Kirkland & Ellis 2028 screening and callback guide

For
2028 summer associates
Sources
15 cited

Got a Kirkland & Ellis interview or callback for the 2028 summer associate program? Here is how the rounds work, what Kirkland says it assesses, the questions to prepare and when offers come.

A law student in a navy suit sitting alone in a small windowless law firm interview room between callback interviews, jotting notes on a padfolio, a glass of water on the table and a closed wooden door behind.
Kirkland uses the callback to judge how you manage several tasks, work with colleagues and add value to clients.

Key facts

  • When: The application opened on Nov 1, 2026, and interviews run on a rolling basis.1
  • First interview: Law firm screeners usually run 10 to 30 minutes with one or two lawyers. Expect to discuss the office and practice groups you chose.9,10,3
  • Callback: A second-stage callback interview follows for candidates Kirkland wants to see again. Callbacks are usually several 20 or 30 minute interviews with partners and associates.4,9
  • What it assesses: Your capacity to manage multiple tasks professionally and collegially, contribute to a collaborative environment, and deliver value to clients and the firm.4
  • Who thrives: Kirkland's hiring sources say self-starters who show initiative, ambition, passion and enthusiasm often thrive.4
  • Offers: Offers are decided once first-semester grades are released. 2L summers join a specific practice area, and offers to return come by practice group.1,4,3
  • How selective: For its summer 2026 Miami class, Kirkland hired 11% of applicants. That is one office's figure, not a firm-wide rate.7
  • Callback to offer: Across firms, 47% of callback interviews led to offers in the 2025 cycle (summer 2026).12

Kirkland runs networking events in person and online all year, and says this engagement is meant to prepare candidates for the interview. Go to one before you interview if you can.4,3

What the Kirkland & Ellis interview looks like

  1. Before the first interview

    You apply from Nov 1, 2026 with a primary office and your preferred practice groups. Kirkland runs networking events in person and online through the year, with members of its recruiting committees and its attorneys, and says these are meant to prepare you for the interview. Go to one, and use what you learn.1,4,3

  2. The first interview

    Interviews run on a rolling basis. Expect a short screener, usually 10 to 30 minutes with one or two lawyers, covering your resume, why Kirkland and the office and practice groups you chose, which Kirkland says you can discuss further at interview.1,3,9,10

  3. The callback

    Kirkland then invites some candidates to a second-stage callback. Callbacks are usually several back-to-back interviews of 20 or 30 minutes with partners and associates, often half a day, sometimes with a meal. Each new interviewer is hearing your story for the first time.4,9

  4. What interviewers listen for

    Kirkland uses the callback to judge your capacity to manage multiple tasks professionally and collegially, to contribute to its collaborative environment and to deliver value to clients. Its hiring sources add that self-starters with initiative, ambition, passion and enthusiasm often thrive, which fits the open assignment system, where you seek out your own matters.4,15

  5. After the interviews

    Offers are decided once first-semester grades are released, and 2L summers join a specific practice area. Accepting a 2L 2028 offer brings a $50,000 bonus and the option of Kirkland's 2027 1L Summer Experience.1,4

From application to offer, step by step

Application From Nov 1, 2026
A primary office and your preferred practice groups.
First interview About 10 to 30 min
One or two lawyers; your choices, resume and motivation.
Callback Often half a day
Several interviews with partners and associates, back to back.
First-semester grades Before an offer
Offers are decided once grades are released.
Offer After grades
Into a specific practice area, with a $50,000 bonus on accepting a 2L 2028 offer.

The stages, timing and offer terms come from Kirkland's pages and its hiring sources in Chambers Associate. The interview lengths are Intervyo's reading of law school guidance.1,3,4,9,10

Before your Kirkland interviews

  • Know why you chose your primary office and practice group, in two sentences each.
  • Prepare a story about juggling several tasks or deadlines at once.
  • Prepare a story about something you started on your own initiative.
  • Understand the open assignment system and how you would use it.
  • Know every line of your resume and what you learned from it.
  • Read your callback interviewers' bios when Kirkland sends their names.
  • Bring spare copies of your resume, transcript and writing sample to the callback.
  • Send a separate thank-you email to each interviewer within 24 hours.

The questions

Expect conversation about your choices and how you work: why Kirkland, the office and the practice group, your resume, times you juggled several things at once, and what you have started on your own.1,3,4

  • Motivation: Why Kirkland, why the office and why the practice group you named.
  • Resume: Any line on your resume, and what you took from it.
  • Managing work: Juggling several tasks or deadlines while staying collegial.
  • Initiative: Something you started or took on yourself.
  • Open assignment: How you would find work and build relationships at Kirkland.

Which division question you get

Corporate (M&A, private equity)
Corporate is Kirkland's largest summer group, and incoming corporate associates spend about two years in corporate-general before choosing a specialty, so expect to explain which deal work draws you and why.3
Litigation
Summers attend trials, hearings and depositions and take part in trial advocacy training, so be ready to talk about advocacy and a legal issue you have worked on. Bring your writing sample.2,14
Restructuring
Restructuring is one of Kirkland's named practice areas for summers, with 75 restructuring summers in 2025, so a reason for distressed work helps.3
IP litigationBest guess
Expect questions on any technical background and why patent disputes interest you.

The IP litigation line is our best guess from the pattern in the other groups: why the practice, plus your own background in it.

Example questions and how to answer them

Motivation"Why Kirkland, and why the practice group you chose?"3,15,1,4
  1. 1Start with the practice group and one reason from your own background.
  2. 2Give one reason specific to Kirkland, such as the open assignment system.
  3. 3Say why the office.
  4. 4Close on what you want to learn in the summer.

Tip: 2L summers at Kirkland join a specific practice area, so the group half of your answer matters. Show you have thought about it, and that you would use the open assignment system to test it.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Intervyo example.

I chose Restructuring because I spent two years at a turnaround advisory firm, building cash flow forecasts for companies close to a filing, and wanted to understand the legal side of those decisions. Kirkland had 75 restructuring summers in 2025, and the open assignment system means I can work with different teams and find the kind of matters I want.

I chose Chicago because it has Kirkland's second-largest summer class and is where I want to build my career.

Managing work"Tell me about a time you juggled several deadlines at once."4
  1. 1Set the scene: the tasks, the deadlines and who depended on you.
  2. 2Say how you prioritized and who you told.
  3. 3Give the result.
  4. 4End on what you would do the same or differently.

Tip: Kirkland says it uses the interview to judge your capacity to manage multiple tasks professionally and collegially. Show the collegial half: how you kept others informed.

Initiative"Tell me about something you started on your own."4,15
  1. 1Pick something you began without being asked.
  2. 2Say why you started it.
  3. 3Give the result and who it helped.
  4. 4Link it to how you would work at Kirkland.

Tip: Kirkland's hiring sources say self-starters who show initiative and ambition often thrive there.

Resume"Walk me through something on your resume and what you learned."11,9
  1. 1Pick an entry with a real challenge in it.
  2. 2Say what you did, in a few sentences.
  3. 3Name the result.
  4. 4Spend most of the time on what you learned.

Tip: A great resume does not help if you cannot talk about it, or if you come across as arrogant.

Open assignment"How would you find work in an open assignment system?"15
  1. 1Show you know how it works: initial assignments with support, then work from relationships.
  2. 2Say how you would meet lawyers in your areas of interest.
  3. 3Say how you would tell people your capacity and interests.
  4. 4Ask the interviewer how they built their own practice.

Tip: Kirkland describes the open assignment system as a workflow philosophy built on relationships and trust, with support from a dedicated team. Answer in those terms.

More Kirkland & Ellis interview questions

Motivation

  • “Why are you interested in our firm?”10

  • “Why law, and why this type of law?”8

    From a 2014 entry-level associate interview

  • “Why this office?”10,1

Resume

  • “Can you talk about your experience and what you learned from it?”11

  • “What challenges did you face in that role?”9

Behavioral

  • “Tell me about a challenging experience in law school or another job.”11

    A common opener across firms, from another firm's interviewer

  • “Tell me about a time you took constructive criticism.”11

    Wording ours, from another firm's interviewer

  • “When did you turn down or push back on a task, and how?”15

    Best guess

    Kirkland associates can turn down matters that do not fit

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How long to hear back after the interview

Kirkland interviews on a rolling basis from Nov 1, 2026 and decides offers once first-semester grades are released.1

  1. Sep 2009

    Kirkland associate hire

    A 30-minute on-campus first round, then a half-day interview in Chicago.8

  2. Sep 2014

    Kirkland associate hire

    A first-round call with a junior associate, then 5 or 6 one-on-one interviews of 20 to 30 minutes; the offer came the next day.8

  3. 2025 (summer 2026)

    All firms, NALP survey

    47% of callback interviews led to offers. May 2025 was the busiest offer month, and 85% of offers went out before July.12

  4. May 2026 (summer 2026)

    Kirkland, Miami

    Kirkland hired 11% of Miami applicants and reported an 85% offer acceptance rate.7

  5. Nov 1, 2026 (summer 2028)

    Kirkland, all US offices

    The application opened, with rolling interviews from then.1

  6. Jan 8 to 13, 2027 (summer 2028)

    Harvard Early Interview Program

    Virtual screeners for private sector employers, for the Class of 2029's 2L summer jobs.13

Response times vary by firm more than by candidate. If two weeks pass after your callback with no word and no timeline, a short follow-up email is reasonable.9

Best guessWith the application open from Nov 1, 2026, expect screeners from November to February and offers from January 2027, once fall grades are out.

What happens after the interview

  1. Online application

    A primary office and your preferred practice groups, from Nov 1, 2026.1

  2. Screening, then callback interviewsYou are here

    This page. A first interview, then a second-stage callback.1,4

  3. Offer

    Decided once first-semester grades are out, with a $50,000 bonus on accepting a 2L 2028 offer. 2L summers join a specific practice area.1,4

First interview vs callback

The first interview checks your choices and your story; the callback tests how you would work at Kirkland.

Who

First interview

One or two lawyers.10

Callback

Partners and associates, several in a row.9

Length

First interview

About 10 to 30 minutes.9,10

Callback

Several 20 or 30 minute interviews, often half a day.9

Focus

First interview

Your resume, the office and the practice groups you chose.3,10

Callback

Managing several tasks, collegiality and the value you would add.4

Your questions

First interview

Specific questions about the office and the group; interviewers notice when you have none.11

Callback

Questions for each lawyer about their own work and path.9

2028 summer associate status

The 2L summer is ten weeks, with the open assignment system, trial advocacy and corporate training, and summers at trials, hearings, depositions, closings and client calls. The 2026 class was 957 summers.1,2,5

FAQ

What is the Kirkland screening interview like?

A short interview, usually 10 to 30 minutes with one or two lawyers, about your resume, why Kirkland and the office and practice groups you chose.9,10,3

What happens at a Kirkland callback?

A second-stage interview, usually several back-to-back meetings with partners and associates. Kirkland uses it to judge how you manage multiple tasks, work collegially and would add value to clients.4,9

What does Kirkland look for in interviews?

Self-starters with initiative, ambition, passion and enthusiasm, who can manage several tasks professionally and collegially. Kirkland also hires team players and hard workers.4,6

Will Kirkland ask about my practice group choice?

Expect it. You name practice groups when you apply, Kirkland says you can discuss them further at interview, and offers to return are given by practice group.3,1

When will I hear back from Kirkland?

Interviews run on a rolling basis, and offers are decided once first-semester grades are released.1

Can I meet Kirkland before I interview?

Yes. Kirkland runs in-person and virtual networking events through the year with its recruiting committees and attorneys, and its "Connecting with Kirkland" webinars and podcasts, meant to prepare candidates for the interview.4,3

Interview at other firms

Sources

Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 4, 2026.

  1. 1Kirkland & Ellis: Your Kirkland Experience
  2. 2Kirkland & Ellis: Summer Associate Program
  3. 3Flo Recruit: Kirkland & Ellis firm profile (updated Oct 2026)
  4. 4Chambers Associate: Kirkland & Ellis firm profile: Get Hired · prep site
  5. 5Vault: Kirkland & Ellis: Summer Law Program · prep site
  6. 6Vault: Kirkland & Ellis: Company Reviews · prep site
  7. 7Kirkland & Ellis: Kirkland Brings in its Largest Miami Summer Class Yet, and Expects Even More in 2027 (May 2026)
  8. 8Candidate reports on a public forum: Kirkland & Ellis LLP Interview Questions (associate entries, 2009 and 2014)
  9. 9University of Michigan Law School Office of Career Planning: Guide to Firm Callback Interviews · prep site
  10. 107Sage: What I Wish I Knew before BigLaw Recruiting 101 (Aug 2022) · prep site
  11. 11Chambers Associate: OCI advice from the interviewers · prep site
  12. 12NALP: Law Student Recruiting Moves Earlier as Employer-Sponsored Hiring Expands (Jan 2026) · press
  13. 13Harvard Law School Office of Career Services: Recruiting Programs for Employers · prep site
  14. 14Yale Law School Career Development Office: Writing Samples, References & Transcripts · prep site
  15. 15Kirkland & Ellis: Open Assignment System

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