represents sponsors in the middle-market private equity space. Akin Gump's strength in that area and related practices such as debt finance, tax and intellectual property drew him to the firm, Guttman said in an interview.

He declined to discuss which clients he anticipated working with in the future, but said he expected his practice would be a "perfect blend" of work for Akin Gump clients and those from his own book of business.

Guttman said he'd worked as co-counsel with Akin Gump's tax lawyers before and found them to be "super-intelligent, sophisticated [and] creative."

"For me, it was very exciting to go join a platform that has all the specific specialty areas and support areas for a private equity transactions platform," Guttman said. He said the Akin Gump attorneys who have been across the table from him have been "as sophisticated as about any other lawyers I'd met, across the board, but at the same time, [were] able to represent their clients in a very commercial manner and in a very friendly way."

Guttman has worked with clients on domestic and cross-border leveraged buyouts and other transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings and financings with debt and equity, Akin Gump said.

His hiring comes on the heels of other additions in Akin Gump's private equity and related areas, including New York debt finance partner Lucas Charleston, who joined from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, and three additions in London: Gavin Weir, Shaun Lascelles and Simon Rootsey. The 2019 additions come after the firm saw two top private equity partners, Adam Weinstein and Tony Feuerstein, depart last year for Sidley Austin.

According to his former profile at Kirkland, Guttman has represented Altaris Capital Partners, Brookfield Asset Management, Computershare Ltd., J.H. Whitney Capital Partners, Kinderhook Industries, Metalmark Capital, Sawmill Capital, Sentinel Capital Partners, Starwood Capital Group and Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Guttman's last day at Kirkland was Wednesday and he joined Akin Gump on Thursday, an Akin Gump spokesman said.

A Kirkland spokesman didn't immediately respond to a comment request on Guttman's move.