Apprentice Computer Forensics Analyst Jobs in Illinois

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
We are looking for a seasoned eDiscovery leader to join a team dedicated to driving excellence in discovery execution, delivering the efficiency and outcomes that matter most to our clients. This is an opportunity for a hands-on practitioner with deep experience navigating complex data landscapes to bring that expertise to a collaborative group solving real problems on active matters every day. Sitting within our Innovation Program, the team partners directly with case teams to deliver creative, defensible discovery strategies across high-stakes litigation, investigations, and regulatory matters.
Impact. You will report to the Director of Legal Practice Technology ("LPT") and serve as a senior leader primarily responsible for directing, supporting, and participating in a team of advisors, project managers, and data science specialists. The team is dedicated to defining and executing workflows for the thoughtful analysis and production of client documents and data across litigations, investigations, regulatory responses, due diligence reviews, and other complex legal matters. This role primarily focuses on data preservation and collection consulting along with processing of complex and modern data types. You will also actively contribute to broader firm innovation initiatives.
Matter Intake, Discovery Scoping, Data Collection and Processing. You will consult and strategize with case teams, clients, and team members on effective ways to meet discovery objectives. You will lead early matter intake and partner with case teams on key steps including meetings with client in-house legal and IT teams. The Principal must be a seasoned, client-facing eDiscovery specialist capable of bringing forward and executing creative solutions grounded in broad experience and tested expertise. Greater than 50% of the Principal's time will be spent on client matter work.
Team Building & Growth. You will join a leadership team dedicated to fostering open communication and cross-team collaboration. You will often lead cross-functional teams and promote adoption of standard operating procedures to ensure consistency and quality across all engagements.
Department Initiatives. You will lead efforts to raise awareness of team services across the firm and support team initiatives focused on emerging technology assessment and process improvements that strengthen the department's overall capabilities. The Principal will also serve as a contributing member of the firm's data processing team, responsible for defining and applying best practices when processing data, including modern data types.
What You'll Bring
• 15+ years of experience delivering consultative eDiscovery services across one or more settings such as a law firm, advisory firm, service provider, or in-house legal team.
• Significant client interactions and strong familiarity with core discovery workflows, including data preservation and collection, eDiscovery platforms (Relativity, Reveal), analytics and TAR tools (BrainSpace, RevealAI), and key eDiscovery rules (ESI Orders, FRCP, data privacy and cross-border requirements).
• Hands-on proficiency with the preservation, collection, and processing of modern, cloud-based data across enterprise platforms (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack) including knowledge of platform-specific eDiscovery capabilities, export mechanisms, and metadata requirements.
• Familiarity with leading forensic collection tools (e.g., FTK, EnCase, Cellebrite) and common practices in mobile device preservation and collection.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage with clients, attorneys, and firm leadership at all levels with accuracy, professionalism, and accountability.
• Exceptional organizational skills, good judgment, and the ability to independently drive action items, with a commitment to consensus building.
• Bachelor's degree.
• Computer forensics experience supporting legal, compliance, and IT teams through digital evidence collection, forensic analysis, and clear documentation of investigative findings is preferred.
• Deep technical expertise in processing and normalizing non-traditional data formats, including JSON exports from Slack and Teams, cloud-native file types, and modern attachment structures is preferred.
• Quantitative skills, including experience with Python, SQL, and similar tools is preferred.
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:
Chicago: $203,000 - $253,000
New York City: $203,000 - $279,000
Los Angeles: $203,000 - $279,000
Bay Area: $203,000 - $291,000
Boston: $203,000 - $279,000
Washington D.C.: $203,000 - $279,000
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-Onsite #LI-LB1