C Street Advisory Group Expands Law Firm Optimization Practice With Addition of Deneese Walia Levin
Move strengthens C Street's ability to advise law firm leaders on strategy, positioning, and talent as one integrated discipline
CHICAGO, August 17, 2026--The legal world is going through massive change, and C Street is front and center advising law firm chairs, managing partners, practice group leaders, and private equity investors. The key areas of focus include AI as a leadership and capital-allocation issue, not simply a technology one; the next generation of leading firms being built on institutional platforms rather than around individual rainmakers; law firms recognizing they are billion-dollar enterprises requiring disciplined governance and management; and market positioning as a core business strategy. Today, C Street is expanding its team and deepening its leadership capabilities with the hire of Deneese Walia Levin as Managing Director, Law Firm Optimization. Levin's addition strengthens C Street's ability to advise law firm leaders on operations, technology, and talent as part of a single, integrated engagement.
Based in Chicago, Levin joins C Street following more than two decades as a practicing attorney and operational leader at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, one of the world's largest law firms. Levin was a Partner at Kirkland and Head of Knowledge, Markets & Strategy for the firm's global Debt Finance practice. By the time she left Kirkland, the practice had grown to more than 450 attorneys and was consistently recognized as one of the world's leading debt finance practices. Levin built and led the integrated platform that supported the practice at that scale, spanning knowledge management, market intelligence, business development, training, and technology, including deployment of the firm's early AI initiatives and management of a dozen technology vendor relationships.
In her new role, Levin will advise law firm clients on legal operations, business development, AI and technology adoption, talent and succession strategy, and strategic growth, while helping build and scale C Street's Law Firm Optimization practice. She will partner with firm leadership, practice group heads, and management committees to identify opportunities, advance operational transformation, and position firms for sustainable, long-term success. Her arrival also underscores C Street's growing presence in Chicago, where the firm's team will double in size in 2026.
"To advise law firms, you have to have lived inside law firms," said Jon Henes, Founder and CEO of C Street. "Law firms are unique institutions with unique dynamics, operations, and relationships. Deneese is a law firm insider and generational talent, and her addition will provide us with additional experience and expertise to bolster our services and add significant value."