Kirkland & Ellis LLP vs. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP vs. Sidley Austin LLP
Category by category. Sources: Vault 2027, Am Law 200 FY2025, and reported Chambers records from the years shown.
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Est. 1909
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Est. 1884
- Sidley Austin LLP
Est. 1866 · Chicago
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. 1884
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a 2,000-plus-attorney global firm, Vault #10 / Am Law #10. Jurisdiction-specific Chambers rankings include Band 1 in Asset Management M&A, Banking & Finance, and Capital Markets: Debt & Equity. Operates from 16 offices worldwide.
Est. 1866 · Chicago
Sidley Austin LLP is a 2,000-plus-attorney global firm, Vault #11 / Am Law #6, founded in Chicago, IL. Jurisdiction-specific Chambers rankings include Band 1 in Accountant and Auditor Liability, Banking & Finance, and Capital Markets: Securitization: ABS.
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP#6
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP#10
- Sidley Austin LLP#11
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP#1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP#10
- Sidley Austin LLP#6
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP65 records
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP22 records
- Sidley Austin LLP29 records
- #6
- #1
- 65 records
- Vault rank
- #10
- Am Law rank
- #10
- Reported Chambers Band 1 records
- 22 records
- Vault rank
- #11
- Am Law rank
- #6
- Reported Chambers Band 1 records
- 29 records
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$225,000
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP$225,000
- Sidley Austin LLP$225,000+
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$11.12M
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP$8.57M
- Sidley Austin LLP$5.97M
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$10.56B
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP$3.55B
- Sidley Austin LLP$3.74B
Revenue per lawyer
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP$2.55M
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP$2.02M
- Sidley Austin LLP$1.83M
- $225,000
- $11.12M
- $10.56B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $2.55M
- First-Year Comp
- $225,000
- Profits Per Partner
- $8.57M
- Firm revenue
- $3.55B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $2.02M
- First-Year Comp
- $225,000+
- Profits Per Partner
- $5.97M
- Firm revenue
- $3.74B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $1.83M
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPNot Reported
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPNot Reported
- Sidley Austin LLP2,000
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP6 years
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPNot Reported
- Sidley Austin LLPNot Reported
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP1.2:1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP3:1
- Sidley Austin LLP1.9:1
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP~4,150
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP~2,000
- Sidley Austin LLP~2,300
Offices
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP27
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP16
- Sidley Austin LLP20
- Not Reported
- 6 years
- 1.2:1
- ~4,150
- Offices
- 27
- Billable target
- Not Reported
- Partnership track
- Not Reported
- US associates per partner
- 3:1
- Firm size (rounded to 50)
- ~2,000
- Offices
- 16
- Billable target
- 2,000
- Partnership track
- Not Reported
- US associates per partner
- 1.9:1
- Firm size (rounded to 50)
- ~2,300
- Offices
- 20
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPNot Reported
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP100%
- Sidley Austin LLPNot Reported
Class size
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP957 (year not confirmed)
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP265 (year not confirmed)
- Sidley Austin LLP198 (year not confirmed)
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPFree market
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPCentralized staffing
- Sidley Austin LLPFree market
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPYes
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPNo
- Sidley Austin LLPCase by Case
- Not Reported
- Class size
- 957 (year not confirmed)
- Free market
- Yes
- Offer rate
- 100%
- Class size
- 265 (year not confirmed)
- How associates get work
- Centralized staffing
- Specific practice area
- No
- Offer rate
- Not Reported
- Class size
- 198 (year not confirmed)
- How associates get work
- Free market
- Specific practice area
- Case by Case
Green marks the stronger for the same practice, market and year. Shared results are listed once. split some top tables.
Rank differences
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 3
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 4
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 2
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 1
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 4
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 4 · Elite
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 1 · Highly Regarded
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 3
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 3
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 3
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 2
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin LLPBand 3
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPBand 1
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPBand 1
- Sidley Austin 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.
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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”.