23 Apr 2026
Kirkland & Ellis Welcomes Tennessee Solicitor General Matt Rice as Partner
"Matt Rice is joining Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in its Litigation Practice Group in Nashville. He arrives from the Tennessee Solicitor General’s office and will work on appellate and complex litigation."
Mr. Rice brings extensive experience in appellate advocacy and complex litigation, including high‑stakes matters involving attorney general offices and large‑scale constitutional and regulatory disputes. As Tennessee’s chief appellate lawyer, he led the state’s litigation in high‑profile cases across federal and state courts, managed the office’s amicus practice, and oversaw Tennessee’s multistate litigation. He is joining Kirkland & Ellis as a partner and is coming from the Tennessee Solicitor General’s office, where he served as Solicitor General (he joined that office in June 2022).
Before joining the Solicitor General’s office, Mr. Rice worked in private practice at Williams & Connolly LLP. He previously clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court and for Judge Sandra Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Rice graduated from Western Kentucky University and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he graduated first in his class. Prior to his legal career, he played professional baseball for two seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Mr. Rice will join Kirkland’s newest office in Nashville, where the firm has been building a litigation and transactional platform.