Dallas dealmaker Dilen Kumar has jumped from Kirkland & Ellis to Katten, the firm announced on Monday.
Kumar represents private equity firms and public and private companies across a variety of industries in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, carve-outs and investment transactions.
The 2009 Columbia Law School graduate worked in the White House Counsel’s Office for 15 months before returning to Dallas as an associate at Weil. He has since moved to three different Chicago-founded firms – Winston & Strawn, Kirkland and now Katten, which reported $33.4 million in revenues from its Dallas office last year according to the Texas Lawbook 50.
“We’re excited as can be,” Mark Solomon, managing partner of Katten’s Dallas office, said. “We’ve worked across the table from Dilen and know him personally, too. He’s somebody we’ve had our eye on for a long time. He’s a great lawyer and a great person.”
Solomon also pointed to Kumar’s commitment to diversity and civic involvement. Kumar is the co-chair of the Texas Minority Counsel Program and was the diversity and pro bono coordinator for Kirkland’s Dallas office.
In January, Kumar helped lead Dallas private equity firm ORIX Capital Partners-backed Specialty Welding in its purchase of Hydroprocessing Associates.
Kumar elaborated on this next step in his career in a Q&A with The Lawbook.
The Lawbook: Why did you make the move to Katten?
Kumar: Katten is a firm that is widely respected as a leader in private equity transactions generally and especially in middle market deals. Moving to Katten is an opportunity to be part of this tremendous platform and to continue to provide best in class counsel to clients.
Additionally, there’s a very talented group of attorneys in Katten’s Dallas office like Mark Solomon and David Washburn and others who I have known for years and who have deep ties in the North Texas business and legal communities. They are a tight-knit group that, like me, thrive on collaboration and creativity and so I felt that made for a good, solid partnership. It’s also exciting to join an office that is experiencing tremendous growth in such a short time.
What was equally important was Katten’s commitment to move the needle on the DE&I front. It’s clear the firm values initiatives and programs to help support and advance diverse attorneys and strengthen the pipeline for young talent, and that aligns with the work I’ve done at previous firms and through the Texas Minority Counsel Program.
The Lawbook: What are one or two of the most interesting deals you have handled in the past year and why?
Kumar: I worked on several acquisitions for one of the world’s largest private equity firms in the technology and software spaces over the past year. These deals involved unique challenges because of extremely competitive auction processes, and I learned a lot about digitally savvy companies and innovative data and AI solutions.
I also worked on a sale of an iconic luxury retailer as part of a restructuring process. This transaction was interesting because it involved working with many well-known fashion houses and I had a lot of one-on-one interactions with the general counsel as we navigated many complex agreements as well as cybersecurity issues.
The Lawbook: What are the emerging trends or interesting developments are you seeing in your M&A/PE practice?
Kumar: I have seen a greater focus on technology and innovation as targets for acquirers (both strategic and PE) which led to highly competitive auction processes in these sectors that required speed and efficiency from advisors and business teams. The second is a prioritization of ESG factors in evaluating targets, which I expect will continue to grow.
The Lawbook: What were your highlights from serving as assistant counsel in the White House Counsel’s office during the Obama administration?
Kumar: During my time at the White House Counsel’s Office, my portfolio included working on judicial nominations. As part of that, I had the opportunity to be part of the team that managed the nomination and confirmation of Justice Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. I will always consider it a highlight of my career to have been able to witness first-hand her nomination by President Obama, to assist with preparations for her hearings and then to sit in the hearing room during her confirmation, and to attend her investiture at the Court. My colleagues from that time were all incredibly accomplished attorneys and public servants and it was a privilege to learn from them and work with them.
The Lawbook: Please describe the projects/cases/efforts you were involved in as diversity and pro bono coordinator for Kirkland’s Dallas office.
Kumar: I had the honor of working on pro bono matters for The Boys and Girls Clubs and on an asylum matter with Sanctuary for Families. These matters were very rewarding experiences for me and served to further my legal skills.
I also worked to help create a broad array of pro bono opportunities for attorneys to participate in and I’m pleased to find that Katten also has a robust pro bono program that will enable me to continue to serve the Dallas community and those in need of legal representation.
With respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, I truly valued my work on the firm’s racial justice initiatives and local programming, recruiting and retention efforts and hope to get involved in a similar capacity at Katten.
The Lawbook: What are your biggest takeaways from co-chairing the Texas Minority Counsel Program?
Kumar: Great strides have been made in diversity, equity and inclusion over the last decade and I believe that more firms and companies are making this a priority, which is encouraging. However, there is still a lot of progress to be made when it comes to retention of senior associates and the transition to full equity partnership for diverse attorneys. TMCP is an award-winning program and grows in popularity every year. It continues to evolve to provide innovative opportunities for business development, education, and networking while also increasing pipeline efforts. It has been rewarding to see diverse attorneys benefit from TMCP. I think organizations like TMCP remain important drivers of the conversation on these topics and play a vital role in spurring ongoing innovations.
The Lawbook: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Kumar: This is an exciting time for me and my career. I look forward to working with the talented and entrepreneurial team at Katten, working hard for my clients so their businesses find continued success and further developing my practice for years to come.