The global-revenue leading US firm has totalled over $20 billion in buyouts, growth equity and exits this year alone, and they are showing no sign of slowing down. The firm also represent over 800 PE clients worldwide, solidifying them as the firm with the largest PE deal flow.
Kirkland was awarded “Law Firm of the Year for Private Equity and Venture Capital” at the 2025 JUVE awards, as well as winning “Private Equity Team of the Year” at the 2025 Legal Business Awards and being ranked in Band 1 in Chambers for Private Equity: Buyouts £500 million and above, demonstrating the widespread commendation for their success.
The firm opened a new Frankfurt office this year, now their second office in Germany, accompanying the Munich office they opened in 2004. The new office is part of Kirkland’s strategy to tap into European PE growth, with the proximity of the office to European clientele proving to be advantageous. This new office is a part of a group of 4 previously established European offices including London, Brussels, Munich and Paris.
Undoubtedly, Kirkland’s geographical distribution has contributed to their global dominance in the private equity sector, they have an expansive Asian presence facilitated by offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Riyadh, Hong Kong. Their US clients have a choice of 12 offices in North America alone, demonstrating their prioritisation of service convenience and easy access.
Their biggest deals this year:
- April– Advent International’s $6.3 billion Acquisition of Nuvei
Kirkland’s involvement: Advised Advent on the transaction and navigated regulatory approvals across Europe and North America.
- November- KKR-backed Novaria Group’s $2.2 billion Sale to Arcline Investment Management
Kirkland’s involvement: Advised KKR on the sale in conjunction with Morgan Stanley, coordinated the complex aerospace supply chain aspects.
- November- Clearlake Capital’s Acquisition of Pathway Capital Management
Kirkland’s involvement: Advised Clearlake on the acquisition in conjunction with Evercore, supported integration of Pathways’ $95 billion in assets across PE, credit and infrastructure.
4 reasons why the firm has been so successful in the private equity sector:
- Their Extensive Client Network
As before-mentioned, Kirkland represents over 800 PE clients include industry giants such as KKR, Blackstone and Advent International. This unmatched network, built over many decades, ensures that Kirkland retain a steady pipeline of high value clientele. The excellence of their service leads to high client retention, and bolsters their reputation as the “go-to” firm for PE.
2. Talent Acquisition
Kirkland hired an additional 300 litigators in 2025, along with 19 London private equity partners. This use of lateral hiring ensures that Kirkland possess the numbers to handle the sheer capacity and complexity of their unprecedented workload. Whilst the use of lateral hiring may be more expensive than vertical hiring, there is a greater assurance of quality of work and a larger net experience for employees hired, which may also be an additional benefit of Kirkland’s talent acquisition practices.
Kirkland embodies a deviation from traditional models seen in many rival law firms, in that it utilises a performance-driven promotion system. The firm promoted 151 employees to partner this year, which aids in attracting the most ambitious and best talent early. Additionally, the meritocratic culture appears to have supercharged employee morale and motivation, crucial for the fast-paced PE market.
4. Full Lifecycle Expertise
Kirkland covers the entirety of the PE spectrum. The offering of an end-to-end service, shown in the diversity of their work, such as KKR’s Novaria exit and Advent’s Nuvei deal, attracts customers and keeps them within the firm’s ecosystem. Kirkland’s ability to offer such an all-encompassing service gives them a USP and differentiates themselves from many of their competitors in the PE sector.
Sources:
https://www.kirkland.com/services/practices/transactional/private-equity
https://www.kirkland.com/marquee-stories/transactional/a-perennial-leader-in-private-equity-ma
Written by George Hocking
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© George Hocking, 2025
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