Kirkland & Ellis kicked off a wave of Big Law movement into the Salt Lake City market in the fall of 2021, with Foley & Lardner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and Mayer Brown also opening offices in the city by the following January.

While the latter firms moved in through a combination of local partner hires and relocations, targeting the burgeoning technology and life sciences sector dubbed the “Silicon Slopes,” Kirkland made no bones about its primary motivation: adding talent.