Kirkland & Ellis Opens San Francisco Office
Kirkland & Ellis today announced the opening of its San Francisco office. The new office is the Firm's sixth worldwide and second in California. Located at 333 Bush Street, the downtown San Francisco location will open its doors formally on January 2, 2003.
Stephen Johnson, 45, is a Kirkland intellectual property partner who relocated from Kirkland's New York office to lead the new office. "With major clients in the Bay Area and a history of litigating cases in the Northern District of California, there is a strong business case for opening a San Francisco office," said Johnson. "A local presence will enhance the service we provide to all of our clients with business or litigation in the Bay Area," Johnson added.
Johnson is joined by three other Kirkland partners: David A. Breach and Stephen D. Oetgen, both corporate lawyers relocating from the Firm's Chicago office, and Eric R. Lamison, an IP litigator relocating from Los Angeles. In addition, Kirkland partners Gary M. Holihan in LBOs and private equity, and biotechnology litigator Mark A. Pals, will spend a significant amount of time working with and in the San Francisco office. Both are presently based in Chicago.
Approximately 12 associates are moving to San Francisco from Kirkland's other offices across the country or arriving laterally from other Bay Area and national firms.
Kirkland & Ellis, with more than 900 lawyers, handles litigation, transactional, insolvency, and intellectual property matters from its offices in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London.