Starting salaries at Kirkland are $160,000 and are based on a lockstep system.  Bonuses at the firm are individualized and based on billable hours and the usual “subjective factors,” including quality of work, pro bono, business development, and overall contribution.  The firm is typically a market leader in terms of bonus amounts, and associates who bill more than 2,200 hours are compensated with bonuses often double the market amount.  Associates who bill fewer than average hours usually still receive bonuses, but at below-market levels.  Members were generally happy with their bonuses for 2010, but note that “if the market sets a dinky year-end bonus, K&E will not far exceed it even though they could based on partner profits.”  In 2010, 92% of associates received bonuses that surpassed the Cravath bonus scale, and over half of associates received bonuses at least twice as much as the Cravath scale. The firm also matched Cravath's top-of-the-market 2011 spring bonuses, except that the firm is not paying any spring bonus to the Class of 2010 associates and Class of 2009 law clerks who joined the firm in 2010.  In December 2011, many associates received bonus amounts that were at least double the 2011 Cravath year-end bonus scale. 

Kirkland operates on a free-market system in which associates are responsible for soliciting their own work, with the expectation that they will eventually settle into relationships with particular partners.  There are no set departmental rotations, but junior associates are free to try out other groups.  While this entrepreneurial approach allows associates to "run [their] own show," it also means that associates need to be assertive to get good work, because there is no assigning coordinator.  While some Lateral Link Members view the free-market system as a "boon" to associates, others feel that it "leads to inequities" and "does not function as well in a slow economy."  Relationships with partners “go a long way” in the free-market system; Members complain that “partners pick ‘favorite’ associates early,” and they lament the “political staffing of assignments.”  Several Members wished that there were a more “centralized” system and an assigning partner to ensure the even distribution of work was more equitable.  With the exception of bankruptcy associates, if an associate's own practice group is slow, he or she is expected to take on work in another practice area.  

Kirkland prides itself on its formal training program, known as the Kirkland Institute for Trial Advocacy, or KITA.  KITA includes a multi-day boot camp for first-year associates during which new litigators conduct a mock lawsuit before a live jury.  Corporate associates take part in the Kirkland Institute of Corporate Practice, with in-depth sessions covering various areas of corporate law.  Overall, Lateral Link Members say the firm’s formal training programs are “stellar” and among the “biggest selling points for the firm.”  However, while all Members agree that the firm's litigation training is "great," some say its transactional training programs are "less well-developed."  However, one Member explains that while there may be “lots of training…working on deals is what provides for real growth, and the work assignment system means some associates get a lot of experience and some lose out when there is not enough work to go around.”  According to Lateral Link Members, the firm's formal mentorship program is lacking, and associates need to "reach out to develop mentoring relationships" on their own.   One Member notes that “mentorship is a bit thin, which is perhaps to be expected at a ‘free-market firm,’” but also points out that “mentors should be all the more available if you don’t have an assigning partner.”

Kirkland operates a number of programs to encourage diversity and attract the best and brightest diverse legal talent to the firm, including its Diversity Fellowship Program, in which second-year law students holding offers to join the summer associate program can apply for a $15,000 stipend by submitting a personal statement about the contributions they would make to Kirkland’s diversity mission as a whole.  Since the program’s inception in 2004, Kirkland has awarded 68 fellowship grants totaling over $1 million.  In addition, the firm was named by Yale Law Women as one of the “Top Ten Family Friendly Firms” in 2010 and 2011. 

The firm laid off between 15 and 25 non-equity partners in its Chicago office in 2008, and in September 2009, Kirkland laid off numerous associates, primarily first- and second-years, in its New York, California, and Chicago offices.  Most of the associates agree that things are getting busier at Kirkland and the firm is definitely in hiring mode in several offices.  Morale has improved since the economic meltdown, but Members say it is “not as bad as it was, but not great.”  Despite the mediocre morale level at the firm, many Lateral Link members do describe the firm overall in positive terms.  “K&E is a true meritocracy, and there are limitless opportunities for early experience,” says one Member.  Several others commend the “relaxed atmosphere,” a high degree of autonomy, and a refreshingly non-hierarchal structure.

The firm has no face time requirement, and Lateral Link Members report that it is "not an issue" and that they are free to work remotely, as long as they are "responsive."  However, this can be contingent upon the practice group an associate is in with one M&A associate noting “success [at the firm depends] on building and developing working relationships with senior people.”  Weekend appearances in the office are generally unnecessary, and Members say that when duty calls on a holiday, associates can work from home.  The firm recently made the switch to an unlimited vacation policy, and attorneys may now take vacation days at their discretion, subject only to overall performance expectations.  Lateral Link Members say most attorneys take between two and three weeks of vacation, during which time they are expected to be responsive to emails and emergent needs.  It is rare, say Members, for planned vacations to be cancelled.  The firm also offers ten weeks of paid parental leave for the birth of a child as well as six weeks of fully paid leave within 12 months of adopting a child.