Kirkland gift looks to build U. of C. skills

The University of Chicago Law School’s Corporate Lab, which helps students develop transactional skills, now bears the name of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

That occurred Friday after Kirkland, its foundation, partners and other U. of C. alumni donated nearly $5.5 million to the lab.

“When we think about making contributions to law schools, we would much prefer that our name be associated where we can interact with students,” said Stephen L. Ritchie, a Kirkland partner and U. of C. law graduate who helped oversee the fundraising effort.

“We appreciate the practical training that the lab provides to the students.”

Open since 2009, the Corporate Lab provides practical skills to students with the help of some of the world’s largest companies.

Kirkland clients that are Corporate Lab partners include Baxter Healthcare, IBM, Nike Inc. and Sony Electronics. Microsoft is also a lab partner.

A total of 145 Kirkland lawyers are U. of C. law graduates. In addition to the latest gift, the 1,600-lawyer firm has donated more than $8 million to the law school since the mid-1980s.

Kirkland has had a special relationship with the university’s law school for more than 50 years, said John W. Donley, another firm partner and law school alumnus.

“It’s one thing to say that we have this special relationship and pay lip service,” he said. “To me, this collective gift is a way for our partners to put our money where our mouth is and support the school in a meaningful way.”

Jeffrey C. Hammes, chairman of Kirkland’s global management executive committee, said in a statement, “We are proud to have been involved in the lab since its inception and pleased to encourage its continued development and ensure its future success.”

Dean Michael H. Schill asked Kirkland to participate in the law school’s capital campaign last year. A total of 22 Kirkland partners, including Ritchie and Donley, contributed toward the gift.

Kirkland’s foundation was created in 1982 and contributes money to charitable and law-related organizations throughout the world. The fund is supported through annual contributions by Kirkland employees, associates and partners who can have their individual charitable contributions matched through the foundation’s employee matching program.

David J. Zarfes, the Corporate Lab’s director, said Kirkland’s gift marks the largest donation to the lab.

That gift “strengthens the ties Kirkland has with the law school and helps students build skills in transactional law,” Zarfes said.

Kirkland’s gift will primarily be used for the lab’s Transactional Challenge program and speaker series.

The Transactional Challenge is an annual event at which incoming second-year law students compete against each other in corporate exercises based on real-world scenarios.

Kirkland lawyers will help to develop the problem used in the challenge and judge the competition. The firm will also host the challenge finalists at a daylong event where the students will shadow Kirkland lawyers.

The speaker series involves law firm members and in-house counsel who address the students about substantive areas of corporate law.

The ongoing relationship with the law school also helps Kirkland recruit new lawyers. Since 2012, the firm has added 52 U. of C. law graduates.

“We want to make sure it continues,” Ritchie said.