Kirkland & Ellis has hired Latham & Watkins’ global co-chair of private equity, Jennifer Perkins.
Based in New York, Perkins primarily acts for private equity sponsors in leveraged buyouts, dispositions and other corporate transactions.
“Kirkland has a deep bench of talented attorneys, many of whom I’ve worked with throughout my career, and has an outstanding private equity platform, which will provide me with a wonderful opportunity to continue to grow and develop my practice,” she said.
Jeffrey Hammes, the chair of Kirkland’s global management executive committee, said: “Jen is a highly skilled attorney with an exemplary reputation in the private equity space. Her commercial approach to sophisticated transactions makes her an ideal fit for Kirkland’s private equity practice and our New York office.”
Kirkland’s acquisition of Perkins comes hot on the heels of two other heavyweight hires.
In the UK, it has just brought in private equity partner David Higgins, who quit Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to become the US firm’s London co-managing partner. Higgins had been highlighted as one of the most influential members of Freshfields’ private equity practice.
Back in New York, Kirkland also scored a coup in Janaury by hiring one of Cravath Swaine & Moore’s biggest M&A rainmakers, Eric Schiele.
