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, white-collar defense 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 representing individuals in immigration and civil rights matters involving constitutional violations. Her pro bono experience includes obtaining a partial reversal and remand on summary judgment on a First Amendment retaliation claim on behalf of an incarcerated individual and, after defeating a motion to dismiss, favorably settling a Fourteenth Amendment claim arising from inadequate medical care for a pretrial detainee.
Prior to rejoining Kirkland, Laila served as a law clerk to four federal judges.
