Description:

Our dynamic, nationally recognized Capital Markets group is looking for a motivated, collaborative Knowledge Management (KM) Associate to work closely with the Capital Markets KM Partner A.J. Million and Capital Markets attorneys throughout the firm. The candidate would help craft and execute a KM strategy spanning four core functions: training and development, substantive communications, knowledge resources, and innovation. A central and growing dimension of this role is the translation of Capital Markets expertise into AI-powered tools and workflows — working at the intersection of substantive legal knowledge and applied AI to build the next generation of resources for our attorneys and clients.

Kirkland's Market-Leading Knowledge Management Program
Knowledge Management is a key firm priority at Kirkland. KM partners are senior attorneys who are substantively strong, excellent collaborators, skilled at organizing and presenting information, intellectually curious, and energetic and enthusiastic about working with and advising others. Over 20 KM partners support different practice groups across the firm and work closely on firm-wide initiatives and projects. Kirkland KM partners proactively identify and execute on opportunities to elevate our client offerings and the development of our attorneys. KM partners exemplify the firm's entrepreneurial mindset – generating new ideas for resources, training, client materials and delivery. They are also essential to the firm's innovation efforts: KM partners significantly contribute to many innovation initiatives, including relating to artificial intelligence and data management and utilization.

Capital Markets KM Core Functions
A Capital Markets KM associate role encompasses four core functions: training and development, substantive communications, knowledge resources and innovation — with AI integration now embedded across all four.

Training and Development:
  • Overseeing the Capital Markets training curriculum, including annually auditing existing offerings, creating new trainings in response to attorney needs and substantive developments, communicating with associates regarding training opportunities and requirements, and collaborating with the Capital Markets professional development lead on the intersection of training and performance for attorneys in the group.
  • Collaborating with other KM partners on firm-wide training programs (Basic Training Academy for new first year associates, LifeCycle of a Deal for first and second year associates, Kirkland University for all associates, etc.).

Substantive Communications:
  • Proactively identifying legal and market developments, including new SEC guidance and rules, Delaware law and corporate governance practices, and market trends, and preparing effective and prompt updates to Capital Markets attorneys, both through emails and at monthly group meetings.
  • Originating ideas, organizing and preparing materials for firm-wide monthly Bring Down publication and quarterly Capital Markets Going Public Update publication, as well as periodic client alerts on important developments (e.g., publication of new SEC rules).
  • Developing resources that can be used for substantive business development activities, including pitches, RFPs, bootcamps and CLEs, coordinating closely with our Business Development team.
  • Supporting business development initiatives, including tracking and reporting on market trends, deal activity and competitive landscape developments to equip Capital Markets partners with current, data-driven insights for client pitches, relationship management and strategic planning.

Knowledge Resources:
  • Creating and maintaining common knowledge resources such as standard forms, off-the-shelf, client-ready materials and other documents that are widely distributed.
  • With the help of IT, maintaining and organizing the Capital Markets resource page, including updating relevant resources.

Innovation:
  • Partnering with the Capital Markets KM Partner and Capital Markets partners on the design, development and deployment of AI-powered tools and workflows for Capital Markets attorneys and clients — including prompt architecture, agentic workflows, and structured knowledge systems that encode and scale partner-level judgment.
  • Translating existing Capital Markets knowledge resources — training materials, standard forms, market practice guides, substantive publications — into AI-ready formats, and developing new resources purpose-built for AI-assisted delivery. Working with junior paralegal team members dedicated to AI and innovation to test, iterate and deploy these systems on active transactions. - Coordinating with the firm-wide Office of Innovation and other practice group KM partners on AI initiatives; leading adoption and rollout of new AI platforms within the Capital Markets group; tracking advances in AI capabilities and translating them into practice-specific applications; and contributing to attorney training programs that build fluency with AI-assisted practice.

KM Resources and Collaboration
Capital Markets KM associates work in close partnership with the Capital Markets KM Partner A.J. Million. There is a formal annual review process. Capital Markets KM associates also collaborate closely with Capital Markets attorneys, KM attorneys in other practice groups, Capital Markets professional development lead Kate Daly, the Capital Markets Business Development team led by Joey Anderson, the firm-wide Office of Innovation, and the junior paralegal team dedicated to Capital Markets AI and innovation initiatives.

Qualifications and Skills:
This position requires the following qualifications and skills:
  • At least 5 years of professional legal practice experience in securities law, capital markets transactions and corporate governance
  • Excellent working knowledge of the 33 Act, the 34 Act, Delaware law and corporate governance norms
  • Familiarity with equity offerings (IPOs, follow-on offerings), debt offerings (high-yield and investment grade), and public company disclosure and corporate governance and willingness to expand knowledge base to other deal types unique to Kirkland Capital Markets (e.g., liability management transactions)
  • Strong drafting skills across various formats (e.g., email updates, slide decks, form documents)
  • Effective communication skills – written and oral
  • Strong team player, responsive, proactive, hard-working, autonomous and diligent
  • Genuine interest in AI and legal technology; comfort with current AI platforms (e.g., large language model tools); and willingness to develop hands-on fluency in prompt design, AI workflow architecture and performance evaluation. Prior AI experience is not a requirement; intellectual curiosity and the ability to learn quickly are the core requirements.
  • Strong project management and organization skills to expertly manage multiple projects and/or workstreams simultaneously
  • Experience with KM and implementation of KM resources is a plus, but not required