Kirkland & Ellis, the world's highest-grossing law firm, will stop voluntarily providing its revenue and profit figures to the media, the firm confirmed in a move first reported by the Financial Times in October 2026.

The decision marks a break from the Chicago-founded firm's long-standing practice of supplying financial results to outlets including The American Lawyer, whose annual Am Law rankings depend on voluntary disclosures.

Why is Kirkland pulling out of voluntary reporting?

The firm reportedly told the FT that the disclosures provided little "meaningful value" to clients and warned that appearing in online rankings "could incentivise quantitative metrics over qualitative strengths".

The shift follows a record-breaking 2025 for Kirkland. The firm became the first law firm in history to break the $10 billion revenue barrier, posting $10.6 billion (£7.9 billion) for the year.

Average profit per equity partner (PEP) climbed 20% to $11.1 million (£8.2 million) — the equivalent of almost £22,500 a day on average.

What remains publicly available?

The withdrawal does not remove all of Kirkland's financial information from public view. Two points matter for practitioners tracking the firm's finances:

• As a US private partnership, Kirkland has no legal obligation to disclose its global results.
• Its UK business will continue to file accounts with Companies House, preserving a partial window into the firm's operations.

The practical consequence: legal market analysts, rival firms and journalists will lose access to the firm-level global revenue and PEP figures that have anchored industry league tables. Rankings such as The American Lawyer's will either carry estimates, omit the firm, or rely on the UK statutory filings alone. Recruiters and clients benchmarking compensation against Kirkland's published results will need to turn to those Companies House accounts and market estimates.

Is Kirkland alone in this?

No. The firm joins a small but notable group moving away from voluntary financial disclosure:

• Freshfields — the Magic Circle firm announced in July 2023 it would stop publishing its financial results.
• Mishcon de Reya — confirmed in 2023 it would no longer disclose its PEP figure, arguing the metric was not particularly useful for its business.

The trend suggests top-tier firms increasingly view headline financial metrics as a distraction from client-facing messaging, even as those numbers reach record levels.

What does this mean for the London market?

Kirkland's London operation remains a major destination for junior lawyers. According to the Legal Cheek Firms Most List, the firm offers up to 15 training contracts in London, with candidates applying directly through its training contract application process.

Pay at the firm is unaffected by the reporting change: first-year trainees earn £70,000, rising to £75,000 in their second year, while newly qualified solicitors earn £175,000.

For now, Kirkland's $10.6 billion year stands as the last fully disclosed figure — and the first in the profession to cross the $10 billion line.