Stuart Casillas

Stuart Casillas, who graduated in 1996 with BA in Economics and a BS in Business Administration, is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP(opens in new window) in San Francisco, California.  Stuart worked as a student assistant in the Economics Department and in the President’s Office while an undergraduate.  He was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the Economics Honor Society, and he was on the Dean’s List for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

After graduation Stuart entered The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law(opens in new window) where he received his JD degree in 1999.  He also took courses at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law(opens in new window) in 1998 – 1999.  In 1999Stuart accepted a position as associate with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman(opens in new window) where he gained “experience with complex business transactions, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, project finance transactions and international joint ventures,” according to his Stuart's LinkedIn page(opens in new window). 

After five and one-half years with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Stuart accepted a position with Kirkland & Ellis where he currently works.  He is a merger and acquisition partner focusing his practice on the representation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies. Stuart acts as lead counsel in various private equity transactions, including leveraged and management buyouts, growth equity investments, divestitures and restructurings and workouts. Stuart's clients range from private equity funds to public and privately held companies, both domestic and international. He has negotiated and completed transactions in a wide variety of industries, including software, manufacturing, consumer products, computer hardware, post-secondary education, food service, retail, airline, financial services, oil and gas services, and logistics.

Stuart also finds time to serve as chair of the Chico State University Foundation Board of Governors(opens in new window).  “It’s incredibly rewarding to see how these endowment funds continue a tradition of excellence for an institution that means so much to us all,” Stuart stated in an interview with University staff. 

“My degree in Economics has been incredibly valuable throughout my career,” Stuart stated in a recent email. “The ability to view all types of situations through the lens of the teachings of economics and human behavior has been important to my successful practice of law.”  (Last Updated 5/7/19)