That site is hilarious (edit: the site is not hilarious; rather, that particular thread is hilarious. To be clear, layoffs writ large do not amuse me). The amount of breathless butthurt directed at Kirkland is incredible. Here's a gem:Sackboy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:13 pm(1) Don't abuse anon.
(2) As I've said elsewhere, nothing on that site indicates anything other than business as usual at Kirkland. Kirkland is always losing "partners" to other firms, because it has an army of non-equity partners that are searching for equity or even a better non-equity partnership gig elsewhere. As for the league table posts, firms are constantly sliding up and down league tables. Having any strong opinion about a direction of a firm based on a quarterly or even half-year league table is nothing short of reactionary. I'm sure that site is useful to catch some stealth layoffs, but it's yet to really identify anything abnormal at Kirkland. The particularly bad thing about a site dedicated to posting exclusively layoffs and laterals AWAY from a firm is that it's going to look like EVERY firm is trending towards stealth layoffs or financial instability. I am not privy to Kirkland finances and do not work there, but I would be very surprised if they aren't doing very well financially despite the pandemic.
Apparently putting up with screaming partners for your meager six figure salary or getting stealthed is equivalent to being murdered in broad daylight by the police. And that's an upvoted post. The lack of perspective is truly astounding. And of course, not a single mention about how Kirkland is absolutely eating every other firm's lunch when it comes to debtor-side BK billing. The numbers are already staggering, and the BK wave is just getting started.So Jon A. Ballis, Chairman, Global Management Executive Committee of Kirkland & Ellis has sent an email out to the firm decrying the “disgust and outrage” he feels for the mistreatment of George Floyd. He also mentions the “fear, anxiety and distress” faced by minorities.
Whilst working to promote the causes upheld by the #BLM campaign and promoting social justice and equality are very noble causes, the e-mail coming from Jon Ballis, and Kirkland more broadly, could not be more hypocritical and dishonest. Just shows how low this firm will go.
In writing the letter, Jon Ballis is very accurately describing the culture and abuse that people at Kirkland & Ellis face on a daily basis coming from management, partners and many others at the firm. The culture of “fear, anxiety and distress” are those very same feelings that this firm encourages and promotes within its ranks in order to improve its financials. Jon Ballis and many others would do well to look themselves in the mirror and feel the disgust and outrage as a result of the hardship they inflict on so many people working at Kirkland & Ellis.
That said, it would not surprise me at all if Kirkland is stealthing people in underperforming groups. I would be surprised if they didn't. The place is run like a F500 company that gives zero shits about traditional biglaw norms, I would not expect anything resembling loyalty or compassion there. You either prove your value or you get the boot, end of story. I assume people know what they're getting themselves into when they accept offers there; if they don't, they should've done their due diligence.
I'll happily take any corrections though, because I'm saying this all from an outsider's perspective.
