K&L Gates

About the firm

A lot is made of the difference between Brits and Americans, and the same can be said in law firm terms. But while K&L Gates is unmistakenly a US export, in the eyes of our interviewees, it’s the best of both worlds. “It’s a mixture of both British regional and American multinational,” one insider proclaimed. Firstly, “because it’s American, you’re exposed to a sophisticated client base.” It’s a simplification of the transatlantic dynamic, of course, but it’s also undeniable that K&L Gates’ client base is global and consists of many a household name. According to insiders, “you get that international aspect,” particularly if you’re interested in corporate and commercial law.

“It’s a mixture of both British regional and American multinational...”

The quality of the firm’s clientele and matters has the firm branded highly across legal ranking tables, not least with our sister guide, Chambers Global, which has it ranked in no less than 28 departments. Chambers UK also gives K&L Gates it’s flowers for its national work on asset finance (aviation), capital markets (AIM), and transport (rail projects & infrastructure).

Why trainees joined the firm

Small trainee intake

The firm’s trainee intake of around six per cohort proved a hit among interviewees who noted this meant “you’re constantly exposed to clients early on.” It also means newbies get hire exposure to partners, because “you’re sharing an office with some ten to 20 years your senior.” Overall, one trainee said, “You don’t get lost among hundreds of trainees; here, everyone knows my name.”

US firm with better work-life balance

Trainees were attracted to the “high profile work” and “prestigious client base” on offer at the firm, but without the “crushing hours” so often associated with the market’s elite US firms. “It’s the middle ground between a traditional UK firm and a US firm; I think it’s an underrated sweet spot!” said one interviewee.

International scope

Many interviewees were attracted to the firm’s large network of international offices, offering plenty of opportunities to work cross-border with clients outside of the UK. “We work with offices around the world,” said one.

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

The trainees we spoke with were all pretty satisfied with the seat allocation process, which goes as follows… While the first of their four seats is dictated by business need and newbies’ CVs, the following three are allocated with trainees’ preferences in mind, with the caveat that all are required to undertake at least one seat in disputes and one in a transactional practice.

“You sit with the HR representative and are asked if you are enjoying your current seat and what you want to do next,” one trainee explained of the process: “There is sometimes disappointment, but there are only six of us, so she knows us well! It’s very conversation led, and there’s lots of flexibility if you change your mind during your training contract.” At the end of it all, trainees are informed of their next seat a month in advance of the rotation.

Client secondments

The firm has a split IP and competition seat which has historically seen trainees seconded to clients.

International secondments

N/A

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

“As you walk into reception, the first thing you see is St Paul’s,” one trainee described, which sets a pretty neat tone for the office environment: “It’s got lots of natural light and is bright and airy, which is nice.” Along with the office chef (who was very popular among interviewees), perks at K&L are first and foremost led by the firm’s people. “It’s cliché,” one insider smiled, admitting that it’s difficult to impress on outsiders, “but genuinely the culture is so good! All the associates are lovely and the partners are really supportive.”

Trainees share an office with their supervisor, and while it’s not open-plan, interviewees very much felt like it was an open office: “The perception I had that you’d be apprehensive to approach a partner just doesn’t exist here.” Others echoed: “Everyone wants you to succeed, so it’s a supportive environment.” The ultimate verdict? “It’s pretty relaxed in general,” said one trainee, “but it’s still a corporate law firm!”

Our window into the firm’s social calendar was during the thick of the World Cup season, so naturally trainees highlighted screenings of England matches: “It was super last minute, but we asked for a small budget for snacks and drinks in a conference room and the firm was like… yeah, sure!” Separate from the football frenzy, the firm also has a social committee who helps arrange things like the summer and Christmas parties. There are various societies trainees can join too, like the football team which plays every Tuesday, and a Swedish tradition called ‘fika’ every Thursday where the much beloved firm chef “will bake some delicious cakes, which we will then eat!”

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

Work-life balance was a common reason cited by interviewees for choosing the firm: “It’s one of the biggest pros for the work we get to do!” When it comes to working from home, advice is department specific, though the general rule is at least three days. Trainees explained, “We’re told to mirror our supervisors, which is realistically four days a week in office,” with Friday being a work-from-home day.

Additionally, average working hours are relatively tame for corporate law with trainees reporting usual finish times around 7.30pm. One even noted, “I have gone home at 6; if there’s nothing to do urgently, there’s really no point in just sitting in the office!” Naturally, hours do vary slightly by practice and time of year. Corporate trainees, for example, reported working the occasional late night, but it’s not all doom and gloom: “some days you’ll leave at 10pm, but others you might finish around 5.30pm.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

As for salary, interviewees agreed, “It’s a sweet spot for the hours I work; it’s not top of the market, but it’s definitely not bottom either!”

Of course, there are peaks and troughs in the number of hours worked, so the feeling of being fairly compensated relative to the shift trainees are putting in naturally varies as well, though one reasoned, “Once it’s done, it all balances itself out.”

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

Trainees at K&L Gates were very positive about development at the firm, primarily learning directly from doing. Supervision played a big part in this because, though the level of feedback newbies get back depends on the supervisor, “in general the feedback is good; sometimes you have to ask for it, but that’s the nature of working in a busy environment.” Supervisors also schedule in the traditional mid-seat catchups to ensure trainees are on track with their training checklists.

When it comes to formal training each department sets their own agenda. In general, “there’s no comprehensive training program,” as, for example, “you’re not sat down and taught the fundamentals of corporate law before each practice,” trainees explained, thoughat the same time, “you’re not just thrown into the deep end!”

Departments like real estate have representatives come in from companies to give trainees in the seat a course on how to use programs, and in corporate, insiders explained, “We get a training file with user guides and go to contacts, and the first two weeks are spent onboarding and trying to manage everything.” For trainees at the firm, with the inclusion of talks, events, and the ‘trainee excellence’ program (which includes sessions on grammar, drafting and introductions to practice areas),“the training and amenities are no expense spared!”

This was true particularly when it came to K&L Gates’ approach to AI. “We’re encouraged to experiment with different legal AIs,” one trainee told us, as insiders are given access to different programs like Legora, CoCounsel, and Vincen AI. “There’s a big push to incorporate AI into our workflow,” so you just have to “explain why you need something and they will try to accommodate.”

Inclusion

Our interviewees didn’t comment too extensively on the firm’s inclusion efforts, but we heard that “they’re pretty good.” This was helped by the fact that K&L Gates does have an opportunity & inclusion committee with groups like the Women in Profession Committee; the Multicultural Society; the Disability & Inclusion Committee; the New Parent Networking Group (London only); and the Mental Health Society, who put on various events. “The social side here isn’t massive,” but the group does celebrate a range of cultural events like Eid, as well as Asian Heritage Month, Pride, and a fireside chat hosted by the Women in Profession Committee.

Pro bono & CSR

Trainees are encouraged to do at least 50 hours of pro bono a year, something which is facilitated by the office’s dedicated pro bono counsel. “A lot happens organically through the teams,” one trainee added, because “there are charities we work with on commercial contracts work.” Separate to this, all trainees assist at Southwest London Law Centres, as well as telephone consultations one Wednesday a month: “you’ll get a file from a client with their issue and then ring them to give them preliminary advice.”

“If you do over a certain number of hours you get shouted out,” one interviewee beamed; suffice to say, “we are encouraged quite a lot to take it up.”

Other opportunities include:

• Trainees can also volunteer for one of the firm’s global pro bono projects, such as their work for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Qualification

Trainees described the qualification process as “straightforward”: the firm releases a jobs list which states the number of roles available in each team. Applicants then send in their CV and cover letter and have an interview with the respective team’s head of department.

Our interviewees were generally pretty positive about their prospects for staying on at the firm, pointing to the fact that “there ae a lot of homegrown people here; you talk to partners who were trainees here, like, 23 years ago! So, the culture is that we want to recruit and train our own people.”

K&L Cakes…

The firm hosted a Pride themed-‘fika’ where the firm’s favourite chef baked rainbow cakes.