To: Firmwide Personnel

The disgust and outrage we all feel from watching the video of the vile and fatal mistreatment of George Floyd will stay with us forever. And tragically there have been too many other recent examples of prejudice, racism and senseless violence in our nation. These incidents—and deaths—have caused grief, pain and anger for many, but particularly for our Black community.

To our Black and other diverse colleagues, all of us stand beside you in an effort to rid our society of these gross injustices. The fear, anxiety and distress that our diverse colleagues endure in society on a regular basis make it critical that we all stand collectively so that compassion, tolerance and empathy prevail. We must all do more to support each other, now and always.

As lawyers, we have a unique position in society to make progress in the areas of inclusion and racial and social injustice. Kirkland has long been devoted to these values including through our work for pro bono clients, such as Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The National Center for Law and Economic Justice, and Strategies for Youth—organizations that seek change and improvement in diverse communities and access to justice for all. I encourage all of you to seek opportunities to assist these and other clients with similar missions to help them accomplish their goals—it is one of the privileges that attorneys have and we should use that privilege to its fullest ability.

To be blunt, our society must do better and I promise you that Kirkland & Ellis will work untiringly toward that end.

Jon A. Ballis, Chairman, Global Management Executive Committee, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Our Chairman’s Message to All Kirkland Employees

Our Chairman’s Message to All Kirkland Employees