Kirkland & Ellis Poaches Four-Partner Team From Goodwin Procter

Kirkland & Ellis has hired a four-partner investment funds team from Goodwin Procter, the second time Kirkland has poached such a team in three months.

James Donohue, a Boston-based deals lawyer, leads the group. He advises private equity and venture capital funds and management companies on investment vehicle formation and regulatory issues.

Kirkland presents “a world-class platform for private equity,” Donohue said in a firm statement.

The announcement Monday follows Kirkland’s move revealed in February to hire a five-person investment funds team from Goodwin. After a slowdown in legal work following historic demand, Goodwin was among firms in early 2023 that laid off some associates, paralegals, and other professional staff.

Chicago-founded Kirkland is the largest law firm by revenue, bringing in $7.2 billion last year, according to rankings by the American Lawyer. Goodwin, founded in Boston, ranked 16th, with more than $2.2 billion.

The other lawyers moving to Kirkland include Washington, DC-based Mirela Hristova, who focuses on large- and mega-cap private equity funds; Michelle Kim of New York who represents real estate and private equity fund sponsors; and Joseph Baron of Houston, whose private equity fund sponsor work includes fundraising, structuring, regulatory and compliance.

The group “has tremendous experience in helping some of the world’s largest private equity firms with sophisticated fund formation, operation and management issues,” said Erica Berthou and Daniel Lavon-Krein, partners and members of Kirkland’s executive committee, in a statement.

Goodwin said in a statement, “We wish Jim, Mirela, Michelle, and Joe the best.”