Michael’s Career Story

Kirkland is a place where everyone is committed to providing excellent client service. I see this daily through our team-based approach of leveraging each other’s experience to deliver the best possible solution for our clients.

When considering which firms to join after law school, Kirkland stood out because every attorney mentioned that substantive opportunities are provided early on, self-starters and those who take initiative are highly valued, and you have autonomy to choose whom you work with and what matters you work on. It wasn’t just a sales pitch. These are fundamental components of what makes Kirkland the firm it is.

While the Houston office is now over a decade old, it still has the energy of a start-up company. Despite the office’s success, no one is resting on their laurels. Our leadership team has fostered a growth environment here, which is infectious. We’re all still excited to grow the office and continue building the Kirkland brand in Texas and beyond.

I immensely value the relationships I’ve built with my colleagues and clients alike, as well as the shared institutional values we aspire to live up to every day. This is a special place that attracts special people, which I think our clients recognize.

When I was a first-year associate, I was given the opportunity to work on a transaction for a client who I helped introduce to the Firm. The partners and associates surrounding me were willing to give me the chance to take on this matter and coach me through an entire deal process. People say Kirkland will give you opportunities to work on substantive matters at an early stage of your career, and that manifested for me on day one. I’ll be forever grateful for that opportunity because it accelerated my development as a corporate attorney and served as a foundational experience for me.

Kirkland is a learning organization. To be successful here, you need to be a continuous learner, as well as someone who is good at sharing knowledge with others. Kirkland makes that easy. We have incredible knowledge management resources and dedicated personnel that help our attorneys stay current on the latest practice developments. We also embrace a Firm culture of sharing knowledge among colleagues.

The most fulfilling part about working at Kirkland is the relationships I’ve formed with my colleagues. We dedicate a lot of time to this profession, so it helps to know the people on your left and right are great people, not just great attorneys.

The open assignment system is fundamental to Kirkland’s DNA. It provides a mechanism to ensure our attorneys are working on the matters they want to work on with the people they want to work with. This, in turn, helps lead to higher job satisfaction, better continuity of service and more satisfied clients.

I was an Army Ranger in a prior career. We had a creed we’d recite every day to remind ourselves that we volunteered for the job, we held ourselves to a higher standard than our peers, it was our duty to uphold the reputation of our organization, we would shoulder more than our share of the task and we would complete the mission no matter the odds.

We don’t jump out of planes or rappel out of helicopters at Kirkland, but I like to bring a little Ranger mentality with me to work every day. The values that make a successful Ranger are the same values that make a successful Kirkland attorney.