Is Kirkland & Ellis a good company to work for?

Kirkland & Ellis has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on over 1,018 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 73% of employees would recommend working at Kirkland & Ellis to a friend and 78% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Kirkland & Ellis have been left by employees working as Summer Associate , Practice Assistant and Partner .

Does Kirkland & Ellis pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Kirkland & Ellis employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Kirkland & Ellis. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Kirkland & Ellis?

73% of Kirkland & Ellis employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Kirkland & Ellis 2.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Kirkland & Ellis?

Associate (188) , Practice Assistant (50) , Legal Secretary (27) , Paralegal (23) , Associate Attorney (22) , Partner (20) , Junior Paralegal (17) , Summer Associate (17) , Attorney (16) , Intern (11) , Lawyer (11) , Legal Assistant (11) , Litigation Paralegal (10) , Project Assistant (8) , Administrative Assistant (7)

What are the pros of working at Kirkland & Ellis according to real employee reviews?

"Amazing intelligent people and great to work with" ((in 98 reviews)); "Kirkland offers great benefits... maybe even the best in the city." ((in 92 reviews)); "Pay is good and easy to interview" ((in 77 reviews)); "Salary is great that’s it" ((in 42 reviews)); "High stakes cases great training" ((in 32 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Kirkland & Ellis according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and stress!" ((in 89 reviews)); "Absolutely no work life balance" ((in 51 reviews)); "Long hours are difficult to manage" ((in 28 reviews)); "Poor management all around admin departments." ((in 25 reviews)); "Bad culture within some (not all) teams." ((in 22 reviews))

What are employees saying about Kirkland & Ellis layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Kirkland & Ellis layoffs and their outlook for job security at Kirkland & Ellis in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Kirkland & Ellis locations?

Chicago , New York , Washington , San Francisco , Los Angeles , Houston , Boston , Dallas , Austin , Palo Alto , Salt Lake City , Newark , Alexandria , Schenectady , Brooklyn , Omaha , San Antonio , San Diego , Laurel , Miami , Wellesley Hills , Myrtle Beach , Alpharetta , United States Coast Guard - Air Station Sacramento

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Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis reviews

3.8

73% would recommend to a friend

(944 total reviews)

Jon Ballis

88% approve of CEO

78% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

3.3

Culture & values

3.3

Diversity & inclusion

2.8

Work/Life balance

Kirkland & Ellis has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 944 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Kirkland & Ellis employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Legal industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

944 reviews

1.0

Jul 13, 2016

Billing Assistant

Billing assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

great benefits, great pay. midtown location close to everything,

Cons

The manager micro managed. She has been there forever and she micro manages everything that you do from how your desk is organized to how your shoes are lined up under your desk. It is annoying and catches up with you after a while. I was happy to leave the department.

1.0

Aug 7, 2014

Run away- you do not want to work here.

Legal assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They do have decent benefits, although their salary is on the low side (you make more with overtime, but that means you have to work overtime--not worth it). And you will need those benefits (like health insurance) because this place will destroy your health and well-being

Cons

This place is horrible and will eat your soul. Do not work here; the department leadership has the wrong priorities, and "work-life balance" is a fantasy. Everyone is miserable and most of the staff feels trapped, and if you are good at your job, management will pigeon-hole you and make it impossible for you to develop your skills so that you're able to leave.

2.0

Sep 5, 2013

Mixed as Kirkland has a great reputation - the San Francisco Office Managers have Reputations too

Legal secretary

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Associates and most (but not all) staff were nice to work with.

Cons

Unfortunately most of the attorney's are very self sufficient, so legal secretaries are really glorified receptionists and their main function is to answer phones and take messages. It's what the San Francisco office likes to refer as "customer service" ??? In addition, the managers of this office have reputations that precedes them and NOT in a good way. Rather than focus on the qualities/talents and skill of their staff members, instead the managers strike FEAR into their staff and in most cases, intentially set the staff member up to fail, and then they question "why did you do that?" Ah, because that was your instruction . . . In my short time there - I was able to relate to most of the staff as they were made to suffer the same intolerable treatment.

Viewing 7 - 9 of 944 Reviews

Jobs at Kirkland & Ellis

Guest Services Representative (11am – 7pm EST)

Guest Services Representative (11am – 7pm EST)

Senior Administrative Coordinator

Practice Assistant / Legal Secretary