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It’s been almost two weeks since Hamas launched a deadly terror attack in Israel, and since that time, members of the Biglaw community have come together to support relief efforts. We already know that Kirkland & Ellis is leading the pack when it comes to donations, with its partners having pledged more than $1.5 million to the cause (and that amount has very likely increased by now).
Kirkland is incredibly committed to offering assistance, and the firm was on top of the situation when it came to helping one of its partners and his family flee the war-torn country in the days that followed the attack.
Kirkland partner Daniel Wolf is based in New York City, but his parents and brother live in Israel and he has an apartment in Jerusalem. On October 7, Wolf was on his way to a synagogue when air defense sirens rang out. He ran back home to find his family gathered in a safe room, and for the next three days, they stuck it out amid missile strike after missile strike. “It was like a slow-motion horror movie,” Wolf told Bloomberg Law of the experience. Fortunately, his story has a happy ending:
Kirkland eventually was able to help about 20 people—including other firm lawyers and their families—get on flights out of the country, after the attorneys reached out to the firm, according to Wolf.
“From the moment they found out about it, they literally mobilized unlimited resources and were in touch with us nonstop coming up with alternatives, providing escort and travel help,” said Wolf, adding that the firm’s staff stayed up all night to make sure flights took off.
Wolf may be back home in New York with his immediate family, but his heart is still in Israel as his parents, his brother, and other family members and friends remain there. While work hasn’t been easy for him considering the circumstances, he says it’s been a “welcome distraction.”
Best wishes to Daniel Wolf and his family. We’re so thankful that he was able to return home safe and sound with the help of Kirkland & Ellis.
The greater legal community has been doing incredibly important work when it comes to supporting relief efforts in Israel — and you can too. Please stand with Israel. Please donate. Please support your Jewish friends and colleagues. Am Yisrael Chai.
Kirkland Deals Lawyer, Family Flee Israel With Help From Firm [Bloomberg Law]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.