Jon A. Ballis

Chairman at Kirkland & Ellis

Jon Ballis is Chairman of the Firm’s Global Management Executive Committee, the governing body of Kirkland & Ellis.

Jon has long been recognized as one of the leading private equity attorneys in the United States by major legal publications. He has been included in every edition of Chambers USA since 2004, every edition of The Best Lawyers in America since 2006, selected as one of the top 10 private equity lawyers in the country by Private Equity Manager, and The Legal 500 U.S. selected Jon as one of only 10 private equity lawyers for its elite “Leader Lawyers” list.

Clients describe Jon as a “go-to guy in the marketplace,” a lawyer with “stellar legal judgement,” and someone with the ability “to take a big picture, strategic perspective on transactions.”

During his career, Jon has handled matters on behalf of many of the leading private equity firms in the country, including Bain, Blackstone, Centerbridge, Cerberus, Hellman & Friedman, KKR, Madison Dearborn, Pritzker Group, Silver Lake, TPG, and Thomas H. Lee.

Jon is active in a range of philanthropic activities, including serving on the Boards of Directors of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Vision for Tomorrow Foundation, an organization he co-founded in 2006 to focus on visual impairment in children.

Jon has acted as a guest lecturer for classes or organizations at Harvard Law School, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and the University of Chicago Law School.

Timeline

  • Chairman

    Current role

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