So much for life-hack perks that weren’t billable. The world’s highest-grossing law firm, Kirkland & Ellis, has quietly pulled the plug on its vaunted 24-hour Kirkland Concierge service — the very same squad of white-glove errand runners once tasked with booking holidays, securing impossible dinner reservations, and fetching dry-cleaning on behalf of its overworked associates and partners.
Launched in 2018 to “help lawyers focus on legal work instead of life admin,” the perk was both recruiting bait and an ostentatious luxury for lawyers who didn’t have time to, you know, live. Critics online and offline long grumbled it blurred the line between work and personal life , essentially chaining lawyers to their billables while secretly polishing their schedules.
The concierge’s demise last summer triggered layoffs on both sides of the Atlantic, and insiders say the service had faded quietly with hybrid work’s rise and employees just… juggling their own errands.
Kirkland’s swanky new London digs now tout cinema rooms and wellness suites instead of personal assistants. And while average equity partner pay remains stratospheric, the message is clear: you can be paid millions but still be expected to order your own flowers.
