Kirkland Opens in Hong Kong

Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced today that it has opened an office in Hong Kong.  The international law firm recently received final regulatory approval and moved into new offices in the ICBC Tower of Citibank Plaza, in the heart of Hong Kong's Central financial district.

Private equity partner David Patrick Eich, who has relocated from London, will lead the office.   Mr. Eich was instrumental in establishing the Firm's European transactional practice and played a key role in the global team which recently closed the $10.2 billion leveraged buyout of Philips Semiconductors on behalf of a consortium of private equity funds, one of the largest private equity deals ever completed. 

Mr. Eich will be joined by partner Chuan Li and senior associate Tai Hsia from Kirkland's Chicago and London offices, respectively.  Both have extensive private equity experience and are fluent in Mandarin.  The Hong Kong team is bolstered by more than 20 lawyers from Kirkland's U.S. and European offices with Asian deal experience and cultural ties.

"Having an office and resident partners in Asia is a priority for Kirkland & Ellis," said Thomas D. Yannucci, Chair of Kirkland's Firmwide Management Committee.  "China is the fastest-growing economy in the world and an area where many of our clients are already active."

"Private equity is now a global business and our blue-chip buyout clients expect the same sophisticated legal support in Greater China and the rest of Asia that they demand elsewhere," Mr. Eich said.  "We aspire to use our extensive experience in global private equity to become a premier private equity law firm in Asia."

Kirkland regularly represents more than 200 private equity firms and has raised more than $140 billion for financial sponsors in the last 10 years.  The Firm's private equity practice has been recognized by legal publisher Chambers & Partners as one of the best in the world and topped mergermarket's league table for the most private equity deals handled by a law firm in 2005.

About Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is an international law firm with more than 1,200 lawyers located in Hong Kong, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.  The Firm is renowned for its ability to handle complex legal issues, particularly in its core practices of private equity, restructuring, tax, intellectual property and litigation.