Laila M. Kassis is a litigation associate in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice includes defamation and trade libel matters, products liability and mass torts, cybersecurity and class actions and appellate litigation. She handles all aspects of litigation, with a focus on briefing dispositive, pretrial, trial and appellate issues in high-stakes matters. She has argued in federal courts across the country, including the District of New Jersey and the Tenth Circuit, and served on a trial team that secured a full defense verdict in Johnson v. Johnson & Johnson in Richland County, South Carolina.
Laila also maintains an active pro bono practice. As appointed counsel, she obtained a reversal and remand of summary judgment on a First Amendment retaliation claim on behalf of an incarcerated individual and, after defeating a motion to dismiss, favorably settled a Fourteenth Amendment claim arising from inadequate medical care for a pretrial detainee.
Additionally, Laila serves as a Fellow of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, a Fellow of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, and co-host of the Tenth Circuit Historical Society’s podcast, Tales from the Tenth.
Prior to rejoining Kirkland, Laila served as a law clerk to four federal judges.
