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.
North America - United States • M&A/corporate and commercial
Kirkland & 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.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The most connected, smartest, most articulate, hardworking team.’
‘Solution providers, creative.’
‘The team I typically interact with includes Doug Gessner, Jeremy Liss, and Matt Arenson. All are incredible: Great partners, market approach to negotiation/problem solving, and collaborative approach. I would highly recommend this team.’
Key clients
- AE Industrial Partners
- Apax Partners
- Ares Management
- Bain Capital Private Equity
- BC Partners
- Blackstone Inc.
- Brookfield Asset Management
- The Carlyle Group
- EQT Corporation
- Francisco Partners
- GTCR
- KKR
- Madison Dearborn Partners
- Oaktree Capital Management
- TA Associates
- Thoma Bravo
- Thomas H. Lee Partners
- TPG
- Vista Equity Partners
- Warburg Pincus
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading lawyers
Peter is one of the leading members of Kirkland's corporate practice and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Focusing on mergers and acquisitions, Peter regularly represents private equity firms and public companies in their most complex transactions. Peter’s experience spans the entire range of M&A activity, including many significant leveraged buyouts, minority investments, strategic mergers, joint ventures and cross-border transactions. He also counsels public company clients on governance, securities and other corporate matters.
Jennifer Perkins is a private equity partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Jennifer represents clients in complex domestic and cross-border acquisitions and dispositions and has extensive experience representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in leveraged buyouts and other private equity investment transactions in a broad range of industries. Jennifer also advises clients on structuring, negotiating and executing minority investments in private equity and other asset management firms. Jennifer serves on the board of DOROT, a nonprofit social service organization providing a wide range of services for seniors, the board of directors of New Alternatives for Children, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance for children with special healthcare needs and their families, and is a Trustee of Larchmont Temple.