Commercial Law
Kirkland & Ellis Application Guide
The largest and highest-grossing law firm in the world, dominant in private equity, restructuring and high-stakes litigation. Every stage of the process, the questions Kirkland & Ellis actually asks, and the prep that gets candidates through, in one place.
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The firm
About Kirkland & Ellis
The business today
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the largest and highest-grossing law firm in the world. It has discarded the traditional white-shoe institutional approach to BigLaw in favor of an aggressive, entrepreneurial, market-dominant machine. Historically rooted in Chicago litigation, modern Kirkland is defined by its grip on the global private equity, corporate, debt finance, restructuring and investment-fund markets.
The firm operates as the premier transaction engine for the worlds largest private equity sponsors, hedge funds, alternative asset managers and sovereign wealth funds. A single sponsor client can generate hundreds of mandates across a funds lifecycle: fund formation, leverage financing, buyouts, add-on acquisitions, tax structuring, regulatory compliance, bet-the-company litigation and eventual exit or restructuring. The model depends on high-velocity, high-stakes transactional volume processed at scale by a massive junior associate pool.
According to Am Law 100 data, Kirkland became the first law firm to surpass both $10 billion in gross revenue and $11 million in profits per equity partner. Gross revenue reached $10.56 billion (a 20% year-over-year increase), net income $6.62 billion (a 62.7% margin), and profits per equity partner $11.121 million. Total attorney headcount is roughly 3,500+ globally, with a partner tier of about 1,823.
Its dominant US anchors are Chicago (the historical mother ship), New York (high-yield transactions and bankruptcy), Washington, D.C. (antitrust, regulatory and Supreme Court litigation), Houston and Austin (energy and infrastructure), and the Bay Area (tech-focused private equity and growth capital). Internationally, London acts as an aggressive market disruptor alongside footprints in Europe and Asia.
Why people apply to Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland is explicitly not a lifestyle firm. You accept extreme, unpredictable hours on private equity timelines (2,000-2,400+ billable hours, frequent weekend work), an eat-what-you-kill autonomy where conflict-averse or passive associates can fall through the cracks, and structural vulnerability: the massive non-equity partner tier means the pressure to generate business or bill astronomical hours never drops, even after promotion.
The non-share partner track: associates are evaluated for non-equity partnership at the end of their sixth year, well ahead of the traditional 8-10 year wait, offering immediate title leverage and access to a higher compensation tier.
Unrivaled deal and matter velocity: because of its market share among sponsor clients, a second-year associate often leads transactions, manages entire workstreams and negotiates ancillary documents that fifth-year associates at lockstep firms rarely touch.
The open assignment system: there is no rigid central staffing manager. Associates pitch for work directly from the partners they want to work with. Perform well and partners keep feeding you elite matters, so you control your specialization and your career velocity.
Best-in-market exits and unmatched compensation, on the prevailing Cravath scale, in exchange for an explicitly entrepreneurial, performance-driven environment.
Divisions inside Kirkland & Ellis's Commercial Law
Private Equity / Sponsors & M&A
Day-to-day
The core transactional engine. Juniors run large-scale due diligence, draft disclosure schedules, manage closing checklists, coordinate with local counsel and draft ancillary agreements (employment agreements, NDAs, escrow terms). High-speed and project-management heavy. New York and Chicago are the institutional cores; Houston and Austin handle energy-infrastructure deals; San Francisco and Palo Alto command tech sponsors.
Interview style
Commercial and conversational: why sponsor-side over public-company M&A, how a leveraged buyout is structured, and a recent deal you can discuss. No financial modeling is tested.
High difficultyRestructuring (RST)
Day-to-day
The undisputed market leader in corporate insolvency and Chapter 11. Juniors are dropped into emergency situations: drafting bankruptcy petitions, first-day motions, retention applications and declarations, and coordinating with financial advisors and bankruptcy court clerks. Concentrated in New York, Chicago and Houston.
Interview style
The substantive bar rises: Chapter 7 versus Chapter 11, out-of-court workouts versus reorganizations, DIP financing, the creditors committee, and debtor-versus-creditor leverage.
Extreme difficultyDebt Finance / Leveraged Finance
Day-to-day
Works hand-in-hand with private equity, representing borrowers in securing acquisition debt: syndicated credit facilities, high-yield bonds and private credit. Juniors review and draft credit agreements, security documents, payoff letters, fee letters and closing certificates, tracking financial covenants. New York and Chicago dominate, with Houston and San Francisco satellites.
Interview style
Highly technical screen: a strong affinity for commercial math, structural logic and meticulous attention to detail.
Moderate-high difficultyInvestment Funds (KIEF)
Day-to-day
Advises alternative asset managers on the formation, structuring, marketing and regulatory compliance of private equity, credit, real estate and venture funds. Juniors analyze investor side letters and draft private placement memoranda and limited partnership agreements. Hours are more predictable than M&A. Concentrated in New York, Chicago and Boston.
Interview style
Steady, fit-led, with an interest in fund structures and regulatory frameworks; sought after for predictable hours with elite private equity exits.
Moderate-high difficultyLitigation
Day-to-day
A trial-ready practice handling multi-district litigation, mass torts, class actions, white-collar defense and high-stakes commercial disputes. Famous for taking cases to trial. Juniors execute document review, draft research memos and portions of motions, manage deposition logistics and prepare trial exhibits. Chicago, Washington D.C., New York and Los Angeles, with D.C. packed with former federal appellate clerks.
Interview style
Intensely rigorous: interviewers evaluate your legal reasoning and command of your writing sample line by line. Do not bring a writing sample you cannot defend under cross-examination.
Extreme difficultyTry it now
Score your Resume against Kirkland & Ellis's screen
Kirkland & Ellis talent acquisition screens thousands of Resumes per cycle. Most are read in under 30 seconds. The candidates who get to interview have Resumes that signal commercial relevance fast, in the format Kirkland & Ellis expects.
What Kirkland & Ellis looks for in a Resume
Quantified impact
Numbers in every bullet: deal size, team size, percentage uplift, revenue managed. "Led a team" is filler, "led a 6-person team that delivered £400k of revenue" is a signal.
Named firms and deals
Kirkland & Ellis recruiters skim for brand names they recognise. Name your prior internships, the deals you observed, the clients you worked on. Specifics beat generic descriptions.
Industry-relevant language
Use the vocabulary of the commercial law world: drafting, due diligence, commercial context, matter experience. Generic "analysed data" reads as not-yet-in-the-industry; the right terms read as ready.
Tight, structured layout
One page max. Reverse-chronological. Three to five bullets per role. No long paragraphs, no dense blocks. The skim test decides the read.
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The application
How Kirkland & Ellis hires
4 stages, real interview questions, the criteria that decide it, and the moves that separate offers from rejections.
The process, stage by stage
- 1
Resume sift / Pre-OCI direct application
Opens as early as May of 1L spring; runs intensely through June and July before formal OCI begins.Submit a clean one-page resume, transcript and (for litigation) a writing sample the day your grades finalize. Pre-OCI hiring is rolling and fills fast.
- 2
Screening interview (OCI or pre-OCI direct)
20-30 minutes; June through early August.A live 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 with partners or senior associates via FloRecruit/Zoom or in person. Bring three commercial stories and a specific why-Kirkland.
- 3
Callback / Superday
Late June through August; a 3-5 hour block of four back-to-back 30-minute interviews plus an evaluative associate lunch.Stay consistent and high-energy across every round. The casual lunch is always an interview. Match the partners pace.
- 4
Offer
Same-day to 48 hours; sometimes a week if waitlisted.Kirkland is famous for fast offers, often the same evening. Respond promptly and send brief thank-you notes within 24 hours.
What Kirkland & Ellis asks at each round
Screening Interview
- Why Kirkland & Ellis over our direct market competitors?
- Why do you want to practice corporate/transactional law rather than litigation (or vice versa)?
- Walk me through your resume, focusing on your choices after undergrad.
- Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple competing deadlines with minimal supervision.
- What is a recent Kirkland matter or transaction you have followed closely?
Callback / Superday
- Kirkland is famous for its open assignment system. How do you plan to navigate it, and why do you prefer it over a structured rotation?
- Tell me about a significant mistake you made and how you handled it.
- A closing markup is due at midnight, but an equity partner from another group demands an emergency research task immediately. How do you manage this?
- Why do you want to practice in this specific city, and what is your long-term connection here?
- Where do you see your practice in seven years?
Commercial Awareness
- How do rising or falling interest rates alter deal structures for our private equity clients?
- How does a private equity fund actually make money for its investors?
- Why are antitrust regulators scrutinizing tech acquisitions, and what does that mean for a deal lawyer?
- In your own words, explain how a sponsor structures a leveraged buyout.
- What does a material adverse effect (MAE) clause do, and why is it heavily negotiated?
Restructuring
- What is the fundamental difference between a Chapter 7 liquidation and a Chapter 11 reorganization?
- In a distressed situation, what is the difference between a secured and an unsecured creditor, and why does it matter?
- What is debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing, and why is it crucial for a company entering Chapter 11?
- How do economic downturns or industry disruptions drive the firms restructuring docket?
- What is the role of the creditors committee and the dynamics of debtor versus creditor leverage?
What Kirkland & Ellis looks for
Intellectual rigor
Elite academic credentials judged against law-school tier: top 50% at T5 schools, top 25-33% at T14 for transactional groups (top 10-15% for elite litigation), and top 5-10% plus journal membership at strong regional powerhouses.
Commercial drive
Genuine interest in the business of law: who Kirkland clients are (Blackstone, KKR, Thoma Bravo, Vista), and how macro factors move deal flow. The firm disdains the pure-academic archetype for transactional roles.
Entrepreneurial fit (the open assignment system)
Hard evidence you will source your own work and pitch partners directly rather than wait for a queue. The firm runs a free-market staffing model with no central rotation.
Resilience and work ethic
Stress tolerance for 2,000-2,400+ billable hours, private equity timelines, and blunt feedback. Prior IB, consulting, corporate finance, tech-ops or military experience reads strongly.
Communication and executive presence
A polished, direct style and the poise to speak confidently with private equity clients and command a room under intense questioning.
Geographic commitment
Concrete ties to the office market (family, undergrad, prior network) or a clear market rationale. Kirkland screens hard for flight risk.
The edge: what separates offers from rejections
Specific moves most applicants skip. None of them need talent, only preparation.
- 01Pitch the open assignment system by name; explain exactly how you will source work and build internal relationships
- 02Demonstrate sponsor literacy: name primary private equity clients (Blackstone, KKR, Thoma Bravo, Vista, Apollo) and how Kirkland services them across M&A, debt finance, fund formation and restructuring
- 03Structure every answer (STAR or Point-Evidence-Analysis-Link) and keep the resume walk-through to roughly 90 seconds
- 04Cite a recent Kirkland matter with real mechanics (Mars/Kellanova, Blackstone-TPG/Hologic, Thoma Bravo/Boeing digital aviation)
- 05Match the firms intensity: high energy, crisp delivery and composure under direct, blunt questioning
Prep, stage by stage
Drill each Kirkland & Ellis round
Dedicated pages for the four rounds Kirkland & Ellis runs. Practise each round on Intervyo.
Pay & culture
Working at Kirkland & Ellis
What they pay
Graduate
$225,000 base (first-year associate) plus a $20,000 market bonus; total ~$245,000
Internship
Summer associate, paid pro-rata on the first-year associate scale ($225,000 annualized basis)
Perks
| Company | Comp | Hours / week | Exit options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latham & Watkins | $225K (Cravath scale) | 2,000-2,400+/yr | Excellent (PE, in-house) |
| Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | $225K (Cravath scale) | 2,000-2,400+/yr | Excellent (PE) |
| Skadden, Arps | $225K (Cravath scale) | 2,000-2,400+/yr | Strong (PE, in-house, government) |
| Weil, Gotshal & Manges | $225K (Cravath scale) | 2,000-2,300/yr | Strong (RX, PE) |
What working at Kirkland & Ellis is like
- Largest and highest-grossing law firm in the world; $10.56 billion gross revenue and $11.121 million profits per equity partner
- Explicitly entrepreneurial and hyper-commercial; not a lifestyle firm
- The open assignment system: a free-market staffing model with no central rotation
- 2,000-2,400+ billable hours/year; 10-12 hour days, weekend work and constant availability
- Strict 4-day in-office mandate (Monday-Thursday), Friday flexible remote; attendance tracked
- Black-box partner compensation that aggressively rewards top business generators
- Performance-driven up-or-out: fast-track to non-share partner, swift counseling-out when volume slows
- Six-year non-share partner track, well ahead of the traditional 8-10 year path
Timeline
When Kirkland & Ellis programmes open and close
By programme. Use these dates to plan applications across the cycle and submit early on rolling lines.
| Programme | Opens | Closes | Assessment | Offers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1L Summer Associate / Diversity Fellowship | November 1 - December 1 (1L fall) | Late January to mid-February | December through February | January through March | Top-performing 1L summers receive automatic 2L offers before the 1L program even concludes; diversity fellowships convert at over 90%. |
| 2L Summer Associate (the main pipeline) | Pre-OCI direct: mid-May (upon 1L spring grades) | Formal OCI: mid-July through early August | Callbacks June through August, rolling | End of the 10-week summer (late July / early August) | Full-time conversion historically exceeds 95% for those in good standing. |
| 3L and post-clerkship hiring | July to August of 3L year; rolling for federal clerks | Rolling | - | August through October for 3L; rolling for clerks | Direct entry into the first-year associate class upon graduation and bar passage. |
FAQ
Kirkland & Ellis application questions
How is Kirkland different from a traditional white-shoe firm?
Kirkland has discarded the white-shoe institutional model for an explicitly entrepreneurial, hyper-commercial one. Instead of multi-generational relationships with Fortune 500 corporations, it anchors its business on repeat private equity sponsors, hedge funds and asset managers. Structurally, it runs an open assignment system (no central staffing), a black-box performance-based partner compensation model, a 6-year non-share partner track, and a strict 4-day in-office mandate. The trade-off versus a paternalistic lockstep firm is far less institutional security in exchange for unmatched compensation, deal velocity and exits.
What is the open assignment system, and why does it matter so much?
Kirkland does not use a rigid central staffing manager or formal rotation. It runs a free-market assignment system where associates pitch partners directly for work. Perform well and partners keep feeding you elite matters, so you control your specialization and velocity. It is a double-edged sword: introverted or conflict-averse associates who wait for work delivered to their desk can fall through the cracks, end up under-utilized and be targeted for counseling-out. Interviewers test relentlessly for whether you can navigate it, so be ready to explain exactly how you will source work and build internal relationships.
What does compensation and the partnership track look like?
Kirkland matches the Cravath scale across all US offices: a $225,000 first-year base with a $20,000 bonus, rising to a $435,000 base with a $115,000 bonus at eighth year and above. Clerkship bonuses run $50,000-$70,000 and special bonuses $5,000-$25,000 in busy cycles. The partnership is two-tier: non-share (income) partners are elevated after year six on a fixed salary track, and share (equity) partners after a further 3-4 years. Equity compensation is a strict black box run by a centralized committee, aggressively rewarding top business generators (contributing to the $11.1M+ PEP) while adjusting down declining originators.
What are the exit opportunities from Kirkland?
Among the best in the legal market, driven by the firms institutional relationships with the worlds premier asset managers. Three years out, juniors move to senior counsel at Fortune 500s, mid-market private equity, or federal clerkships. Five years out, senior associates and new non-share partners move into premier alternative asset managers (Blackstone, KKR, Bain, Thoma Bravo, Vista, GTCR) as VPs of Legal, CCOs or into deal execution. Ten years out, alumni are general counsels of multinationals, MDs at banks, boutique founders or equity partners across BigLaw.
Does Kirkland sponsor international candidates, and how?
Yes. The firm routinely sponsors international graduates of top US law schools. It uses the initial 12-month OPT authorization to clear the bar and begin work, then funds H-1B specialty-occupation lottery petitions. For associates who miss the H-1B cap across consecutive cycles, Kirkland leverages its international footprint to relocate the attorney to London or Europe and return them to the US via an L-1 intra-company transfer once eligible. Be ready to discuss your visa timeline transparently if asked.
How not to fail
Mistakes that cost candidates Kirkland & Ellis offers
Specific failure modes the firm screens out. None of these need talent to avoid, only awareness.
- 01Showing arrogance. Believing your T5 tier or GPA guarantees an offer. Kirkland partners value work ethic and reject condescending or ungrounded personalities.
- 02Expressing lifestyle hesitancy. Asking how often associates work weekends or about work-life balance during evaluative interviews signals you are a flight risk for the private equity execution model.
- 03Failing the associate lunch. Treating the casual lunch or coffee chat as off-the-record. Those associates give direct evaluative feedback; any doubts you express are reported to recruiting.
- 04Lack of specific motivation. A generic why-Kirkland that does not reference the open assignment system, its private equity dominance or its non-share partner structure.
- 05Open assignment blindness. Failing to demonstrate how you will navigate the free-market work environment. Candidates who cannot explain how they will pitch partners for work do not pass.
- 06Poor technical homework. Wanting the Restructuring group without knowing the baseline difference between a Chapter 7 liquidation and a Chapter 11 reorganization.
- 07Inability to explain your transcript or follow up. Becoming defensive about a poor grade, typos in a writing sample, or slow responses to recruiting scheduling, which signal poor organization at a high-velocity firm.
If you are rejected
What to do next
Kirkland generally requires roughly a 12-month cooling-off window before a rejected profile can be re-evaluated through standard portals. The best path back is to build elite lateral credentials: 1-3 years of flawless corporate or restructuring work at an Am Law 50 competitor, since Kirkland has continuous demand for mid-level laterals who can manage transactions on day one.
High-volume transactional powerhouses
Latham & Watkins, Sidley Austin and Simpson Thacher recruit similar profiles and often later in the cycle.
Restructuring specialists
Weil Gotshal, Milbank and Paul Weiss for those drawn to distressed and bankruptcy work.
Elite litigation
Gibson Dunn, Quinn Emanuel and Williams & Connolly for trial-focused candidates.
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Intervyo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kirkland & Ellis. Process details are sourced from past applicants, the firm's published guidance and our own research; verify timings on the firm's official careers site before applying. Last updated July 18, 2026.
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