Kirkland Launches Nashville Office Focused on Litigation Growth

Kirkland & Ellis is launching an office in Nashville, hoping Music City will help the world’s largest law firm continue the growth of its litigation practice.

The firm is opening with four litigation partners, Tara Blake, Matt Smith, Paul Rosenblatt and Travis Swearingen, Kirkland said in a release on Tuesday. It plans to add more lawyers, and is focused for now on complex commercial disputes, class actions, product liability and mass tort matters. Blake, for instance, has represented Johnson & Johnson in a baby powder lawsuit and its subsidiary Ethicon in a pelvic mesh trial, according to her law firm bio.

“Our launch in Nashville is part of our aggressive nationwide growth strategy in litigation, which we intend to continue in 2026,” Andrew Kassof, a litigation partner and member of Kirkland’s executive committee, said in a release. “As a litigation department, we’ve never been stronger, and talented litigators in Nashville will bring additional skill and depth to our team.”

Kirkland’s Nashville office will also have transactional lawyers, the firm said.

The firm in recent years has been expanding across the country, viewing smaller markets as a way to expand its talent base to serve national clients. It has opened in Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Miami, and Austin, Texas.

Kirkland has been adding litigators at a pace unmatched by any of its rivals, Bloomberg Law reported last year. Its litigation business is now running at a $3 billion revenue clip on an annualized basis.

“Nashville offers an ideal environment for our continued growth by enhancing our ability to attract exceptional legal talent in a vibrant and growing city with talented lawyers and a strong law school community,” said Jon Ballis, chairman of Kirkland’s executive committee.

Nashville has attracted a number of Big Law firms in recent years, and Tennessee is considering changes allowing non-lawyers to own law firms, a change that would make it one of only a few states to eliminate rules limiting ownership to lawyers.