Practice Assistant / Legal Secretary

Job ID: 8952

Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Location: San Francisco, CA, United States

Category: Practice Services/Legal Secretary

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About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don't just meet the standard for legal excellence - we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers' commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You'll Do

We are seeking an experienced, highly polished Practice Assistant to provide dedicated administrative and executive support in a fast-paced, high-performance environment. This is a highly visible, high-touch role that serves as a trusted partner to a senior attorney and requires exceptional judgment, discretion, responsiveness, and professionalism.

The ideal candidate thrives in demanding environments, anticipates needs before they arise, and can seamlessly manage competing priorities while maintaining impeccable attention to detail. Success in this role requires the ability to build credibility with attorneys, firm leadership, clients, and business professionals at all levels.

This position is best suited for someone who has previously supported senior attorneys, C-suite executives, business leaders, or other high-profile stakeholders and understands the level of responsiveness, confidentiality, and service required in those relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively manage a complex and ever-changing calendar, coordinating meetings and scheduling logistics across multiple stakeholders
• Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements, both business and personal, often requiring real-time adjustments and problem-solving
• Anticipate needs, prioritize requests, and independently determine appropriate actions on sensitive and confidential matters
• Prepare and coordinate materials for meetings, presentations, and firm initiatives with exceptional accuracy and attention to detail
• Troubleshoot administrative issues using sound judgment and escalate matters as appropriate
• Coordinate personal appointments, family travel, and other administrative matters while balancing business priorities
• Handle incoming communications and general administrative support, including filing, scanning, copying, and mail management
• Manage critical administrative and matter-related processes, including conflict checks, New Client/New Matter intake (KENI), attorney time entry (InTapp), and expense reporting (Emburse), ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to firm procedures while handling highly sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to operate in a global, fast-paced environment with a strong commitment to responsiveness, including supporting stakeholders across multiple time zones and managing time-sensitive requests beyond traditional business hours when necessary.

What We're Looking For

• Previous Executive Assistant, Practice Assistant, or equivalent experience supporting senior-level professionals
• Demonstrated experience supporting partners, attorneys, C-suite executives, or other high-level leaders in a fast-paced environment strongly preferred
• Ability to anticipate needs, think several steps ahead, and execute with minimal supervision
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and consistently meet deadlines
• Excellent judgment, professionalism, and discretion when handling confidential information
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build relationships across all levels of an organization
• Resilience and composure under pressure in a demanding, service-driven environment
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive mindset
• High attention to detail and commitment to delivering accurate, high-quality work
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Willingness to align working hours with business needs, including responsiveness outside traditional business hours when necessary

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years of legal secretarial or related administrative experience
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Word (including formatting/styles) required
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat preferred
• Strong proofreading, organizational, and multitasking skills
• Excellent communication skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities in a deadline-driven environment

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to serve as a strategic and trusted partner in a highly visible position where your ability to anticipate needs, manage complex priorities, and provide exceptional client service will have a direct impact. The role requires someone who enjoys being at the center of fast-moving activity, takes pride in making the details matter, and excels at supporting high-performing leaders at the highest level.

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in San Francisco. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

San Francisco: $61,000 - $164,000

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Firm will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records and criminal histories consistent with local laws.

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. #LI-Hybrid #LI-MK1

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