Everything’s bigger in Texas, and Kirkland & Ellis just proved that the saying applies to Biglaw offices, too.
Kirkland has officially become the largest law firm in the Lone Star State, with its Texas headcount soaring to 549 lawyers. With its lightning speed growth, there’s no doubt that the firm will soon lasso even more partners and associates. That’s not too shabby for a firm that didn’t even plant its flag there until 2014.
As noted by Bloomberg Law, Kirkland added 64 associates across its Texas offices this week, pushing the world’s largest law firm by revenue past Jackson Walker. The Texas-based firm expected to reach 533 attorneys this month and had been marketing itself as the largest firm in the state.
Kirkland is dominating attorney headcount by office across numerous markets, from New York to Chicago, and now Texas. Kent Zimmermann of law firm consultancy Zeughauser Group had this to say of the firm’s sheer scale:
A large presence by a law firm in a practice or city “tends to build profile and creates an opportunity to develop greater depth of quality,” he said in email. When a firm exceeds competition in size and profitability, “that often creates greater flexibility on compensation” and “frequently drives a talent advantage.”
Kirkland’s takeover represents quite a shift for a market historically dominated by homegrown firms like Jackson Walker, Vinson & Elkins, and Baker Botts. Those firms may have generations of Texas roots, but Kirkland has something equally valuable: a global platform, a seemingly endless supply of private equity clients, and enough money to make Biglaw partners very interested in making lateral moves.
Of course, Kirkland isn’t the only Biglaw giant betting heavily on Texas. Paul Weiss opened its first office in the state in Houston earlier this year, Simpson Thacher launched in Dallas earlier this summer, and Latham & Watkins, which has had a Houston outpost for 16 years, is reportedly considering opening up a Dallas office.
Texas-founded firms are still growing, too. Norton Rose Fulbright has 456 attorneys in the state, followed by Haynes Boone with 414, Vinson & Elkins with 391, and Baker Botts with 298. Jackson Walker continues to rely on its six-office, Texas-only game plan, hoping its local expertise can compete against national firms flooding the market.
For now, Kirkland is wearing the biggest cowboy hat in Texas Biglaw, and with 549 lawyers already on the ground, it may need an even larger one soon. Yeehaw!
Kirkland’s Texas Headcount Tops 500, Making It Largest in State [Bloomberg Law]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post Everything’s Bigger In Texas, Including Kirkland’s Biglaw Empire appeared first on Above the Law.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, and Kirkland & Ellis just proved that the saying applies to Biglaw offices, too.
Kirkland has officially become the largest law firm in the Lone Star State, with its Texas headcount soaring to 549 lawyers. With its lightning speed growth, there’s no doubt that the firm will soon lasso even more partners and associates. That’s not too shabby for a firm that didn’t even plant its flag there until 2014.
As noted by Bloomberg Law, Kirkland added 64 associates across its Texas offices this week, pushing the world’s largest law firm by revenue past Jackson Walker. The Texas-based firm expected to reach 533 attorneys this month and had been marketing itself as the largest firm in the state.
Kirkland is dominating attorney headcount by office across numerous markets, from New York to Chicago, and now Texas. Kent Zimmermann of law firm consultancy Zeughauser Group had this to say of the firm’s sheer scale:
A large presence by a law firm in a practice or city “tends to build profile and creates an opportunity to develop greater depth of quality,” he said in email. When a firm exceeds competition in size and profitability, “that often creates greater flexibility on compensation” and “frequently drives a talent advantage.”
Kirkland’s takeover represents quite a shift for a market historically dominated by homegrown firms like Jackson Walker, Vinson & Elkins, and Baker Botts. Those firms may have generations of Texas roots, but Kirkland has something equally valuable: a global platform, a seemingly endless supply of private equity clients, and enough money to make Biglaw partners very interested in making lateral moves.
Of course, Kirkland isn’t the only Biglaw giant betting heavily on Texas. Paul Weiss opened its first office in the state in Houston earlier this year, Simpson Thacher launched in Dallas earlier this summer, and Latham & Watkins, which has had a Houston outpost for 16 years, is reportedly considering opening up a Dallas office.
Texas-founded firms are still growing, too. Norton Rose Fulbright has 456 attorneys in the state, followed by Haynes Boone with 414, Vinson & Elkins with 391, and Baker Botts with 298. Jackson Walker continues to rely on its six-office, Texas-only game plan, hoping its local expertise can compete against national firms flooding the market.
For now, Kirkland is wearing the biggest cowboy hat in Texas Biglaw, and with 549 lawyers already on the ground, it may need an even larger one soon. Yeehaw!
Kirkland’s Texas Headcount Tops 500, Making It Largest in State [Bloomberg Law]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post Everything’s Bigger In Texas, Including Kirkland’s Biglaw Empire appeared first on Above the Law.
