Jon A. Ballis
Jon A. Ballis is the Chairman of Kirkland & Ellis,[1] the largest law firm in the world by revenue.[2] In 2018 Ballis was named to succeed Jeffrey Hammes as Chairman beginning in February, 2020.[3]
Jon A. Ballis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 |
| Alma mater | Lehigh University (B.A.), Harvard Law School (J.D.) |
| Employer | Kirkland & Ellis |
Early Life and Education
[edit]Ballis grew up in the Chicago area. Ballis attended Highland Park High School, where he played basketball with Jonathan Gray, now COO of Blackstone Inc.[4][5] In 1987, Ballis went to attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, graduating with High Honors in 1991. He then matriculated to Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude in 1994.[6]
Career
[edit]Ballis began working at law firm Sidley Austin in 1994 and earned partner in 2002. He joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in 2005. At Kirkland & Ellis he has concentrated on private equity deals. He has handled legal services for major private equity companies including Bain, Blackstone, Centerbridge, Cerberus, Hellman & Friedman, KKR, Madison Dearborn, Pritzker Group, Silver Lake, TPG, and Thomas H. Lee.[7][8][9]
As chairman he has continued Kirkland & Ellis's increasing focus on advising private equity deals and poaching revenue producing lawyers from other firms by incentivizing them with high pay.[10][11][12][13] Kirkland & Ellis has the second highest profit per partner of any United States law firm.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Jon A. Ballis, P.C. | Professionals | Kirkland & Ellis LLP". web.archive.org. 2024-11-23. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "The 2023 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue | Law.com International". web.archive.org. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "Kirkland & Ellis Names New Chairman to Replace Jeffrey Hammes". web.archive.org. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "While pandemic loomed, Kirkland & Ellis boomed". Crain's Chicago Business. 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "Kirkland's Blackstone Fees Slip as Legal Chief's Pay Also Falls". web.archive.org. 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "Legal 500 - Kirkland & Ellis - Jon Ballis".
- ^ "Jon Ballis". Crain's Chicago Business. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "After the hammer, a scalpel – Kirkland confirms long-groomed successor to 'visionary' chair Hammes". Legal Business. 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "Jon A Ballis". chambers.com. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ Louch, Will (2023-12-12). "Kirkland & Ellis: is it party over for the world's most profitable law firm?". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "Kirkland & Ellis hires senior Macfarlanes tax partner in London".
- ^ "Wall Street 'Nightmare' Alive as Kirkland Poaches From Wachtell".
- ^ "Kirkland & Ellis Adds Two Partners to Growing Structured Finance & Structured Private Credit Practice | News | Kirkland & Ellis LLP". www.kirkland.com. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- ^ "The 2024 Am Law 100: Ranked by Profits Per Equity Partner". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 2024-12-10.