Paul Clement, Bancroft Partners to Join Kirkland & Ellis

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 12, 2016 — Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Paul D. Clement, former U.S. Solicitor General and top U.S. Supreme Court and appellate lawyer, will join the Firm as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Clement is currently a partner of Bancroft PLLC, a top appellate litigation boutique in Washington, D.C., founded by Viet D. Dinh, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy. Mr. Dinh and all of Bancroft’s 15 other attorneys, including Chris Bartolomucci, Erin Murphy, George Hicks and Jeff Harris, will also join Kirkland with Mr. Clement by Oct. 1, in time for the new Supreme Court Term.

“Paul Clement is one of the most well-regarded Supreme Court lawyers in the country, and the team he and Viet have assembled at Bancroft is truly remarkable,” said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee. “They join our premier litigation practice, which includes more than 435 lawyers around the world. Their skills and experience and Kirkland’s global platform will be a very powerful combination for clients. We are thrilled to welcome them to Kirkland.”

Mark Filip, a litigation partner and member of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee, continued: “I’ve known Paul and Viet for over 25 years, and it’s no surprise how successful and respected they are. We welcome them and their talented team to Kirkland. They make us even stronger in our ability to assist clients throughout all phases of enterprise-level challenges and opportunities, from pre-litigation counseling to the U.S. Supreme Court.”    

“The accomplishments of the Bancroft team are amazing, with 120 U.S. Supreme Court arguments, nine Supreme Court clerkships, 17 courts of appeals clerkships, and five Presidential appointments,” added Gene Assaf, a litigation partner and member of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee based in Washington, D.C. “We see immense opportunity in combining forces.”

“We are building strength on strength. Kirkland has an unrivaled litigation practice, and adding our appellate group will provide a remarkable team for our clients,” said Mr. Clement. 

Mr. Dinh added: “This is a natural combination of Kirkland as the number one global full-service firm and Bancroft as the leader in Supreme Court and appellate litigation. The fit is perfect.”

Mr. Clement, 50, has argued more Supreme Court cases since 2000 than any lawyer in or out of government. He has argued over 80 arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, including 30 cases in just the last five terms. He has also argued many important cases in the lower courts, such as NFL v. Brady.

Mr. Clement has been a partner of Bancroft since 2011. He served as the 43rd U.S. Solicitor General for three years during President George W. Bush’s administration. 

Mr. Clement’s practice focuses on appellate matters, constitutional litigation, and strategic counseling. He represents a broad array of clients in the Supreme Court and in federal and state appellate courts. He has represented all four major sports leagues and has scored important victories for them in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third and Eighth Circuits. He has initiated major administrative law challenges and constitutional litigation against the federal government. He also counsels clients on a variety of strategic legal questions, whether arising from pending legislation, government inquiries or ongoing litigation. Mr. Clement has also undertaken substantial pro bono engagements in the Supreme Court, including a 2016 victory on behalf of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, in which the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the tribe’s claims to its undiminished reservation. 

Mr. Dinh, 48, the founding partner of Bancroft, is well respected as a litigator and constitutional law expert. A leading authority on corporate governance and regulatory compliance, he has counseled corporations and their leaders on a range of transactional and governance issues. He serves on the boards of directors of 21st Century Fox, Inc. (formerly the News Corporation), Revlon, Inc., and LPL Financial Holdings, Inc.

Mr. Dinh has represented boards, committees and independent directors of public companies. He also  advises individuals and organizations on high-stakes conflicts and through existential risks. He secured an unprecedented post-indictment non-prosecution agreement for a major law firm and recently negotiated the termination of a 25-year-old racketeering consent decree against a major labor union. 

Mr. Dinh also has a distinguished record of public service. He served as U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy from 2001 to 2003, and he also successfully presented arguments on behalf of the United States before the Supreme Court. 

Bancroft has received numerous awards as a top appellate practice and has been recognized on the National Law Journal’s “Appellate Hot List” and “Litigation Boutique Hot List.”

Even before this addition, Kirkland featured one of the premier appellate practices in the country with lawyers drawn from the ranks of former federal judges and law clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. Kirkland’s appellate lawyers have extensive experience litigating in every appellate forum: the Supreme Court, all federal courts of appeals and state appellate courts.

Adding the Bancroft lawyers to Kirkland’s existing practice gives the Firm an unrivaled appellate capacity. For example, the new combined Kirkland team argued 11 cases last term before the Supreme Court for clients ranging from DIRECTV and Talen Energy to the Government of Puerto Rico and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Those 11 cases represent 15 percent of the Supreme Court’s docket  last year. 

Kirkland’s litigation practice is among the most decorated in the world, with approximately 435 lawyers in the United States, Europe and Asia. Whether in the courtroom, at the bargaining table, or by helping clients avoid risks without litigation, Kirkland has a long and proven track record of generating successful results for clients in their most high-stakes cases.

In recognition of the Firm’s achievements in litigation, Law360 named Kirkland its number one “Litigation Powerhouse” firm of 2016. The list recognizes the 50 best firms for litigation across all areas and venues. Kirkland has also been recognized many times in connection with The American Lawyer magazine’s “Litigation Department of the Year” contest.

About Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis is a 1,700-attorney law firm representing global clients in litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions, restructuring and intellectual property matters. The Firm has offices in Washington, D.C., Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Shanghai.