Kirkland & Ellis has laid off at least nine of its capital markets lawyers in Asia, where it has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, according to three sources within the firm.
The capital markets lawyers were told to attend their weekly team meetings last week in person rather than via virtual platforms. At a team meeting on February 26, 2024, Hong Kong partner Mengyu Lu said some associates were being laid off, attributing the firm’s decision to market conditions and the size of the team, which is “too big,” one person told Law.com International. The associates were also told by Lu that their release is not performance related.
