Many
Biglaw
firms
are
fleeing
from
China,
closing
offices
left
and
right.
Firms
that
haven
chosen
to
remain,
however,
are
seeing
their
partners
do
the
exits
for
them.
Kirkland
&
Ellis,
arguably
the
most
successful
law
firm
on
the
planet,
is
one
of
those
firms,
and
the
legal
community
has
taken
notice,
leading
many
to
wonder
if
the
firm
has
“misplayed”
Asia.
Law.com
International
has
additional
details:
Eleven
partners
have
left
Kirkland
&
Ellis
in
Hong
Kong
since
February
of
this
year.
Their
departures
follow
those
of 10
additional
partners
who
left
the
firm in
2024.Twenty-one
partner
departures
from
one
firm
in
a
single
region
in
less
than
two
years
is
noteworthy
for
any
law
firm,
even
for the
world’s
richest
and
most
prominent practice.
The
exodus
calls
into
question
the
health
and
viability
of
Kirkland’s
business
and
strategy
in
Asia,
where
it
has
long
focused
on
Greater
China
with
three
offices
in
the
region.
Kirkland
is
said
to
have
conducted
layoffs
in
its
Hong
Kong
office
last
March,
claiming
that
its
team
was
“too
big.”
Other
attorneys
in
the
area
have
pointed
out
a
reported
“noxious
culture”
at
the
firm,
where
the
name
of
the
game
for
lawyers
is
to
“kill
or
be
killed.”
An
insider
at
the
firm
claims
that
the
Shanghai
and
Beijing
offices
“have
not
been
making
money
for
a
very
long
time”
—
and
yet
the
firm
has
chosen
to
retain
all
three
of
its
offices
in
China.
For
its
part,
Kirkland
&
Ellis
doesn’t
see
a
problem.
“We
remain
deeply
committed
to
our
long-term
strategy
and
presence
in
Asia,
which
includes
fostering
a
collaborative
culture
where
our
talent
can
thrive,”
the
firm’s
spokesperson
told
Law.com
International.
Will
Kirkland
soon
become
one
of
the
next
Biglaw
firms
to
say
zàijiàn
to
its
offices
in
China?
You
can email
us or
text
us
(646-820-8477)
if
you
have
any
intel.
Thank
you.
The
Kirkland
Effect:
Has
the
Firm
Misplayed
Asia?
[Law.com
International]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
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