Law firm Kirkland opens Philadelphia office with Skadden hires

Kirkland & Ellis said on Tuesday that it hired five partners from rival U.S. law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, including Allison Brown, who will help Kirkland open an office in Philadelphia.

Brown leads the team of lawyers, focused on product liability, mass torts and commercial litigation, that are joining Kirkland in several cities, the firm said.

Partners Jessica Davidson and Christopher Cox are based in New York, and Geoffrey Wyatt and Nina Rose are in Washington, D.C.

Brown has served as lead trial counsel representing companies including Johnson & Johnson, Ethicon and Colgate-Palmolive, according to her Skadden online biography. She was not immediately available for comment.

Skadden said the firm wishes the lawyers well.

Chicago-founded Kirkland, the world's largest law firm by revenue, has more than 4,000 lawyers in more than 20 cities globally.

The firm has opened several new offices in recent years, including in Miami in 2022, and in Salt Lake City and Austin in 2021. It launched in Frankfurt in 2024 and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2023.

Some other U.S. law firms have recently looked to Philadelphia for expansion. Polsinelli opened in the city with a large group hire from Holland & Knight last year, and Goodwin Procter similarly poached a team from Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders for a Philadelphia launch in 2023.