Mr Stefan Atkinson > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York has ‘a pre-eminent M&A defense litigation practice and has done a great job recruiting young talent from Delaware‘. Advising on deal structures and strategies at the pre-litigation stage to achieving successful outcomes at trial, the firm has extensive experience handling cases arising from mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism issues, proxy contests, tender offers, leveraged buyouts, and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) transactions. The firm is known for its presence in the private equity market, but it also advises many financial sponsors and corporates in key industries such as pharmaceuticals on transaction-related cases. Standout partners Sandra Goldstein, Matthew Solum (who is known for ‘great presence, outstanding judgment and comprehensive knowledge‘) and Yosef Riemer are highly regarded; ‘their breadth of experience gives them exceptional judgment‘. Up-and-coming partners Stefan Atkinson and, in Washington DC, Joshua Rabinovitz also have outstanding reputations in deal-related litigation. Atkinson helped secure a trial victory in Delaware for private equity house Antin Infrastructure Partners in a matter concerning the purchase of middle-market Florida telecom company OpticalTel.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is known for its ‘tough and aggressive’ approach to litigation, and clients note the firm’s ‘deep subject matter expertise’. The firm is particularly active for clients in the private equity and alternative asset management sector, but its work also reflects companies from a broad range of industries, including retail, aviation and aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, energy, hospitality, and technology. Sandra Goldstein in New York and Mark Filip in Chicago are standout partners. Goldstein acted for 3G in class and derivative actions concerning Kraft Heinz and its $15.4bn writedown of assets, as well the disclosure of an SEC investigation. The main hub of the practice is in New York, where up-and-coming partner Stefan Atkinson, who has played key role in the firm’s work on SPAC-related cases, and Matthew Solum stand out. Atkinson led the defense of a class action against Instructure. Joshua Rabinovitz and James Gillespie are the principal practitioners in Washington DC.