What if Kirkland & Ellis is your future employer? Read on to learn more about trainee life at this dynamic, international firm.
WHAT IF
you started your career at Kirkland & Ellis?
02 Welcome
04 Be part of the team
06 An international reputation
What if YOU WANT A CAREER IN LAW?
08 Meet Yushra Raheem
10 An incredible location
12 Meet Rajinder Bassi
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14 High-profile clients
16 Steer your own career
18 Meet Amelia Doughty
20 A friendly environment
22 Multiple practice areas
Choosing which firm to start your legal career with, is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make.
At Kirkland & Ellis we combine the closeness of a small London team giving you direct access to senior partners, with the excitement of being part of a global firm, employing 1,700 lawyers in 12 offices around the world.
It’s the best of both worlds, ensuring you have both the support and space you need to grow.
23 Rewards & Benefits
26 Meet Sam Sherwood
28 People that fit
Graduate Recruitment Partners Sarah Jordan & David Arnold
Welcome
“Trainees at Kirkland & Ellis seize the opportunity to take ownership of every task and make things happen for their clients and team. We reward them with real responsibility.”
At Kirkland & Ellis, we work on the biggest and most complex, global private equity transactions. These are dynamic, challenging and high-profile deals that stretch your intellect and require you to be a business advisor as well as a lawyer. You will meet extremely talented clients from the most successful businesses and financial sponsors on transactions across a diverse range of industry sectors. Each year we recruit ten trainees and you will be joining a team of over 170 lawyers based in London’s iconic Gherkin building. We look for people who have a genuine interest in private equity and transactional legal work as well as individuals who are self-motivated, driven and ambitious. We have a track record of promoting our associates to partner after six years; our aim is to provide all our lawyers with an accelerated career path, the best technical and deal experience, and client development opportunities. On top of the essential academic qualifications, we’re interested in individuals who can demonstrate initiative and who have the confidence and ambition to thrive in an environment that places no limits on how successful you can be.
At Kirkland, we have close-knit deal teams of partners and associates. As such, all our lawyers get the opportunity to work across every aspect of a transaction, right from day one. This will give you full exposure to how deals come together and a greater appreciation of the importance of the tasks that you will be involved in. With an understanding of the big picture, you will quickly become an integral part of the team, putting forward ideas and finding solutions to complex legal and deal issues. Kirkland is a place where individual thinking is encouraged and where the view of each lawyer is respected. Everyone gets fully involved and takes ownership of their work to achieve the best result for the client. But don’t take our word for it…read on to learn more about the experiences of one of our trainees and two of our associates, and apply for our Vacation Scheme and experience it for yourself. We look forward to meeting you. Join a firm that is highly successful, entrepreneurial, energetic and fun.
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“There’s almost no trainee role. You just dig in and do it.”
“We operate small teams which means everyone has a role and our trainees gain exposure to everything that goes on.”
Trainee
What if YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE TEAM From day one?
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“You learn here by doing and as a trainee you have to show you want to be involved.” “You’re given problems to solve which makes you feel part of the team immediately.”
We believe in giving our trainees ready access to associates and partners because it means you hear about the work going on and the role you can play.
“This kind of training is challenging in some ways but there is always support there.”
Within a month you’ll be heavily involved with real deals and cases, not just listen and learn but relied upon to make a valuable contribution to the team.
“We have international work in the London office as well as working with our colleagues overseas on international projects.”
“You learn different ways of working
Graduate Recruitment Partner
when you’re involved in deals for international clients.”
What if YOU WANT TO WORK FOR A FIRM WITH A STRONG INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION?
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“We’re not just an English law practice. At least half of the work we do in London is international, involving the US, European and Asian countries.”
“You have the opportunity to complete a placement overseas. It’s a good way of going outside of your comfort zone and building up relationships with other offices.”
Kirkland & Ellis is a recognised major force on the global stage, practising English, US and international law. Our global footprint of offices and international outlook means we’re trusted by many of today’s biggest global brands. The organisations we work with in London and the size of the transactions means we handle frequent matters across multiple jurisdictions. We have a reputation for managing our clients’ international objectives very effectively.
“I’ve worked on a deal that involved 11 jurisdictions.”
Trainee Yushra Raheem Graduate in Law, Queen Mary University, London
“I participated in the Vacation Scheme which gave me a really good insight into Kirkland & Ellis. I was looking for a US firm with a market leading reputation and a strong focus on private equity.”
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I graduated in law from Queen Mary University, London and started a career in banking before deciding to return to law. Having worked for a US bank I knew that the culture suited me well and that working for an international firm would give me the opportunity to work on cross border transactions. I applied for the Vacation Scheme because I wanted to know exactly what I’d been doing on a day-to-day basis if I was a trainee at Kirkland & Ellis and I discovered that you really do get stuck in straightaway. As a trainee you also have a lot of autonomy from the start. You’re given as much responsibility as you’re willing to take on, so can really get involved with a deal from start to finish. Being trusted so early on in your career can be a bit daunting but the exposure and experience you get as a result is second to none.
I’m close to completing my seat in investment funds, and have said that I’d like my next placement in financial services regulatory. They are really accommodating here. If you express an interest in a certain area of law or piece of work you’d like to get involved in, they’ll take note. In my current seat, I asked for more exposure to fund documentation and was soon given the opportunity to put together the first draft of a key fund agreement, and liaise directly with investors. Being part of a small intake means that you’re very much seen as an individual. You participate in real legal work and are encouraged to learn as much as you can on the job. At the end it means you qualify with genuine experience. They manage the gap between trainee and associate really well here.
“When you take friends up to the bar it makes you remember how cool it is!”
“There’s a different energy to transaction work, with different timelines.”
“When you apply, make sure you understand what we do and educate yourself.”
Newly Qualified
What if YOU WANT TO WORK IN ONE OF LONDON’S MOST ICONIC BUILDINGS?
“Our high-profile location in the Gherkin corresponds to the high-profile work we’re involved in.”
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Look out of the windows at Kirkland & Ellis and you’ll see the City where the big deals and transactions we’re involved in are taking place.
Go up to the top floor and you’ll really feel the buzz of working in the Gherkin. It’s one of the most admired buildings in the world for its prime location and truly distinctive shape.
Of course, it’s easy to forget what an incredible building it is when you’re busy working. But when your clients, friends and family pay a visit you’ll remember once again. We love being here. Right at the heart of things.
Training Principal RAJINDER Bassi
“Our small trainee intake each year gives us the freedom to run a less rigid training programme than most big firms. Trainees spend the majority of their time working on real deals and cases gaining exposure to partners who are working at the top of their game.”
During the first weeks at Kirkland & Ellis, all trainees participate in an induction process that introduces them to every department we have. Our aim is to ease you into working life and integrate you into the firm. Everyone will be aware of your arrival and will be looking forward to meeting you. You’re seen as a valuable new resource for partners and associates to draw on – something you need to live up to. Over the next six months there are lunchtime seminars for you to participate in, which cover different aspects of each practice area. These are delivered by partners and are the more formalised part of our training programme. They give you valuable grounding in the practice areas you can choose from for your seat rotations. Your ability to choose in which direction you take your career is another fundamental part of our approach at Kirkland & Ellis. We strongly believe that trainees who have the freedom to express and act on their interest areas will have greater commitment to their work and achieve more. This isn’t a firm for trainees wanting a career path mapped out for them. You have to carve your own. The opportunities to play to your interests are enormous and the self-starters we’re looking for will always be talking to associates and partners about the projects
going on and the work they can get involved in. Your supervisor on each seat will help you control your workload so you can deliver on all of the responsibilities you’re eager to fulfil. A desire for responsibility is one of the common threads amongst Kirkland & Ellis trainees. We’re a firm that’s happy to give it to you based on your proven ability to deliver. With our mid and end of seat reviews we give you feedback on your development and the opportunity to develop and mould your capabilities and approach in response. Feedback is a two-way street, however. An important cultural aspect of our firm is the dialogue we encourage. Doors are always open to trainees who have ideas and initiatives they want to put forward and our non-hierarchical and meritocratic approach means great ideas will be responded to far quicker than they would be elsewhere. Our responsiveness is a key feature of our entrepreneurial culture. We’re a firm that doesn’t stand still, always finding new and better ways to do things for the success of our clients, our firm and our people. So if you want opportunities in abundance, have the confidence and drive to act on them yourself, and have the personal skills you need to build a network and become part of the team, Kirkland & Ellis is a place you will flourish without question.
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“You have direct client contact early on and they’re fine with that. With the whole team involved, the client knows they’re getting a quality product.”
“Our clients are often young, very dynamic and innovative. They look to us for solutions to get their transactions done.”
Newly Qualified
What if YOU WANT TO WORK WITH HIGH-PROFILE CLIENTS FROM THE START?
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One of the exciting things about the work we do at Kirkland & Ellis is advising clients from well-known companies – businesses we see around us every day. Everything from retail companies to healthcare, real estate to hospitality. It’s not unusual for the deals we’re involved in to be covered in the business pages and sometimes the headline news. It gives all of us a lot of satisfaction – no matter how long we’ve been in the business – to know we’re operating at that level and at the top of our game.
“With the clients we have you need to be commercial, intellectual and entrepreneurial.”
“You’re quickly working with your peers in client companies in investment banks and private equity companies.”
“You shouldn’t come to Kirkland & Ellis for the sake of being a lawyer. You should want to be part of the business and commercial world.”
“You have real input into the structure of your Training Contract.”
Trainee
What if YOU WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN CAREER?
“They really allow you to determine your Training Contract yourself.”
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Training programmes at many other law firms are far more rigid and formalised than they are at Kirkland & Ellis because of the number of trainees they have in their intake.
With our smaller intake of just ten trainees each year you can express your personal interest areas and we’ll do our very best to accommodate them.
“If you take the initiative people will help you get involved and explain things.”
You can get involved in private equity work, financial restructurings, taxation arrangements on domestic and international transactions, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory and fund formation matters, intellectual property and competition issues, as well as litigation and arbitration cases. There is a lot to choose from!
“Your broad ranging induction in the first two weeks will show you the full scope of work we’re involved in. From that point onwards you can discover and choose where you want to focus most.”
Associate, Corporate Amelia Doughty Graduate in Economics, Exeter University
“Almost all of the transactions I have worked on since qualification have been multi-jurisdictional, including a deal acting for Turkey’s largest private equity fund who were selling a Turkish asset to a Korean buyer, and a Swiss fund acquiring an African asset from a seller in Dubai.”
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I joined the firm with eight other trainees and chose to qualify into the corporate team as I enjoyed transactional work and wanted to be involved in a prestigious market-leading team. Corporate private equity work is challenging, high-profile and involves talented clients from businesses in all industries and sectors. Working in this environment will stretch your intellect and make you more than just a lawyer. Kirkland & Ellis is definitely entrepreneurial and this manifests itself in lots of ways. You’re very autonomous straightaway and there’s flexibility about when and how you work. Kirkland is the type of firm which attracts self-motivated people who have drive and ambition. Whilst you are expected to take ownership of your work and get given a lot of responsibility, there are always other associates and partners around to support you. The partners and associates are all incredibly bright and it is inspiring to be surrounded by such self-motivated and ambitious people.
All the attorneys and staff are friendly and personable which contributes to high morale in the workplace. As an associate you have your own office with amazing views across the city of London. In my first few months of being a newly qualified solicitor, I travelled to Istanbul and Dubai for transactions which were in the headlines. It was really exciting to travel and I was given exposure to a lot of high-quality work as a result. I also spent six months in the Hong Kong office as a trainee which was a great experience. you. The firm’s clients need us to be responsive at all hours when deals are busy so you have to enjoy what you do. If you’ve demonstrated your commitment and interest to a particular practice group, the firm will always try and accommodate your qualification choice. On qualification, it’s definitely important to choose a practice that genuinely interests
“Being in control of my own work gives me a great sense of ownership and makes me want to do it well.”
“Everyone was really welcoming and keen to help.”
Associate
What if YOU WANT
“It’s always fine to ask questions. We encourage it.”
“I play a lot of sport and I’m able to train before work.”
A FIRM WHERE PEOPLE REALLY MATTER?
“We place a lot of trust in our trainees to understand and manage their own work, which for the kind of people we hire is very motivating.”
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Pursuing a career in law and working for Kirkland & Ellis is challenging but everyone here is behind your success, whether that’s your supervisor on each seat, associates you collaborate with or partners who share their knowledge and expertise. Our open culture gives you access to everyone and through regular progress meetings you can share any concerns as well as discuss your ambitions. We also give you the freedom to manage your own time, so you can deliver what’s been asked of you and fulfil your interests and commitments outside of work.
NINE practice areas to choose from when you join Following your two-week induction, which includes the Professional Skills Course (PSC), you will have four six-month placements. Corporate and debt finance are our largest practice groups so it’s compulsory to do a seat in both of those teams. Other seats available are: INVESTMENT FUNDS Restructuring INTERNATIONAL Arbitration AND Litigation Anti-trust and Competition FINANCIAL SERVICES Regulatory TAX TECHNOLOGY AND IP TRANSACTIONS The seminar programme we run for the first six months of your contract covers five primary practice areas in detail, building on the skills you learned on the Legal Practice Course, while also introducing new topics. There are also opportunities for soft skills training, as well as the chance of a placement overseas for those interested in experiencing Kirkland & Ellis in New York or Hong Kong.
Post-qualification training
Your training and development does not stop after your traineeship. We continue to invest in your professional development through regular lunchtime seminars and workshops. Many of these are tailored specifically to the work of the London office, such as corporate and finance update sessions and fund formation training. In addition, you will follow certain sessions from the Kirkland Institute, our firm-wide training programme, including topics like:
What if YOU WANT SUPERIOR TRAINING ACROSS
Execution of documents Navigating an SPA Board decisions and directors’ duties
MULTIPLE PRACTICE AREAS?
Finance for deal lawyers Financial promotion issues Dealing with listed companies At Kirkland & Ellis your career is our business, so we are focused on helping you become the best lawyer you can be.
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Rewards & benefits First year trainees receive a starting salary of £46,000 and this rises to £50,000 in the second year. We partner with the University of Law for your GDL and LPC. We pay all your fees and provide an £8,000 maintenance grant for each course.
Start your training on our Vacation Scheme.
On top of that we also offer: Private medical insurance travel insurance Private life insurance Pension scheme Employee assistance plan Dental plan Access to a private medical clinic
FREE BREAKFASTS Discounted gym membership
Before joining our firm as a trainee, you can get to know us on our two-week Vacation Scheme. It’s designed to give you valuable hands-on experience across a range of practice areas, as well as crucial insights into how our London team operates. We offer around 20 vacation placements each year, throughout June and July, and on top of training participants enjoy a busy social calendar, as well as £500 per week expenses. Most importantly you come away with a crucial network of contacts.
Cycle to work scheme CHILDCARE VOUCHERS EMERGENCY CHILDCARE SUBSIDISED LUNCH
“Take the time to have a proper dig around to learn more about what we do.”
“Graduates need to show us why they’re right for this firm.”
Graduate Recruitment Partner
What if ALL THIS IS POSSIBLE?
“We want inquisitive people who are always asking, is this the best way of doing things.”
“We’re a young, modern firm looking for self-starters who’ve figured out through their research that they like the kind of work we do.”
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When we interview we look for graduates who’ve got to know our business and understand the kind of work we do. Then we look for their excitement about doing it. There are common traits among the people we hire. Intelligence, focus, a commercial outlook. They’re independent and capable of managing themselves. But we also look for personalities that will fit with our open culture, mix well with our clients and engage fully with colleagues at all levels of the firm.
“Show that you’re capable of interacting with senior people at the top of their game.”
These are the people who will make partner at around six years pqe.
Associate, Finance Sam Sherwood Law, Nottingham University
“I joined Kirkland & Ellis having trained at another law firm. I was attracted by the big deals and the truly international nature of the work.”
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I know from conversations with my peers in other law firms that you can get far more responsibility as a junior qualified lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis than you do elsewhere. You can really forge your own career but also get all the necessary support when you need it. This firm operates an accelerated track to partnership. They help you learn as quickly as possible by giving you lots of exposure to different clients and deals. If you put the hard work in you can become a partner after six years. In my first year I had the opportunity to spend two months in our Hong Kong office. I was working on a deal with a client in Australia and it made sense to be in a closer time zone. It was fantastic getting to know my colleagues in Hong Kong.
I was working on incredible deals from day one and had a real sense I was part of a firm working at the top of the market. That’s very motivating and makes you even more passionate about your work. Whether you want to train here or, if like me you join from another firm, you have to be genuinely interested in private equity and have an understanding of what it involves. Enthusiasm is essential, as is self-motivation. You’re treated like an adult, with the responsibility that goes with it, so you have to be driven. Moving to Kirkland & Ellis has been the best career choice I could have made.
“We love finding the right people for our firm.”
The application timeline below applies to both law and non-law students who are currently studying at university and wish to apply for the Vacation Scheme and Training Contract at Kirkland & Ellis.
Graduate Recruitment Partner
penultimate-year law student
13 TH Jan 2017 deadline for summer vacation scheme JAN / FEB 2017 INTERVIEW FOR vacation schemes Current FINAL-year non law student
13 TH Jan 2017 deadline for summer Vacation Scheme JAN / FEB 2017 INTERVIEW FOR Vacation Schemes
What if ALL OF THIS BEGINS WITH US?
JUN / JUL 2017 ATTEND Vacation Schemes 14 TH JUL 2017
JUN / JUL 2017 ATTEND vacation schemes 14 TH JUL 2017
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DEADLINE FOR Training Contract APPLICATIONS
DEADLINE FOR Training Contract APPLICATIONS
Summer or AUG 2017 INTERVIEWS FOR TRAINING CONTRACT Sept / OCT 2017 Commence final year at university Sept 2018 or JAN 2019 Commence LPC
Summer or AUG 2017 INTERVIEWS FOR Training Contract
Sept 2017 Commence GDL
We’re recruiting ten trainees for 2019, with vacancies open to both law and non-law students and graduates.
Sept 2018 or JAN 2019 Commence LPC AUG 2019 COMMENCE Training Contract
Applications for our 2019 Training Contracts close on 14 th July 2017 and the interviews will take place in the summer that year. The deadline for applying for our summer Vacation Schemes is 13 th January 2017.
AUG 2019 COMMENCE Training Contract
All applications should be made via our website ukgraduate.kirkland.com
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