Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kirkland & Ellis LLP runs an extremely active, high-volume fund formation practice which is turned to by a varied client base of flagship funds across middle-market and smaller businesses, as well as leading private equity firms and international investors. The group offers a comprehensive fund formation and investment management practice within which the group’s work on GP-led secondaries and continuation funds is a point of distinction, having represented several sponsors on closings of continuation vehicles in 2024. This is an area of strength for Daniel Lavon-Krein, who is co-head of the firm’s strategic GP practice and leads the overall team alongside Erica Berthou. As well as European-focused funds, Berthou has significant experience with emerging markets fund formation, covering all major emerging markets. Lavon-Krein focuses on complex minority investments in existing firms, a strength of the wider group, as well as being heavily involved in control and strategic transactions. Elsewhere, Katrina Rowe‘s fund formation practice is notably broad, encompassing compliance and regulatory work, so she is key team member in this regard. Sean Malone is key on the transactional side, often advising private equity sponsors on minority investment transactions. Andrew Wright is a veteran when it comes to assisting fund sponsors and a range of industry sector related funds, while Katie St. Peters in Chicago is trusted by leading global asset managers. Susan Burkhardt joined the firm from Clifford Chance in April 2025. All named lawyers are based in New York unless stated otherwise.