Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced today that one of the industry’s leading young private equity lawyers, Laura Steinke, has joined the Firm as a partner in New York.

“Laura is an extremely talented and fast-rising star in the private equity legal world,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “This is another example of Kirkland continuing to invest in our platform in order to attract market-leading talent. We’re very excited to have Laura join us.”

Ms. Steinke’s practice focuses on representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in the structuring and negotiation of leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, strategic investments and dispositions.

“Laura represents some of the most prominent private equity sponsors in the world, and has built a reputation as a go-to advisor for complex deals,” said Peter Martelli, a corporate partner in the New York office and a member of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “We are thrilled to welcome her to our team.”

Ms. Steinke was one of eight lawyers profiled in a 2019 Business Insider story about the “must-know deal lawyers advising private equity firms” and who are the future of the profession. In 2020, she was recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” by IFLR1000. She holds a degree from The University of Queensland, and joins Kirkland from the New York office of Ropes & Gray, where she was a partner.

Kirkland has the largest and most active private equity practice in the world, serving more than 500 private equity sponsors and generating the largest deal flow of any law firm. With approximately 260 partners focused on private equity M&A around the world, Kirkland‘s global platform continues to attract the industry’s brightest talent, such as Ms. Steinke. The Firm consistently ranks #1 for legal advisers to private equity buyouts in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and was named “Private Equity Law Firm of the Year” by Chambers & Partners for its 2021 USA Awards.