Abtin Jalali, left. and Christopher Harding, right. (Courtesy photos)

Two Bay Area partners are swapping firms to join Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, bringing their practices and their private equity pedigrees with them from Kirkland & Ellis.

Abtin Jalali and Christopher Harding will join Gibson Dunn as partners in San Francisco, the firm said Monday.

"We are pleased to have Abtin and Chris on board," Kenneth Doran, chairman and managing partner of Gibson Dunn, said in a statement. "Both have impressive skill sets and deal sheets.  They possess the talent, energy and drive to further enhance our premier private equity and corporate practices, an area of strategic focus for us."

Jalali and Harding, who have worked together at Kirkland since 2013, credited the move to fortuitous timing and the knowledge that Gibson Dunn was committed to growing its Bay Area private equity focus.

"One of the key factors in choosing a platform is finding a firm that is willing to put resources behind it," Harding said.

Jalali added that the pair was drawn to Gibson Dunn because they felt the firm's long-term plan was in line with their hopes to grow their private equity practice "over the next 20 to 30 years."

Gibson Dunn, which has a notable private equity and M&A practice nationally, was eager to have more "boots on the ground" in the San Francisco area, Jalali said.

"The Bay Area is one of the largest markets in the country for private equity funds," Charles Stevens, partner in charge of Gibson's San Francisco office, said in a statement. "With their experience, talent and network, Abtin and Chris are a natural fit and important additions to our private equity practice in the Bay Area."

Both Jalali and Harding said they had optimistic expectations for the private equity market as a whole, as well as in their patch in Northern California.

"Private equity is a permanent and growing part of the M&A landscape," Jalali said. "We will invariably experience some downturn, and some PE firms are looking forward to that market correction in terms of buying opportunities it could create."

Jalali, who started his legal career with Kirkland in 2009, had a stint at Latham & Watkins from 2011 to 2013 before rejoining Kirkland in late 2013.

Harding began his career at Tonkon Torp in Oregon before moving to Kirkland in 2012.

A spokesperson for Kirkland said, "We enjoyed working with Abtin and Chris and wish them well in their new roles."

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