Today was Andrew LeGrand’s first day with Kirkland & Ellis from Gibson Dunn, where he practiced for 14 years.
It all started with a Zoom call on LeGrand’s daughter’s birthday on July 9. LeGrand met with Kirkland & Ellis partner Andrew Kassof and felt his vision and love for the firm were infectious. But meeting with Kirkland chairman Jon A. Ballis sealed the deal.
“In the first few minutes of that meeting, I knew I was going to join the firm,” LeGrand said.
LeGrand has represented clients like Amazon and was part of the team that secured a $46 million jury verdict for the minority owner of Cici’s Pizza last year.
“Andrew is a terrific trial lawyer and commercial litigator known for delivering results,” Ballis said in a news release. “He adds depth to our premier litigation practice and strengthens our already deep bench of experienced first-chair trial lawyers available for our clients’ most consequential cases.”
LeGrand said he is eager to get started, meet his new team and reconnect with former coworkers.
“I’m excited about working with my new partners in Dallas, like Jeremy Fielding, who is widely regarded as one of the best trial lawyers in Texas,” LeGrand said. “I’m also very excited to reunite with former colleagues Olivia Adendorff and Cristina Martinez Squiers, and to being in the trenches with so many legends of the trial bar.”
Kassof called LeGrand a “rising star entering the prime of his career and is someone we targeted as the ideal litigator to add to our team in Texas.”
“He’s a unique talent with incredible substantive skills and is beloved by everyone he works with. Andrew will continue to rise in the trial bar on our platform,” Kassof said in the release.
LeGrand earned his law degree from Columbia Law School in 2009 and his bachelor’s from the University of Oklahoma in 2004. He spent most of his career at Gibson Dunn.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support of clients and former colleagues. Everyone I spoke to about the potential move told me to trust my gut. I did just that, and I have no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision,” LeGrand said.