Kirkland & Ellis Drops Arbitration for Non-Attorney Staff

Kirkland & Ellis has dropped mandatory arbitration agreements for non-attorney staff members, several weeks after eliminating them in employment contracts for associates, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg Law.

The change comes amid mounting pressure from elite law school students leading a nationwide campaign to eliminate mandatory arbitration, which they believe hides workplace misconduct and unfairly favors employers.

Kirkland previously eliminated arbitration agreements for associates after a group of Harvard Law students urged their peers to boycott the firm’s recruiting efforts. Thursday’s policy change follows Sidley Austin’s announcement that it will be eliminating mandatory arbitration for both attorneys and ...