Three partners at Kirkland & Ellis resigned Tuesday and joined another elite corporate law firm in Chicago, Latham & Watkins.

Robert Buday, Nathaniel Marrs and Gary Axelrod, who represent clients in complex real estate transactions, are highly regarded according to lawyer-rating services such as Chambers & Partners.

Latham’s raid on Kirkland is unusual, as a group of partners rarely simultaneously leave one high-end firm for another. In addition, Latham has not been active in recruiting lawyers from other firms, known as the lateral market, in recent years, said Richard Levy, the head of the firm’s Chicago office. Get the full story »