James Brownstein

Competent on the corporate matter, but communication was inconsistent

I engaged James Brownstein at Kirkland & Ellis to assist with the acquisition of a small tech startup my company was pursuing in San Francisco. Given the firm's reputation and his recognition in M&A and corporate law, I had high expectations for the legal framework. On the substantive work, James was proficient. The diligence review was thorough, and the initial draft of the purchase agreement was solid, reflecting a good grasp of the technical aspects for someone with his level of experience. However, the process felt somewhat transactional. There were periods of several days where updates were sparse, and I sometimes had to follow up more than once to get a response to time-sensitive questions. While the final deal documents were executed correctly, the client experience felt more like being handed off to a competent junior associate rather than receiving proactive, senior-level guidance. For straightforward corporate work, James is clearly capable and knowledgeable, but managing client expectations and maintaining consistent communication could be improved. The outcome was satisfactory, but the journey to get there had its frustrations.