Seven years ago this month, Kirkland & Ellis opened its first Texas office in Houston with a handful of lawyers.
Today, the world’s largest law firm by revenues now has 290 lawyers operating in Texas and that number is about to grow.
Kirkland made it official Monday that it is opening an office in Austin, which will be its third in Texas and its 16th globally.
The Chicago-founded corporate law firm now has three offices in Texas, which is more than it has in any other state. The firm’s last grand opening in Texas was its Dallas outpost in 2019, which opened with corporate as well as litigation lawyers from local firms.
Kirkland said the Austin office will start with two-dozen lawyers, including four partners, who are transferring their practices from other Kirkland offices to the Texas capital or are being hired away from existing Austin firms.
Andy Calder, who opened the firm’s first Texas office in Houston in 2014, said Kirkland’s expansion in Texas shows the state’s importance to the national and global economy.
“Austin has become a significant hub for technology, renewables and alternative energy, an area where we have leading teams and significant experience,” said Calder, who is a member of Kirkland’s executive committee. “Opening an Austin office will expand our capacity to meet clients’ needs in this rapidly evolving space.”
“An Austin office also helps us further position Kirkland as an attractive place for new and lateral lawyers who want to work in Texas,” he said.
Kirkland has leased space in the Frost Bank Tower at 401 Congress Avenue.
Four Kirkland with partners – Palo Alto corporate partner Marc Browning, Houston tax partner Stephen Butler, Houston corporate partner Kim Hicks and Chicago debt finance partner Doug Tedeschi – are relocating their practices to Austin to help launch the office.
“Our lawyers in Texas have built an outstanding platform and vibrant presence in the state. This expansion to Austin places us in a dynamic city at the center of exciting changes in the infrastructure, technology and energy sectors,” Jon A. Ballis, chair of Kirkland’s Executive Committee, said in a press statement. “We look forward to becoming an integral part of the Austin business community.”