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K&L Gates

Interesting selling points

  • Chambers and Partners has awarded the firm its Band 2 ranking for its Capital Markets: AIM department.
  • K&L Gates has worked with HSBC, Microsoft and Dolphin Entertainment.
  • The firm is one of the largest in the world, with 45 offices.
  • Small trainee intake in London (~8 per year). 
  • Trainees who qualify into dispute resolution are encouraged to take their higher rights qualifications. 
  • The firm was one of the first major law firms to implement its own private blockchain, which has been used to assist in the exploration, creation and implementation of smart contracts and other technology applications for future client use.
  • The firm has a Global Diversity Hours policy, which recognises up to 50 hours of D&I activities as counting towards bonus-related billing targets.

We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.

Practice areas / services

K&L Gates is a full-service law firm, with a broad range of practice areas including: 

  • Asset Management and Investment Funds 
  • Corporate
  • Energy, Infrastructure and Resources 
  • Finance
  • Intellectual Property 
  • Labour, Employment and Workplace Safety 
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution 
  • Policy and Regulatory 
  • Real Estate 

Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded K&L Gates its ‘Band 2’ ranking for its Capital Markets: AIM department. See here for more information

Key sectors / industries

K&L Gates has a number of notable clients, with its most profitable clients operating in the following industries: 

In addition, K&L Gates also services the following industries: Consumer Products, Energy, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Technology, and Transportation and Logistics. 

Work

K&L Gates’ most notable work includes: 

  • Dolphin Entertainment: the firm assisted Dolphin Entertainment in its acquisition of all the issued and outstanding membership interests of Elle Communications, a California-based communications agency, from its sole owner. The deal was valued at over $6.3 million. 
  • HSBC: the firm successfully represented HSBC in obtaining the dismissal of claims brought by a marijuana dispensary alleging that the bank aided and abetted the fraudulent transfer of more than $450,000 in the US. 
  • Microsoft: K&L Gates advised Microsoft on its continued investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI. This partnership is a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment focused on collaborating on AI supercomputing and research in this area. 
  • Shields Health Solutions: the firm advised Shields Health Solutions in connection with Walgreens Boots Alliance’s acquisition of the remaining 30% of Shields.

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: Pittsburgh, 210 Sixth Avenue. 

Offices: The firm has 45 offices in total across the globe, including offices in the US, São Paulo, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, UK, France and the UAE. Its London office is at One New Change. 

Insights, internships and other opportunities

The firm offers a number of internships, including clerkships in Australia, an internship at its Dublin office, a stagiaires programme in France, and US summer associate positions. In the UK, the firm offers a Legal Work Placement, which offers an opportunity to get to know the firm. The placement is two weeks long and runs during July each year. There are 10 positions available. 

Alongside this, the firm runs open days in January, February, March, April and May of each year. These include presentations on what working at the firm is like, chances to speak to current trainees, and the opportunity to participate in a simulated group exercise and critical reasoning test. To attend an open day, when applying for the firm’s Legal Work Placement or Period of Recognised Training, participants should indicate on their application form that they would like to attend an open day. The firm will then contact participants if a place at an open day is available. 

Training contract

K&L Gates recruits eight trainees per year. The training contract is made up of four six-month seats. Trainees are allocated a mentor, and also have an appraisal every three months (providing amble opportunity to access and learn from feedback). The firm is also keen for those who wish to qualify into dispute resolution to take Higher Rights of Audience qualifications, which allows them to represent clients as solicitor-advocates in the senior civil courts.

Trainees must sit in the firm’s core areas of corporate, dispute resolution and real estate, but they can choose specific teams within these broad practice areas. The training programme also includes weekly legal education seminars, workshops, and a full programme of skills electives. The firm uses the formal elements of the training contract to ensure that trainees are acquiring the appropriate business and professional skills to help them as juniors. 

Secondments

The firm does not offer international secondments, but occasionally allows trainees to apply for client secondments. 

Technology and innovation

The firm wants to marry “action with vision”, and has therefore invested in various technology and innovation-related initiatives. Examples include: 

  • Blockchain: the firm was one of the first major law firms to implement its own private blockchain, which has been used to assist in the exploration, creation and implementation of smart contracts and other technology applications for future client use. 
  • IDEA Group: within the firm is the IDEA Group, a joint committee of lawyers and allied professionals who identify and further the innovation taking place throughout the firm to enhance the value offered to clients. 
  • Kira Systems Partnership: the firm partnered with Kira Systems to implement an artificial intelligence tool that utilises machine learning software to analyse contracts and documents, enabling the firm’s lawyers to provide faster and more comprehensive advice. 

Corporate social responsibility

The firm is committed to corporate social responsibility, and has “ingrained” such practices into its culture since the very beginning. Examples of these practices include: 

  • Battersea Legal Aid Advice Centre: many of the firm’s trainees volunteer at the Battersea Legal Aid Advice Centre, which provides legal advice and representation to people on benefits or low income. 
  • Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project: this pro bono project has helped thousands of victims of non-consensual distribution of intimate images. The project involves lawyers across disciplines from offices in the US, Asia, Australia and Europe, while highlighting the firm’s experience with technology-facilitated harassment and cyber forensics. 
  • Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative: this involves working with individuals and non-governmental organisations around the world to help survivors and address the scourge of human trafficking. 

Diversity and inclusion

K&L Gates describes diversity and inclusion as being a “core value that motivates and inspires” its team, and this core value is reflected in the following examples: 

  • K&L Gates Diversity and Inclusion Committee: The firm’s committee meets every month to plan events and share and communicate ideas. The committee includes a range of people from the firm, including juniors and partners. 
  • Global Diversity Hours Policy: the firm recognises up to 50 hours of D&I activities as counting towards bonus-related billing targets. The policy encourages the firm’s lawyers to participate meaningfully in diversity and inclusion initiatives, both within and outside the firm.  
  • Diversity Leadership Pledge: This pledge was launched in 2021 and focuses on empowering the firm’s Office Managing Partners and Practice Area Leaders to be role models for diversity and inclusion. The Pledge focuses on strengthening the pipeline, representation and development of diverse lawyers.