Mr Jon Ballis > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kirkland & Ellis LLP
333 West Wolf Point Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654
United States

Position

Jon Ballis is Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. He has long been recognized as one of the leading private equity attorneys in the United States, with Chambers USA recognizing him in every edition since 2004 and The Best Lawyers in America listing him in every edition since 2006. Private Equity Manager named him one of the top 10 private equity lawyers in the country and The Legal 500 U.S. selected Jon as one of only 10 private equity lawyers for its elite “Leading Lawyers” list.

Clients describe Jon as a “go-to guy in the marketplace,” a lawyer with “stellar legal judgement,” and someone with the ability “to take a big picture, strategic perspective on transactions.”

During his career, Jon has handled matters on behalf of many of the leading private equity firms in the country, including Bain, Blackstone, Centerbridge, Cerberus, Hellman & Friedman, KKR, Madison Dearborn, Pritzker Group, Silver Lake, TPG, and Thomas H. Lee.

Memberships

Civic Committee, Commercial Club of Chicago, Economic Club, Vision for Tomorrow Foundation, Illinois Holocaust Museum, Anti-Defamation League

Education

Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1994; Lehigh University, B.A., with High Honors, 1991.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)

(Hall of Fame)

Jon BallisKirkland & Ellis LLP

In addition to its diverse caseload and close relationships with leading private equity clients such as Bain Capital, Blackstone, and KKR, the team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP also cements its market-leading reputation with its ability to advise funds and portfolio companies on complex and market-defining deals. The team serves as a key player for high-value sponsor consolidations, impactful cross-border carve-outs and joint venture formations, and continuation fund transactions, among others. Jon Ballis boasts a longstanding record in the transactional private equity space and practices from the Chicago office together with growth investment expert Douglas Gessner. Key names in the New York office include leveraged buyout expert Jennifer Perkins, who works closely with KKR on a variety of investment transactions and portfolio deals, Peter Martelli, who is noted for his ability to guide clients through minority investments and joint ventures, and cross-border transactions specialist Srinivas Kaushik. Armand Della Monica is based in Boston and handles PE transactions in a variety of industry sectors, including logistics and life sciences, while the Los Angeles-based Jonathan Benloulou notably advises on asset manager M&A.