Jon Ballis is Chairman of Kirkland & Ellis, one of the world’s premier law firms with 7,000 professionals, including more than 4,000 attorneys in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Kirkland’s ethos is to provide the highest quality legal advice and unparalleled client service.
As Chairman, Jon is responsible for establishing and executing upon Kirkland’s strategic priorities, including advancing business initiatives and promoting a culture of elite performance, collaboration, collegiality and continual improvement.
Commitment to these values has helped Kirkland become widely recognized as one of the leading professional services firms in the world with market-leading practices across private equity/M&A, investment funds, litigation, energy/infrastructure, restructuring and real estate.
Kirkland has also earned industry recognition for workplace culture, including placing #1 with a perfect score on Leopard Solutions’ 2024 Law Firm Index, which evaluates more than 5,800 law firms based on a variety of metrics including financial stability; attorney hiring, promotions and retention; diversity and more. The Firm has also been recognized on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Law Firms to Work For,” Newsweek’s “America’s Greatest Workplaces,” and Seramount’s “Best Law Firms for Women and Diversity” lists, which consider factors such as compensation, benefits, work-life balance, job stability, and opportunities for professional development and career progression.
Deeply committed to giving back to its communities, Kirkland also devotes hundreds of thousands of hours each year to pro bono legal work and provides significant financial contributions to over 1,500 charitable and civic organizations each year.
Jon joined Kirkland as a partner in 2005 and served in a variety of leadership roles before being named Chairman of the Firm in 2020. Over his more than 30-year career, he has been recognized as one of the leading private equity M&A attorneys in the United States and has represented many of the world’s top private equity firms.
Jon’s passion and commitment to excellence carries into his philanthropic activities and board positions. He is a member of Chicago’s Civic Committee, the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Economic Club, Legal Aid Chicago’s Justice Circle and Northwestern Hospital’s Board of Directors.
Jon has acted as a guest lecturer for classes and organizations at Harvard Law School, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and the University of Chicago Law School.
