Kirkland & Ellis LLP vs. Paul Hastings LLP
Category by category. Sources: Vault 2027, Am Law 200 FY2025, and reported Chambers records from the years shown.
Who Wins Each Category
Each row stands on its own. There is no overall winner; weigh what matters to you.
| Category | Kirkland & Ellis | Paul Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Higher pay winsTie | $225,000 | $225,000 |
| Higher wins | $11.12M (wins this category) | $8.33M |
| Lower rank wins | #6 (wins this category) | #21 |
| Lower rank wins | #1 (wins this category) | #22 |
| Higher wins | $10.56B (wins this category) | $2.68B |
| More lawyers wins | 4,145 (wins this category) | 1,500 |
| OfficesMore offices wins | 27 (wins this category) | 24 |
| Nationwide, Chambers USA 2026More Band 1 tables wins | 26 tables (wins this category) | 11 tables |
| 2L OpensSummer 2028Earlier date wins | Opened Nov 1, 2026 | Opened Oct 15, 2026 (wins this category) |
| 1L OpensEarlier date winsNot Comparable | Opened Nov 1, 2026Summer 2027 (1L stint for 2L offer holders; apply once for the 2L summer) | Expected fall 20262028 1L program |
Sources: Vault 2027 and Am Law 200 FY2025 rankings, Chambers USA 2026, first-year pay as each firm or the market reports it, and program dates from firm career pages on the Job Board. Missing data reads Not Reported and never counts as a loss.
Full Comparison
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Est. 1909
- Paul Hastings LLP
Est. 1951
Est. 1909
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a 2,000-plus-attorney global firm, Vault #6 / Am Law #1. Jurisdiction-specific Chambers rankings include Band 1 in Antitrust, Asset Management M&A, and Banking & Finance. Operates from 27 offices worldwide.
Est. 1951
Paul Hastings LLP is a 1,000-plus-attorney firm, Vault #21 / Am Law #22. Jurisdiction-specific Chambers rankings include Band 1 in Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, and Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt. Operates from 24 offices worldwide.
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP#6
- Paul Hastings LLP#21
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP#1
- Paul Hastings LLP#22
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP65 records
- Paul Hastings LLP21 records
- #6
- #1
- 65 records
- Vault rank
- #21
- Am Law rank
- #22
- Reported Chambers Band 1 records
- 21 records
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$225,000
- Paul Hastings LLP$225,000
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$11.12M
- Paul Hastings LLP$8.33M
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$10.56B
- Paul Hastings LLP$2.68B
Revenue per lawyer
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$2.55M
- Paul Hastings LLP$2.11M
- $225,000
- $11.12M
- $10.56B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $2.55M
- First-Year Comp
- $225,000
- Profits Per Partner
- $8.33M
- Firm revenue
- $2.68B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $2.11M
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPNot Reported
- Paul Hastings LLP2,000
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP6 years
- Paul Hastings LLPNot Reported
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP1.2:1
- Paul Hastings LLP2.4:1
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP~4,150
- Paul Hastings LLP~1,500
Offices
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP27
- Paul Hastings LLP24
- Not Reported
- 6 years
- 1.2:1
- ~4,150
- Offices
- 27
- Billable target
- 2,000
- Partnership track
- Not Reported
- US associates per partner
- 2.4:1
- Firm size (rounded to 50)
- ~1,500
- Offices
- 24
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPNot Reported
- Paul Hastings LLP100%
Class size
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP957 (year not confirmed)
- Paul Hastings LLP131 (year not confirmed)
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPFree market
- Paul Hastings LLPCentralized staffing
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPYes
- Paul Hastings LLPCase by Case
- Not Reported
- Class size
- 957 (year not confirmed)
- Free market
- Yes
- Offer rate
- 100%
- Class size
- 131 (year not confirmed)
- How associates get work
- Centralized staffing
- Specific practice area
- Case by Case
1L program
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP1L summer program
- Paul Hastings LLP1L summer program
1L applications open
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPOpened Nov 1
- Paul Hastings LLPExpected fall 2026
2L applications open
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPOpened Nov 1
- Paul Hastings LLPOpened Oct 15
2L deadline
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPNot announced
- Paul Hastings LLPNot announced
- 1L program
- 1L summer program
- 1L applications open
- Opened Nov 1
- 2L applications open
- Opened Nov 1
- 2L deadline
- Not announced
- 1L program
- 1L summer program
- 1L applications open
- Expected fall 2026
- 2L applications open
- Opened Oct 15
- 2L deadline
- Not announced
Green marks the stronger for the same practice, market and year. Shared results are listed once. split some top tables.
Shared rankings
Rank differences
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 5
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 2
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 4
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 2
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 5 · Elite
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 2
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 5 · Elite
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 4 · Elite
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 2
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 3
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 1
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 4
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Paul Hastings LLPBand 2
Firm-only and additional rankings remain available on each firm profile so missing coverage is not mistaken for a head-to-head loss.
See which of these firms are open on the Job Board
Data sources: Vault 2027, Am Law 200 FY2025, and reported Chambers records from the years shown. Chambers record counts can span years and reporting coverage varies; missing years or markets are not compared. Current Chambers bands were checked against each firm’s Chambers profile on Sep 26, 2026; where Chambers splits a table, every Elite firm ranks above every Highly Regarded firm. Missing values read “Not Reported”.
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- Sullivan & Cromwell vs. Kirkland & Ellis
- Sullivan & Cromwell vs. Paul Hastings
- Kirkland & Ellis vs. Davis Polk & Wardwell
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Firm data comes from each firm’s own publications, Chambers USA and Vault; see Kirkland & Ellis and Paul Hastings for sources and dates.