Kirkland, Private Equity Powerhouse, Sees Blackstone Fees Fall

Blackstone Inc. paid $53.4 million to law firm Kirkland & Ellis in 2022, the company disclosed in a securities filing.

The legal fees are down from the nearly $70 million that Kirkland received from Blackstone in 2021. Blackstone last year began disclosing what it pays Kirkland—the firm’s fees are not itemized—after Washington-based litigation and government investigations attorney Reginald Brown joined its board in September 2020.

Kirkland, the world’s largest law firm by gross revenue, has developed strong ties to the private equity industry and clients pursuing corporate transactions.

Blackstone said in its 10-K filing it “engaged Kirkland from ...