Designed for IT

Kirkland & Ellis is an ideal example of a company that takes technology concerns seriously. Kirkland has been located in the AON Center in downtown Chicago for more than 30 years but will relocate in 2009 to be the anchor tenant in a new office tower being constructed on LaSalle Street. As tech demands grow and become more sophisticated, it has been important for the Firm to tailor the design of the new facility to meet current and future tech needs.

“We recognized from the very beginning that tech needed to be at the table when decisions about the new building were being made”, says Steve Novak, CIO of Kirkland & Ellis.  “The aim was to identify where we needed to go in terms of tech and what would be required to get us there.”

“Technology was an extremely significant part of our decision to move.” said Gregg Kirchhoefer, a Kirkland Partner and chairman of the firm’s tech committee, “Our current building, which dates from the 1970’s, was fabulous for its period but obviously wasn’t designed to accommodate the systems and technology we have today, and the costs of making it a world-class facility were prohibitive.”

This article appeared in its entirety in the February 15, 2007 edition of CIO Magazine.