Kirkland Snags 20-Plus King & Spalding Mass Tort Litigators (1)

Kirkland & Ellis poached more than 20 litigators, including 12 partners, from King & Spalding in a move to bolster the firm’s mass tort and product liability defense capabilities.

Partners Kristen Fournier, Kim Bueno, Morty Dubin, and John Ewald lead the group and began at Kirkland over the last week, according to two sources familiar with the moves. A total of 23 lawyers have committed to joining the firm from King & Spalding, one of the sources said. Kirkland leaders are in talks to grow the group to close to 30 partners, associates, and counsel in the coming weeks, the sources said.

One of the lawyers was promoted to partner at Kirkland as part of the move, bringing the total number of new Kirkland partners to 13, according to a third source. A representative for King & Spalding wished the group well.

“Following another year of significant growth, we have continued the strong momentum for Kirkland’s litigation practice in 2025, both in terms of results and in the world-class talent we have brought on board,” litigation partner Andrew Kassof, a member of Kirkland’s executive committee, said Tuesday in a statement announcing the hires.

The group joins a product liability and mass tort trial team led by partner Allison Brown, a former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom partner who jumped to Kirkland in Philadelphia in January. Fournier said in a LinkedIn post announcing the move that partnering with Brown was a “personal career goal 8 years in the making.”

Members of the group have experience representing major pharmaceutical companies, like Johnson & Johnson, according to their online profiles. They join in Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, and New York, according to the announcement from the firm Tuesday.

Fournier, who served as co-chair of King & Spalding’s toxic and environmental tort litigation team, coordinated the defense for Johnson & Johnson in litigation in which the company was accused of producing talcum powder products that caused mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. Fournier also served as the lead defense counsel to a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that was accused of producing a prescription drug, Elmiron, that was linked to issues with users’ vision.

“It is an honor for our team to join Kirkland during such a remarkable run of success and expansion for the firm’s litigation department,” Fournier said.