Chicago Office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP Earns LEED Silver Certification

The Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP achieved a LEED Silver Certification for its 650,000 square foot office interior. Kirkland's Chicago office is one of the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) commercial interior projects in the United States.

Developed by Hines Interests LLP and completed in 2009, the core and shell of the building located at 300 North LaSalle are LEED Gold Certified.

"Kirkland & Ellis is honored to achieve LEED Silver Certification, a demonstration of the partnership's commitment to advancing sustainability goals," said Kirkland Executive Director Douglas O. McLemore. "As a global law firm, we have a responsibility to lessen our environmental impact and to advocate green initiatives within and outside the Firm. Our efforts benefit our community and our employees while reducing operational costs."

The LEED rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to rate the environmental performance of buildings and interior spaces. The rating system measures building performance in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design process.

The LEED system helped Kirkland design and build a healthy office environment—the first of many efforts to make the Firm a more environmentally sustainable organization. Throughout its offices, Kirkland uses Energy Star-certified office equipment and procures paper that is sourced from recycled paper or responsibly managed forests. The Firm implemented a mandatory dual-sided printing policy in several offices, and materials with recycled content, such as floor tile, carpet and furniture are used throughout the Firm's office space.

The Firm has created the Kirkland Green Team, a group of attorneys and staff working to assess Kirkland's environmental impact and to structure opportunities to reduce this impact. The team will also partner with clients and external organizations to advance the Firm's green initiatives.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, corporate and tax, restructuring, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.

USGBC and related logo is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used by permission.