Stuart Drake

Stuart Drake is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Stuart has more than three decades of experience in environmental regulation and litigation, representing vehicle and engine manufacturers and companies in the alternative fuels industry. Stuart also represents pro bono indigents and other individuals with limited resources who have been injured by the government.

Stuart’s automotive clients have included industry leaders headquartered in Asia, Europe and the United States. His work frequently involves advice on compliance with U.S. federal and state vehicle or engine air pollution laws and regulations as well as negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state air pollution control agencies. Stuart is often brought into matters by companies to work alongside other counsel to ensure they have a strong trial option if a fair settlement cannot be achieved. He led the Kirkland teams that defeated the first and only two ordered recalls ever issued by the California Air Resources Board. Stuart has been recognized in every edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, from 2005 to 2022. The guide says he is “as good as they get” and “a fearless advocate for his clients.”