Kirkland & Ellis LLP is showing up in a special role in the National Rifle Association’s tangled bankruptcy case as the gun-rights group faces challenges over its decision to seek court protection, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. The NRA on Wednesday filed court papers seeking permission to hire Kirkland as special litigation counsel after it said that lawsuits drove it to file for bankruptcy. New York has accused the NRA of allegedly misusing charitable funds, adding to a number of other legal fights over alleged mismanagement. Managing the litigation is the chief goal of the bankruptcy case, the NRA has said. Some Kirkland partners, including former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, have handled Second Amendment matters for the NRA for years as part of its business with the gun rights organization. The bankruptcy rules being invoked to tap Kirkland as a special litigation counsel limit the purposes for which the law firm could work, and indicate it won’t be involved in restructuring the organization. The move to hire Kirkland as a special litigator in chapter 11 comes after federal bankruptcy watchdogs challenged the qualifications of the NRA’s longtime lead law firm, Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, to serve as special counsel in the bankruptcy case for work on matters different than Kirkland would.
