Kirkland & Ellis OPT Eligible Jobs USA
Kirkland & Ellis hires OPT students across legal, business, and technology functions, making it a credible target for F-1 graduates entering BigLaw. The firm's scale and global client base create consistent demand for analytically skilled candidates, and its track record of transitioning OPT hires to H-1B visa sponsorship adds long-term value for international students.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout Kirkland & Ellis
At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 23 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.
What You’ll Do
Are you energized by turning workforce plans into precise, on-time action while helping HR partners focus on what matters most? As a HRBP Support Specialist, you’ll provide transactional and tactical support to HR Business Partners (HRBPs), serving as a trusted execution partner behind the scenes. Your work ensures accuracy, consistency, and momentum across key talent processes; freeing HRBPs to deliver strategic, high-impact guidance to business leaders.
- Workforce Data & Position Management: Maintain accurate business unit workforce data, including headcount tracking, position management, and staffing changes such as new roles, backfills, and eliminations.
- HRBP Consultation & Review Support: Prepare materials, data analyses, and documentation for HRBP discussions with business leaders, and track and administer actions from formal review processes.
- Employee Lifecycle Execution: Coordinate and track HRBP check-in meetings, audit remote work agreements, and process reporting line and organizational changes.
- HR Systems & Organizational Accuracy: Ensure timely, accurate updates across HRIS (PeopleSoft), performance systems (viEval), and other tools, including maintaining organizational charts and workforce documentation.
- Reporting, Metrics & Data Integrity: Run, validate, and reconcile workforce reports covering headcount, hiring, attrition, vacancies, and workforce movement trends, while proactively identifying data discrepancies or risks.
- Process Improvement & Compliance: Identify opportunities to streamline, automate, or eliminate manual work, including use of AI and automation tools, while ensuring staffing and position management activities comply with internal policies and employment practices.
What You’ll Bring
- Education: Bachelor’s degree and/or Human Resources (HR) certification preferred.
- Experience: 3+ years of experience in HR operations, HR generalist, or HR support roles, with exposure to workforce planning or HR reporting preferred.
- Analytical & Detail Orientation: Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple, time-sensitive transactions accurately.
- Systems & Tools Proficiency: Comfort working in HR systems and advanced skills in Excel for tracking, reconciliation, and reporting.
- Communication & Visualization Skills: Ability to create clear visuals and workflows using Visio and deliver polished presentations in PowerPoint.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset: Curiosity and adaptability to build new skills as tools evolve and continuously improve how work gets done.
If you’re excited to bring precision, problem-solving, and operational excellence to a collaborative HR team, we’d love to hear from you—apply today and make an impact as a HRBP Support Specialist.
Compensation
The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in each of the below locations. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.
Compensation Range:
- Washington D.C.: $88,000 - $122,000
- Boston: $88,000 - $122,000
- Chicago: $88,000 - $122,000
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."
Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.
Equal Employment Opportunity
All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
LI-Hybrid #LI-CN1
About Kirkland & Ellis
At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 23 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.
What You’ll Do
Are you energized by turning workforce plans into precise, on-time action while helping HR partners focus on what matters most? As a HRBP Support Specialist, you’ll provide transactional and tactical support to HR Business Partners (HRBPs), serving as a trusted execution partner behind the scenes. Your work ensures accuracy, consistency, and momentum across key talent processes; freeing HRBPs to deliver strategic, high-impact guidance to business leaders.
- Workforce Data & Position Management: Maintain accurate business unit workforce data, including headcount tracking, position management, and staffing changes such as new roles, backfills, and eliminations.
- HRBP Consultation & Review Support: Prepare materials, data analyses, and documentation for HRBP discussions with business leaders, and track and administer actions from formal review processes.
- Employee Lifecycle Execution: Coordinate and track HRBP check-in meetings, audit remote work agreements, and process reporting line and organizational changes.
- HR Systems & Organizational Accuracy: Ensure timely, accurate updates across HRIS (PeopleSoft), performance systems (viEval), and other tools, including maintaining organizational charts and workforce documentation.
- Reporting, Metrics & Data Integrity: Run, validate, and reconcile workforce reports covering headcount, hiring, attrition, vacancies, and workforce movement trends, while proactively identifying data discrepancies or risks.
- Process Improvement & Compliance: Identify opportunities to streamline, automate, or eliminate manual work, including use of AI and automation tools, while ensuring staffing and position management activities comply with internal policies and employment practices.
What You’ll Bring
- Education: Bachelor’s degree and/or Human Resources (HR) certification preferred.
- Experience: 3+ years of experience in HR operations, HR generalist, or HR support roles, with exposure to workforce planning or HR reporting preferred.
- Analytical & Detail Orientation: Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple, time-sensitive transactions accurately.
- Systems & Tools Proficiency: Comfort working in HR systems and advanced skills in Excel for tracking, reconciliation, and reporting.
- Communication & Visualization Skills: Ability to create clear visuals and workflows using Visio and deliver polished presentations in PowerPoint.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset: Curiosity and adaptability to build new skills as tools evolve and continuously improve how work gets done.
If you’re excited to bring precision, problem-solving, and operational excellence to a collaborative HR team, we’d love to hear from you—apply today and make an impact as a HRBP Support Specialist.
Compensation
The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in each of the below locations. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.
Compensation Range:
- Washington D.C.: $88,000 - $122,000
- Boston: $88,000 - $122,000
- Chicago: $88,000 - $122,000
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."
Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.
Equal Employment Opportunity
All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
LI-Hybrid #LI-CN1
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Kirkland & Ellis OPT Eligible Jobs USA
Target practice groups that match your degree
Kirkland & Ellis hires OPT students into specific practice areas, not firm-wide. Research whether your degree aligns with corporate, restructuring, or litigation support roles before applying. A clear degree-to-practice-group connection strengthens your case during screening conversations with recruiting coordinators.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before your STEM extension
If you hold a STEM-designated degree, your 24-month OPT extension requires your employer to be enrolled in E-Verify. Confirm Kirkland & Ellis's enrollment status with HR before your initial OPT EAD expires. USCIS requires this before approving any STEM OPT extension application.
Frame your OPT timeline in every application
BigLaw recruiting moves on fixed timelines. State your OPT start date and expiration clearly in your cover letter so Kirkland & Ellis recruiters can assess fit against your authorization window. Ambiguity about work authorization often ends conversations before they begin at large law firms.
Use Migrate Mate to verify H-1B filing history
Kirkland & Ellis's long-term value for OPT hires depends heavily on H-1B transition support. Use Migrate Mate to review the firm's H-1B LCA filing history by practice group, so you enter salary and sponsorship conversations knowing what comparable roles have paid and which offices file most actively.
Research prevailing wages for your target role
Before salary negotiations, look up the prevailing wage for your occupation and work location using the OFLC Wage Search. Kirkland & Ellis sets compensation benchmarks tied to market rates, and understanding the DOL wage levels for legal and business roles gives you a grounded negotiating position.
Apply through early recruitment programs when eligible
Kirkland & Ellis runs structured 1L and 2L diversity recruitment programs that often convert to full-time offers. Law school OPT students who enter through these pipelines typically face a smoother path to H-1B sponsorship than lateral hires, because the firm has already invested in their training and integration.
Kirkland & Ellis OPT Eligibility: Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kirkland & Ellis sponsor OPT visas?
Kirkland & Ellis does not sponsor OPT itself. OPT is work authorization issued by USCIS directly to F-1 students. What Kirkland & Ellis does is hire candidates who already hold a valid OPT EAD. The firm has a consistent record of employing OPT students in legal, business operations, and technology roles and supporting their transition to H-1B sponsorship.
Which roles at Kirkland & Ellis are typically open to OPT students?
OPT students at Kirkland & Ellis most commonly enter through associate attorney positions, legal recruiting and professional development roles, and business technology functions. Law school graduates with J.D. degrees on post-graduation OPT are the most frequent hires. Paralegals and legal operations analysts with relevant undergraduate degrees also find openings, though volume varies by office.
How do I apply for OPT jobs at Kirkland & Ellis?
Apply through Kirkland & Ellis's careers portal and disclose your OPT authorization status in your application. Recruiters will ask for your EAD expiration date early in the process. For law school students, the primary entry point is the summer associate program. Migrate Mate can help you identify which Kirkland & Ellis offices have the strongest H-1B filing history before you decide where to focus.
Will Kirkland & Ellis sponsor my H-1B after my OPT ends?
Kirkland & Ellis has sponsored H-1B visas for employees transitioning off OPT, particularly associates who were hired through the summer program and demonstrated strong performance. Sponsorship is not automatic or guaranteed, and the decision is made by the firm based on role continuity and business need. Asking about H-1B sponsorship during the offer stage is standard in BigLaw recruiting.
How do I qualify for the STEM OPT extension at Kirkland & Ellis?
To qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, your degree must appear on the USCIS STEM Designated Degree Program List and Kirkland & Ellis must be enrolled in E-Verify. You apply through your DSO before your initial OPT EAD expires. Confirm E-Verify enrollment with Kirkland & Ellis HR early, because the extension application requires the employer's E-Verify company ID number.
How does Kirkland & Ellis hire OPT students?
OPT is work authorization granted directly to F-1 students after graduation — no employer petition is required. Kirkland & Ellis can hire OPT students as soon as their EAD card is approved. STEM degree holders can extend OPT by 24 months when their employer is enrolled in E-Verify. Most companies that hire OPT students also support the transition to H-1B when the student's OPT period is ending. Check Kirkland & Ellis's individual postings on Migrate Mate to confirm OPT acceptance per role.