Kirkland & Ellis Adds 13 Litigation Partners, Led by Kristen Fournier, Kim Bueno, Morty Dubin and John Ewald

Kirkland & Ellis announced today the addition of 13 litigation partners, led by nationally renowned product liability and mass tort litigator Kristen Fournier, acclaimed trial lawyers Kim Bueno and Morty Dubin, and environmental, products and mass tort litigator John Ewald, all of whom bring decades of experience leading complex, multidistrict litigation and high-stakes trials across the country. All four join Kirkland from King & Spalding along with nine additional partners from New York, Austin, Houston and Los Angeles.

“Kristen, Kim, Morty, John and their successful team are deeply experienced and widely recognized litigators in the product liability and mass tort space. Adding them to the large team led by Alli Brown, with whom they’ve worked side-by-side for years, continues the exciting trajectory of our industry-leading litigation practice,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee.

The team’s move to Kirkland represents the latest in a string of prominent additions for the Firm’s litigation department. In total, Kirkland has added over 100 litigators so far in 2025 with its litigation team winning 12 significant trials during the same period.

“Following another year of significant growth, we have continued the strong momentum for Kirkland’s litigation practice in 2025, both in terms of results and in the world-class talent we have brought on board,” said Andrew Kassof, a member of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “We are thrilled to welcome this incredible team of partners to the Firm.”

Kristen Fournier is among the most distinguished mass tort litigators practicing today. She provides state-of-the- art defense strategies to companies facing high-profile, high-risk matters, often with billions of dollars at stake. Based in New York, Ms. Fournier is ranked Band 1 in Chambers USA for Nationwide Toxic Tort and is also ranked in Product Liability & Mass Tort. The Legal 500 US hails her as “an ‘outstanding trial lawyer,’ who is ‘very talented at developing, implementing and organizing national strategy.’”

Kim Bueno, based in Austin, Tex., is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has served as lead trial counsel in jurisdictions across the country – most recently securing a complete defense verdict in a three-week jury trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Particularly known for her work in high-profile pharmaceutical and medical device trials, Ms. Bueno also advises clients on complex matters involving mass torts. She has been recognized by Chambers USA, which notes that Kim is “highly sought after for her strength in product liability litigation, with considerable expertise handling pharmaceutical and medical device cases,” The Legal 500 US, and other publications.

Morty Dubin, based in New York, is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and leads high-stakes trials in nearly every jurisdiction in the country – most recently winning a complete defense verdict in a six-week trial in California. Mr. Dubin has been regularly selected by Benchmark Litigation as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the U.S. and has been ranked nationally for Products Liability & Mass Torts by Chambers USA, including a Band 1 ranking for Toxic Torts.

John Ewald, also based in New York, is a nationally recognized trial lawyer most known for his work in emerging toxic and environmental tort cases, including class actions and mass torts alleging injuries from facilities’ air emissions. Mr. Ewald has been consistently recognized for his work in toxic tort litigation by publications including The Legal 500 US.

“It is an honor for our team to join Kirkland during such a remarkable run of success and expansion for the Firm’s litigation department. We look forward to collaborating with colleagues both new and familiar to deliver best-in-class service from first filing through trial, across every dimension of these complex matters. We couldn’t be more excited to join forces at Kirkland,” said Ms. Fournier.