K&L navi-Gates international work across a wide range of matters.
K&L Gates Lateral Profile 2024
“I don’t know how they’ve found so many wonderful associates!” beamed one junior - well, we might. With 25 offices across the US, and 23 overseas, K&L Gates has an enviable reach, drawing expertise from lawyers all over the States. Needless to say, K&L Gates’ work is vast. There's certainly no gatekeeping of the work here, as interviewees told us the firm is “a platform” for associates – “that means working with partners and clients from offices around the world on a fairly frequent basis.” Even with the knowledge of K&L’s reputation in the international space – including 23 Chambers Global rankings – one junior admitted: “I was really surprised at how much work we actually do cross-border! There’s something to be said for a firm that has more of an international footprint… and we have one of the largest corporate practices in the country so we touch a lot of different kinds of work.”
View the firm’s Chambers USA rankings
Read the firm’s Inside View feature on junior associate life
Why did you join your firm? Associates say…
“It was BigLaw without the typical BigLaw culture.”
“Interviewers and mentors were kind and supportive. People here are really smart and also interested in doing things better and more efficiently.”
“The very first day the manager of the office stated that it was important to have a work-llife balance. This was the last thing that I expected to hear at an BigLaw firm. Furthermore, the firm really emphasizes a work-life balance and a positive culture.”
Strategic Recruitment Focuses 2024
Asset management and investment funds careers
The view from the firm: Our Asset Management and Investment Funds practice has 50 years of experience in the financial services industry and comprises more than 150 lawyers in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America. No matter the size or location of your company, the practice’s lawyers provide seamless advice across jurisdictions so you can focus on growing your business. Areas of focus include Broker-Dealer; Derivatives; Emerging Managers, Seed Investors, and GP Stakes; ERISA; ESG - Sustainable Investing; Exchange-Traded Products; Global Distribution; Global Financial Services Regulation; Hedge Funds; Institutional Investors; Investment Advisers; Investment Funds; Portfolio Management, Trading, and Compliance; Private Equity Funds; Real Estate Funds; US Registered Investment Companies; and UCITS.
Asset management and investment funds clients: Principal Global Investors, HarbourVest, The Wilmington Trust.
Recent work highlight: Represents Neuberger Berman, an investment management firm with around $460 billion in assets under management in regulatory matters.
Global finance careers
The view from the firm: Our global Finance practice integrates the many disciplines involved in financing and restructuring transactions across markets and industries across the globe. Practicing in most of our offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, we maintain a balance between buy-side and sell-side representation and represent lenders, borrowers, servicers, collateral managers, trustees, rating agencies, investors, and other participants in a wide array of financing transactions. We address the full scope of related regulatory, legal and other issues that arise in complex finance transactions across industries, jurisdictions, and capital markets. Our clients benefit from our collaboration across borders, disciplines, and markets to provide advice efficiently and seamlessly. Areas of focus include Aviation Finance; Corporate and Acquisition Finance; Debt Capital Markets; Energy Finance; Fintech Lending; Islamic Finance; Public Finance; Rail Finance; Real Estate Finance; Restructuring & Insolvency; and Securitization and Structured Finance.
Corporate careers
The view from the firm: Our Corporate practice provides pragmatic legal solutions tailored to the needs of our clients in a global economy. We serve as trusted advisors to Fortune Global 500, middle market, and emerging businesses as well as their investors and their boards, and are at the forefront of the strategic, commercial, and governance issues affecting these clients across all of our key industries. With a highly integrated, responsive, and collaborative Corporate team comprising hundreds of lawyers across our platform in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, we deliver seamless service to clients wherever their operations are today or may be in the future. Areas of focus include Benefits and ESOPs; Data Protection, Privacy, and Security; Emerging Growth and Venture Capital; Estate Planning and Trusts & Estates; Executive Compensation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity Transactions; Public Companies; Tax; and Technology Transactions and Sourcing.
Recent work highlights: Represented and advised FujiFilm on acquisitions amounting to around $700 million over the past year. Represented Microsoft in its third investment in OpenAI through a multi-billion dollar investment.
Intellectual property careers
The view from the firm: Our global full-service Intellectual Property (IP) practice offers a one-of-a-kind solution providing IP services in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Our global practice, with over half of our lawyers registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), has the bandwidth to handle the registration and enforcement of all intellectual property rights cost-effectively. Our IP lawyers seamlessly work for our clients in protecting and enforcing patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other rights to protect their intellectual property as valuable business assets. Areas of focus include Data Protection, Privacy, and Security; IP Litigation; IP Procurement and Portfolio Management; Pharma and BioPharma Litigation; Post-Grant Patents; and Technology Transactions and Sourcing.
Intellectual property clients: Abercrombie & Fitch, WWE, FedEx.
Recent work highlight: Co-lead counsel for sports media personality, Pat McAfee, in a defamation lawsuit filed by NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Brett Favre.
Career Development & the Path to Partnership
|
22 |
0.7 : 1 |
64% |
||
|
partners made in 2024 |
associate : partner gearing |
of associates intend to make partner |
||
|
82% |
64% |
82% |
||
| felt partnership was achievable for attorneys with children | felt partnership was achievable at the firm | agreed partners are nurturing future leaders |
||
The view from the firm: K&L Gates focuses on professional development globally and supports training in many ways including practice-specific substantive training and CLE, associate leadership development training, well-being and personal health, individual coaching, and more.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Thrive First-Year Associate Curriculum: first-year associates participate in practice-specific programs in addition to session that expand their knowledge of the firm, its resources, and how a new associate can integrate into the firm and begin their professional journey as a lawyer.
- Splash Programming including high-impact experiential learning programs including the mini-MBA, business development and communication/executive presence skills
- New Partner Learning Series designed to provide all new partners with a year-long training series designed to expand their knowledge and skills including on topics like business development, D&I, leadership, communication, management, and continued professional growth at the firm.
- Health Matters - an initiative focused on the mental health and well-being of all K&L Gates personnel
Hours & Compensation
|
no requirement |
8.2 |
45.4 |
|
billable hours |
average number of vacation days associates took in one year |
average number of hours associates worked in one week |
|
76% |
61% |
24% |
| agreed they had a good work-life balance |
said the benefits package makes the workload worthwhile |
found the bonus allocation fair and transparent |
Salaries
1st year: $180,0000-$225,000
The firm did not disclose its salaries beyond this point.
The view from the firm: Within the boundaries of financial feasibility, associate compensation will be externally competitive, internally equitable, and based upon a comprehensive review of individual performance. In this merit-based system, a variety of factors determine an associate’s contribution. Such factors considered are the quality and effort of an associate’s work, billable hours, pro bono, and diversity and inclusion among others.
K&L Gates supports all lawyers who seek flexibility with regard to the location from which they work; from occasional remote work to full-time remote work. While flexibility concerning work location remains critical to our success, this flexibility must be balanced by our obligation to clients and to our firm community and culture. K&L Gates recognizes that many lawyers have personal needs and responsibilities outside the firm that can materially affect their personal and professional energy and schedules. We strive to provide flexibility to support our lawyers, it is within this spirit that the Firm is reaffirming its commitment to the K&L Gates Balanced Hours (“BH”) program.
Is K&L Gates the right firm for you?
|
91% |
91% |
76% |
|
were happy in their current role |
agreed the work is interesting |
felt comfortable being themselves at work |
The view from the firm: The industry recognition K&L Gates has garnered emanates from the foundation of a global community aligned on behalf of our clients. The people at K&L Gates are committed to working together to create a legacy for each other, the firm, our clients, and the communities we serve. We thrive in an inclusive and socially conscious environment that embraces diversity and takes a holistic approach to the career evolution of all our professionals.
Here's what survey respondents had to say about the firm's culture...
“There is a real effort to push a firm culture and treat people as adults. Most of the partners and senior associates I work with have children and there is an acceptance and understanding around work-life balance.”
“Partners and associates at my firm seem to value me as a person and encourage me to find a place at the firm that will align with personal, not just professional, goals.”
“People seem genuinely happy. Partners have kids, and they trick-or-treat around the office on Halloween!”
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
|
52% |
29% |
25% |
||
|
reported diverse staffing on teams/cases/matters |
of partners are women |
identify as ethnically diverse |
||
The view from the firm: As a global law firm with more than 45 offices on five continents, we have built a workplace that is intrinsically diverse in experiences, perspectives, and ideas.
We are proud to be recognized as a DEI leader for our strong commitment and efforts in 2023. The firm is a Mansfield Rule certified plus firm. We have consecutively received Mansfield Rule certification since our inaugural year of participation in the 4.0 iteration, most recently earning certification plus status for 2023-2024.
Pro Bono
|
26 |
79% |
|
average pro bono |
agreed the firm is committed to pro bono |
Pro bono highlights: Charles Mack, (civil rights lawsuit involving religious freedom); Asylum Application/Lawyers for Good Government; K&L Gates for Equal Justice; K&L Gates Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project (helping victims of nonconsensual pornography).
Sustainability & CSR
The view from the firm: The firm has an internal Sustainability Initiative that is staffed with lawyers and allied professionals (https://www.klgates.com/sustainability).The firm has an ESG Taskforce that is focused on client-facing efforts (https://www.klgates.com/ESG).
The Taskforce is comprised of senior leaders in several areas of the firm. We have released an ESG handbook (https://www.klgates.com/esgHandbook) and have a podcast focused on sustainability, Sustainable Outlook (https://www.klgates.com/Sustainable-Outlook).
We have hosted several events surrounding ESG over the last several months, both webinars and in-person events. We are actively engaging with a variety of clients on ESG-related issues.
Contact
Learn more about opportunities at the firm
Recruitment contact: Catherine Clement
Director, Legal Recruiting
catherine.clement@klgates.com