‘Universal slowdown’ adds up to a less dynamic year but Kirkland becomes first $4bn law firm

Thomas Alan finds revenue growth tempered at many US firms with 2019 proving a sterner test for the global elite

It would have been difficult to match the rampant advances of US firms among the Global 100 in 2018 and so it has proven. A handful of the largest players endured quieter years with uncertainty identified as the primary culprit, but the big picture is still one of global growth, as Kirkland & Ellis became the first law firm in the world to hit $4bn, just two years after breaking the $3bn barrier.