Renowned Kirkland & Ellis Partner Leaves To Start Advisory Firm
Jon Henes, one of the top restructuring, crisis management, and corporate governance lawyers in the United States has announced that he will leave Kirkland & Ellis to start his own advisory firm. Mr. Henes has worked at Kirkland & Ellis as a partner for nearly 20 years.
His new venture will be a strategic advisory firm that will focus on the intersection of law, business, social justice, politics, and diversity. Mr. Henes started working at Kirkland & Ellis in September 2001 and played a key role in setting up the firm’s New York office and the firm’s restructuring group which has over 200 attorneys around the world. In his decades of practice, he has helped numerous private and public companies through transformative restructuring and other corporate transactions. His clients come from a range of sectors including automotive energy, technology, media, printing, radio broadcasting, healthcare, television, publishing, and airlines.
Apart from his work in the legal sector, he has also devoted his time towards working for philanthropic causes and political endeavors. He served as the National Finance Chair for Kamala Harris’ Presidential Campaign, the Co-Finance Chair for Jaime Harrison’s Senate campaign, and the Co-Finance Chair for Ray McGuire’s Mayoral campaign. He also co-founded the Foundation for Education in Honduras in June 2014. He also works on the Boards of Directors of the Heart of Alzheimer’s Caregiving, CaringKind, and the Partnership for New York City. A Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, he completed his law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University in 1996.
Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee said, “Jon has been a terrific partner, stellar legal advisor and great friend for many years. We’ve watched as his interest and energy for politics, policy and philanthropy have continued to grow, and it’s very exciting to see him pursuing his passions fully with this new venture. We wish him nothing but success as he goes forward.”
Edward O. Sassower, a restructuring partner and member of Kirkland’s Executive Committee said, “Jon and I have been business partners and close friends for over 20 years. Jon’s countless contributions over those past two decades towards helping us build the preeminent and market-leading restructuring practice cannot be overstated. While I’m saddened to see Jon leave the Firm, I’m beyond excited for him as he embarks on a new adventure and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with him for many years to come.”
Commenting on his latest decision of leaving Kirkland and starting his own firm, Mr Henes said, “Kirkland is a community of remarkable lawyers who practice law at the highest level. I have been privileged to work with so many dedicated partners, associates and support staff at the firm for two decades. Over the past few years, in addition to my work at Kirkland, I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in the world of politics and policy, opening my eyes to the critical business need for helping CEOs navigate the convergence of business, finance and law with social justice, diversity, inclusion and politics. It is bittersweet to leave my Kirkland colleagues, many of whom I think of as family, but I’m excited to embark on this new chapter of my career.”