Before coming to the Law School, Luke Chaikovsky, ’26, worked for a government consulting firm in Washington, DC. There, he learned firsthand the importance of clear, effective communication between teams and clients—a fundamental skill that he has continued to hone through his work in the Kirkland & Ellis Corporate Lab Clinic, where meaningful collaboration and clear communication are essential to serving client needs.

Now a 3L, Chaikovsky is one of the clinic’s managing student directors, a unique leadership role that has shaped both his law school journey and the collaborative experience of his peers. 

The Kirkland & Ellis Corporate Lab—one of the Law School’s 15 clinics and the only one focused on providing legal support to significant publicly traded companies—offers students unparalleled opportunities to work with large, recognizable corporations and nonprofits to tackle real-world legal issues across diverse industries. Led by Clinical Professors David Zarfes and Josh Avratin, the clinic is designed to reflect the hierarchy and workflow of a corporate law firm, which provides a rare front seat view of the realities of in-house legal work. At the same time, the diversity of team-based projects allows students to develop expertise in multiple areas of corporate law.

Drawn to law school by a desire to build on his consulting background and work on more complex, high-stakes problem-solving, Chaikovsky found the Corporate Lab to be a natural fit. Though he acknowledges that the clinic’s high-caliber clients—such as McDonald’s, IBM, Nike, and other multinational companies—were initially a big selling point for him, he ultimately signed up, he said, because of the glowing reviews from former students, many of whom described their work in the Corporate Lab as a defining part of their Law School experience.

Chaikovsky, who is heading to New York after graduation to join Cravath, Swaine & Moore, recently answered a few questions about his experience in the clinic.

Tell us about your role as a managing student director in the Corporate Lab.

The managing student director role has been one of the highlights of my Law School experience. The Lab is structured to mirror a law firm: enrolled students serve as junior associates, working directly with clients on assignments; student directors function like senior associates, reviewing work product and managing day-to-day workflow; and the professors act as partners, providing expertise and final review before anything is sent to a client. As a managing student director, I sit between the student directors and the professors. My responsibilities include coordinating Lab resources across groups, leading kickoff meetings, and resolving any issues that arise throughout the quarter. This requires near-daily communication with the professors to maintain oversight across the full scope of the Lab’s work. The role is a significant shift from my time as an enrolled student during my 2L year. Rather than diving into research or drafting work product, I now review the work of others and manage Lab operations at a broader level.

Can you describe the process of structuring the student teams? 

Students enroll in the Corporate Lab through the standard registration process. Once the roster is finalized, I work with Professor Zarfes and Professor [Josh] Avratin to organize students into groups of five to six, each led by a student director, typically a 3L, who previously participated in the Lab. Group composition is deliberate: student directors are generally paired with clients they have worked with before, while each group is diversified to expose students to a range of industries and project types. From cutting-edge tech companies to established blue-chip corporations, the Lab is designed to give students meaningful, hands-on engagement across a variety of assignments and industries.

How have you personally and professionally grown from this leadership role?

This role has been a fast and meaningful education in leadership. Two lessons stand out. First, the importance of clear communication. Managing across multiple teams makes the cost of any miscommunication far greater, so maintaining clarity and consistency has been essential to delivering quality work. Second, the role has sharpened my ability to collaborate and adapt my approach to different stakeholders. Leadership means empowering others rather than doing everything yourself—and finding the right level of involvement for each individual has been critical to the Lab’s success.

Has anything about this experience surprised you?

The most pleasant surprise has been witnessing the sheer diversity of capabilities among Law School students. With projects spanning a wide range of industries, there are many opportunities for distinctive skills to shine through. Seeing how each student brings something different to the table, and how those individual strengths translate into high-quality client work, has been genuinely rewarding.

Can you describe a project or client matter you worked on that shaped your understanding of corporate law in practice?

During my 2L year, one of my clients needed help navigating corporate sustainability compliance. As a corporation with global operations, this meant analyzing a complex web of statutes, regulations, and guidelines across multiple jurisdictions both domestic and international. My involvement was end-to-end, from initial research through to the final deliverable. The experience reinforced several core lessons: client management is foundational, given the broad scope of the project; the breadth of risk for multinational corporations is immense, even within a single issue like sustainability compliance; and the value of synthesizing large volumes of information into clear, accessible formats is crucial. We structured our deliverables to accommodate different levels of engagement, whether the client needed a quick bottom-line answer or a deeper comparative analysis.

What skills did you strengthen through that experience? 

I sharpened my client management skills, as clear alignment with the client and proactive communications were essential. The project honed my ability to synthesize complex information and present it in ways that clients could easily understand and use.

You recently traveled to Florida to visit one of the clinic’s new clients, Big Dog Ranch Rescue. How are you involved in working with this new client? 

Big Dog Ranch Rescue has been one of the Lab’s most exciting clients in recent years and one of only two nonprofits we work with. Although the managing student director role typically sits above day-to-day client work, I volunteered to engage more directly given the nature of BDRR’s mission. Jacob Faust, ’26, has done an outstanding job spearheading the team, and I have supported him and other team members by reviewing and editing work product and helping tailor each deliverable to the specific needs of Big Dog Ranch Rescue.

What was the purpose of your recent visit?

The purpose of the visit was to really connect with their mission as we continue building their legal infrastructure. In short, the entire operation was incredible—from a medical wing capable of 20 spays/neuters a day and orthopedic surgeries, to quarantine facilities, senior dog housing, “Puppy Town,” service dog training, and a boarding facility for veterans. Seeing it all in person gave me a much deeper appreciation for the work being done, and I know it had the same effect on Professor Zarfes and Jacob Faust.

What has surprised you about the client-facing aspect of your clinic work?

Given my prior background in consulting, client management itself has not been a surprise, but I have come to appreciate how much of a learned skill it truly is. Ensuring that you and your client share a clear understanding of the scope, timeline, and expected deliverables is fundamental to any project’s success, and that requires learning how to speak your client’s language.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience in the Corporate Lab?

Without question, working with Big Dog Ranch Rescue this year. While the excitement of working with prominent clients as an enrolled student was fulfilling in its own right, the work with BDRR has been something different. Knowing our efforts are helping grow an organization that cares for an average of 700 dogs a day has made the work feel especially meaningful.

What advice would you give a fellow student considering enrolling in the Kirkland & Ellis Corporate Lab Clinic?

Enroll. The Corporate Lab is a one-of-a-kind opportunity. There is nothing quite like it at other law schools. It provides direct access to the legal departments of some of the world’s largest companies, all while earning course and experiential credit. It also offers a rare chance to develop real collaborative skills in a law school setting. Professor Zarfes, Professor Avratin, and I are always happy to talk with anyone who wants to learn more.

Are there any upcoming Corporate Lab events/opportunities you’d like to plug here?

On May 13, we are having a lunch talk with Prashant Dubey, a serial entrepreneur and double maroon, and Mike Haven, global head of Legal Operations at Meta. Prashant and Mike will be discussing the rise in AI deployment in legal operations, as well as their new book GenO: The Rise of Legal Operations.