Assistant Managing Attorney

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we are united in our ambition and drive to move forward. We share core values that help us achieve excellence: collaboration, talent empowerment, service, inclusion, respect and gratitude. Our people are our greatest asset, and we invest in the brightest talent and encourage a diversity of perspectives and strengths to create dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their field. Our talented professionals show up every day knowing they will engage in meaningful work, continuous learning and professional development.
 
As one of the world’s leading law firms, we serve a broad range of clients with market-leading practices in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and alternative asset management; restructurings; high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation; and government, regulatory and internal investigations. We handle the most complicated and sophisticated legal matters because we don’t just meet industry standards, we create them. We bring innovation and entrepreneurialism to every engagement and, as a result, have long-standing client relationships with leading global corporations and financial sponsors. With 6,500 employees (including 3,500 lawyers) operating from 20 offices across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we are one of the largest law firms in the world and a top financial performer.

Essential Job Functions

As an Assistant Managing Attorney (“AMA”) at Kirkland, you will be responsible for providing high level legal analysis with respect to complex procedural and strategic issues in state and federal courts and matters before regulatory agencies.  The AMA will also oversee the day-to-day operations of the Chicago Managing Attorney staff, ensuring court filings, calendaring and other litigation-related tasks are completed in compliance with applicable rules and practices.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Advise attorneys, paralegals, and staff on a wide range of procedural issues and strategic concerns arising in all stages of the litigation process in state and federal courts;
• Perform detailed analysis of federal, state, and local rules of procedure; conduct legal research.
• Provide institutional knowledge to the firm’s litigators, paralegals, and staff on best practices and customs;
• Providing advice to litigation attorneys, paralegals, and staff regarding forms of pleadings and interpretation of court rules in local and remote jurisdictions;
• Applying initiative and ingenuity, manage, supervise, and train other members of the CH Managing Managing Attorney’s Office (“MAO”);
• Applying advanced procedural/technical knowledge and superlative experience, proactively supervise and structure the CH MAO;
• Perform advanced procedural/technical research on behalf of case teams, train and advise other attorneys at the firm on same;
• In conjunction with the New York Assistant Managing Attorney, supervise monitoring of the firm’s docket and calendar systems, including via the maintenance of due dates and calculation of such dates;
• Communicate with various court and agency personnel to ascertain information regarding status of motions and applications; confirm conference and hearing dates online and with court personnel;
• Coordinating and performing court services functions, which may include some or all of the following: researching and retrieving of court documents in paper and electronic databases; reviewing and filing of client and firm court documents in paper and electronic form.  Coordinating the service of process of subpoenas and other jurisdictional documents;
• Filing responsibilities may consist of maintaining an awareness through the case calendar and other means of upcoming filing deadlines, communicating the deadlines to the litigation team in advance, assisting the Managing Attorney in coordinating the staff and resources needed for timely submission/filing;
• Receiving service of subpoenas, researching proper recipients, and coordinating with Kirkland’s Subpoena Intake staff for proper handling and disposition of the subpoena;
• Coordinating the court and bar admissions for the office, communicating to attorneys and practice assistants, directing the data collection and verification process, and establishing workflows for addressing incoming and departing attorneys' admissions; maintaining electronic court filing (ECF) credentials;
• Reviewing daily court filing alerts for client and business development purpose;
• Using Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, Courtlink, and other research platforms to provide high level legal research with respect to procedural and strategic issues across many jurisdictions;
• Researching and communicating new developments concerning court rules and procedures.
• Working with the Managing Attorney to develop and present attorney and staff training programs. Participating in orientation of new local office attorneys and staff;
• Coordinating with other areas and departments of the firm where overlap exists to develop efficient procedures and communications, which streamline processes and satisfy various department needs;
• Completing special projects on various issues as needed.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Extensive knowledge of federal and state procedural rules and practices. Familiarity with New York and/or Washington D.C. federal and state procedural rules and practices preferred.
• Highly proficient in searching for and retrieving information from court-related databases (e.g., PACER, Bloomberg Law, LexMachina) and other on-line sources of case information.
• Familiarity with docket management software (e.g., CourtAlert, eDockets, CompuLaw or equivalent).
• Must be highly knowledgeable regarding litigation practice in the relevant court systems and their rules and be able to quickly and accurately determine which filings and documents trigger future deadlines.
• Must be comfortable and familiar with locating, accessing, and navigating various court websites and databases.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Excellent presentation skills.
• Ability to multitask and perform at a high-level in a fast-paced working environment.
• Ability to provide excellent client service. Receptive and responsive to client needs. Solution-driven.
• Ability to effectively collaborate and develop productive working relationships with team members, administrative groups, and clients (both internal and external).

Qualifications & Requirements

As an Assistant Managing Attorney, you will be expected to apply your organizational and communication skills while displaying a positive, high-energy attitude. The successful Assistant Managing Attorney must have advanced knowledge of applicable court rules and procedures, and be able to apply court rules in multiple jurisdictions quickly, efficiently, and in a manner which instills confidence and ensures risk management. The ideal candidate will have the ability to articulate complex court rules and calendaring issues in a comprehensible, accurate, confident, and concise manner, as well as the analytical skills needed to correctly comprehend and convey complex legal principles. The Assistant Managing Attorney must have well-developed and professional interpersonal skills, high-level customer service skills, strong project management and organizational skills, and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion. The successful candidate will have proficiency with CompuLaw and/or CourtAlert, with PC applications including MS Office, and with Bloomberg, Westlaw and Lexis, and other applicable legal research software, to research complex procedural issues. The Assistant Managing Attorney must have proven leadership skills.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
 

A J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school is required, as well as current bar admission in the State of Illinois.    Experience as a litigation associate or other related experience is preferred.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

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