Is Kirkland & Ellis a good company to work for?

Kirkland & Ellis has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on over 1,017 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) , Associate Attorney (22) , Paralegal (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

(943 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 943 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

943 reviews

3.0

Nov 15, 2021

Another company that just doesn't get it

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is good (until you do the math of salary/hour but if you don't have a family or don't like your family, this is a good place to work.) IT keeps up with new technology so always learning new things The people you work with are intelligent and generally easy and fun to work with

Cons

Long hours Making everyone come back into the office even though we proved to be more effective at home High stress Making everyone come back into the office even though we proved to be more effective at home OOOOOLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDD hardware/technology. Using a laptop that is almost 10 years old. It's embarrassing really to bring out in public. Biggest law firm in the world and stuck using a laptop built for Windows 7 Did I mention aking everyone come back into the office even though we proved to be more effective at home

2.0

Sep 19, 2019

Demanding , chaotic & very unfriendly environment

Legal secretary/paralegal

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

*Excellent salary *Excellent comprehensive benefits package *Extensive continuing training classes *Once hired, ability to interview for and shift to different positions within the firm (provided the attorney assignments don't practice age discrimination)

Cons

While not outright age discrimination, one cannot mistake the signs of effectively being pushed out the door if still working here past full retirement age. They will make your job as miserable as possible so you will just quit. This is especially disconcerting for seasoned employees who have given the firm more than 20 years of dedicated loyal service.

4.0

Mar 30, 2017

Please get rid of the dead-weight secretaries!

Administrative staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to learn, attorneys are nice, great perks, pay and opportunities to learn about different practice areas. Nice Office location, free breakfast and a well stocked community fridge on every floor. 401k and good pay.

Cons

Old timer secretaries who have been here forever while coasting through their jobs. They are an outdated, slow, and unwelcoming group of people. It seems like the longer they have been here, the more they think they can get away with.

Viewing 10 - 12 of 943 Reviews

Jobs at Kirkland & Ellis

Senior Administrative Coordinator

Guest Services Representative (11am – 7pm EST)

Guest Services Representative (11am – 7pm EST)

Practice Assistant / Legal Secretary