Kirkland & Ellis hires Rachael Coffey as Partner

Kirkland & Ellis hires Rachael Coffey as Partner

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has roped in Rachael Coffey as Partner in the New York Corporate Practice Group.

Job A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland's Executive Committee, said, "Rachael is a rising star in M&A, and her talents will be an asset to our top-tier strategic M&A and private equity platform. Her broad range of transactional experience will be invaluable to our clients across the Firm."

Rachael's practice will focus on guiding companies, activist defence, private equity sponsors on M&A transactions and other important corporate matters. She will represent special committees and the Board of Directors in disputed situations. Eric Schiele, Corporate Partner and member of Kirkland & Ellis' Executive Committee, said, "Rachael is an outstanding lawyer — a pragmatic, creative, business-oriented professional that gets deals done for her clients. She's one of the leading young M&A attorneys, and we are excited for her to join our team in New York."

Law 360 named Rachael a "Rising Star" and The Deal named her among the "Top Women in Deal making" in 2021. She was also recognized as a "Rising Star" among M&A lawyers by The Deal in 2020. Her work in Corporate/M&A was recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. Rachael said, "What Kirkland has built in the public M&A space is very impressive. I look forward to joining Kirkland's tremendously talented M&A team, which is known for its energy and creativity in leading high-profile and complex transactions." Previously Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York, Rachael holds degrees from Georgetown University Law Center and Princeton University. The M&A Practice Group at Kirkland remains at the forefront of important, cutting-edge transactions across all major industries. The practice was named "US Cross-Border M&A Legal Advisory Firm of the Year" at the North America Mergermarket awards 2021 among other awards and accolades. The New York team has around 30 partners focused mainly on public company M&A, including hires in the last five years such as Jonathan Davis, David Klein, Edward Lee, Eric Schiele, and Rachael.

Kirkland is the consistent market leader in terms of numbers and deal value. Mergermarket ranked Kirkland #1 and #2 for both global and U.S. in the first half of 2021. The firm's US M&A Attorneys have represented public companies in deals totalling around $685 billion over the past three years.