Brian Ford, a corporate partner in Kirkland & Ellis' Los Angeles and Bay Area offices, is described as “a very, very sophisticated... attorney, who is a rising star both at Kirkland and in the wider market,” Chambers USA 2019.
Brian’s practice focuses on complex financing transactions for private equity firms, commercial lending institutions, portfolio companies, hedge funds, asset managers, alternative capital sources and other private and public companies.
Such transactions have included the negotiation, structuring and documentation of secured and unsecured financings, including senior, mezzanine and subordinated debt transactions, acquisition financings, dividend recapitalizations, debtor-in-possession, exit financings and restructurings. Brian has also advised on some of the most cutting-edge out-of-court liability management transactions and handled more than $20 billion in debt financing transactions in each of 2020 and 2021.
Brian has been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2019, in the area of Banking & Finance for California. In the 2022 edition of Chambers, a client reported that his “business judgment and ability to weigh legal and business considerations sets him apart.” According to the 2019 edition of Chambers, a client praised Brian as “phenomenal to work with in terms of driving the right result for clients on both sides” while another client stated that he had an “[understanding of] the market and where the pressure points are.” Brian was also recognized in the 2020 edition of The Legal 500 U.S. in the area of Commercial Lending, where clients noted he is “top-notch” and a “smart, responsive, and commercial lawyer who gives great advice.”
Most recently, the Los Angeles Times named Brian to its 2021 list of “Banking and Finance Visionaries” for the inaugural issue of their Banking & Finance Magazine.
