Litigators of the Year 2023

The American Lawyer honored Kirkland & Ellis partner Craig Primis as a 2023 Litigator of the Year. The award recognizes litigators involved in the most complex matters facing some of the largest institutions, most well-known individuals and trending industries.

Craig was recognized for first-chairing headline-grabbing commercial cases with billions at stake. These include UnitedHealth’s trial victory in a precedent-setting case against the U.S. Department of Justice, which attempted to block its proposed $13 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare. The American Lawyer called the win a “blow to the administration’s goal of more aggressive enforcement.” Craig also successfully defended Boeing, one of the world’s largest passenger aircraft manufacturers, in multiple class actions concerning Boeing’s 737 MAX airliner. In the last 12 months, Craig also won two high-profile actions for Honeywell – a precedential False Claims Act case before the D.C. Circuit, capping off 14 years of litigation, and a trial victory concerning bankruptcy trusts brought against the NARCO Asbestos Trust.