Real Estate IndustryReviews

Kirkland & Ellis vs Simpson Thacher

Not legal advice. This section describes law firms from published rankings and SEC filings. It does not recommend a lawyer for your matter, and reading it does not create a lawyer–client relationship with anyone. For a legal question, talk to a lawyer licensed where the property is.

Last verified: 2026-10-20

Both are Chambers Band 1 for real estate. In the filings we read, Kirkland acts for Blue Owl and Ares, and Simpson Thacher for Blackstone.

Kirkland & Ellis

Unscored

Wins when: you are a private credit or equity fund buying or restructuring real estate.

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Simpson Thacher

Unscored

Wins when: you are a large fund doing portfolio buys and CMBS financing.

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Side by side

ItemKirkland & EllisSimpson Thacher
Chambers Real Estate (nationwide)Band 1Band 1
Chambers REITs (nationwide)Band 5Band 2
Legal 500 large capTier 1Tier 2
Buyers in filings we readBlue Owl (Sila), Ares (Whitestone, Plymouth)Blackstone (ROIC, Alexander & Baldwin), Makarora (Plymouth)
Chambers highlight$15B Blue Owl / Crusoe data center JV18 CMBS financings for Blackstone, >$17B

Rankings from Chambers USA 2026 and The Legal 500 United States pages; deal roles from SEC filings. Read 2026-10-20. Neither is scored.

Last verified 2026-10-20. Figures were re-read from the linked sources that day.

View changelog
  • Comparison published.

Sources

  1. Chambers USA 2026, Real Estate: USA Nationwide ranking table · accessed 2026-10-20
  2. Chambers USA 2026, REITs: USA Nationwide ranking table · accessed 2026-10-20
  3. The Legal 500 United States, Real estate: large cap ($500m+) firm rankings · accessed 2026-10-20
  4. Chambers USA 2026, Kirkland & Ellis, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
  5. Sila Realty Trust 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Apr 20, 2026): Blue Owl acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
  6. Whitestone REIT 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Apr 9, 2026): Ares acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
  7. Plymouth Industrial REIT 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Oct 24, 2025): Makarora acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
  8. Chambers USA 2026, Simpson Thacher, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
  9. Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Nov 6, 2024): Blackstone acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
  10. Alexander & Baldwin 8-K, Ex. 99.7 (Dec 9, 2025): take-private · accessed 2026-10-20
  11. Veris Residential 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Feb 23, 2026): Affinius-led acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20