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

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

944 reviews

3.0

Oct 27, 2009

Big firm;

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

pay was great; nice locale

Cons

attitude & expectations were a bit ambitious

1.0

Oct 18, 2009

Great training, but terrible place to work

second year associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The training opportunities are amazing. Take advantage of them as much as possible and then go to a place where they don't try to run you ragged.

Cons

No transparency with management. No sense of collegiality. Everyone you work with believes they own ever single minute of your free time. No longer a leader for compensation.

4.0

May 24, 2009

Great opportunities come at a cost.

Mid-level associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Opportunities for significant experience and client contact early. Hands-off, independent work environment. Formal training programs. HIstorically at top of market for salary and bonus. New building (Chicago) is a significant improvement over former headquarters. 1 to 1 billable hours credit for pro bono work. No minimum for billable hours. Unlimited time off. Prestige

Cons

Impersonal. Little social interaction. Little emphasis on team or network-building. Very little communication from management about health of the firm, policy changes, future prospects, etc. (Suspect this is strongly affected by advent of Above the Law and other law blogs) Below-market benefits; stingy expense policy.

Viewing 940 - 942 of 944 Reviews

Jobs at Kirkland & Ellis

Senior Administrative Coordinator

Guest Services Representative (11am – 7pm EST)

Guest Services Representative (11am – 7pm EST)

Practice Assistant / Legal Secretary