This year, Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins not only added strength in investment funds. At times, they did it at each other’s expense, poaching partners from each other and touting their dueling pick-ups, sometimes just minutes apart.

Analysts said that kind of back-and-forth may be more incidental contact than intentional targeting. But Kirkland and Latham’s interaction in investment funds highlights the wider competitive battle for talent between the two elite firms, especially in niche and profitable areas.