K&L Gates LLP

Also Known As: K and L Gates

Law Firms

VAULT RANKINGS 2013

#52 Vault Law 100

#2 Pacific Northwest

View all Rankings #6 Mid-Atlantic

GENERAL INFO

Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA
41 offices
View all company stats

THE BUZZ…

• "Sponsors several law school scholarships"
• "Good work-life balance"
• "Still working through post-merger culture issues"
• "Too big"

NEWS AND UPDATES

Vault's Scoop

Uppers

• "Hours are not crazy for a big firm"
• "Meaningful mentorship opportunities"
• "Great resources with a small office feel"

Downers

• "Mediocre compensation"
• "Difficulty getting work during slow periods"
• "Lack of transparency"

ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

THE SCOOP

What a difference a couple of years make: the firm now branded K&L Gates has undergone a series of identity-shifting mergers in modern times. On the strength of several such deals, the firm has grown into one of BigLaw’s more massive operations while working on everything from corporate transactions and complex litigation to environmental law and policy work.

Gathering Momentum

The new Millennium saw a flurry of mergers, which formed what we now know as K&L Gates. In January 2007, Seattle’s Preston Gates & Ellis got hitched to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham (itself the product of one of the largest U.S.-U.K. mergers in legal history: the 2005 pairing of Pittsburgh-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart and London’s Nicholson Graham & Jones).

Become a Gold Member or Log in to read the entire Scoop

From the Community

K&L Gates REVIEWS

Inside opinions that matter, collected by Vault from employees at companies around the world.

View all K&L Gates LLP reviews

Are you currently working for K&L Gates LLP or have been an employee in the past?

Submit a review

K&L Gates SALARIES

K&L Gates LLP salary & compensation reviews include all signing and year-end bonuses, vacation time and other perks and reimbursements that make up total compensation.

View all K&L Gates LLP salary reports

K&L Gates SURVEY SAYS

Vault's Verdict: As far as BigLaw goes, K&L Gates associates say the firm’s culture can’t be beat, with excellent relationships with partner mentors and substantive assignments from the get-go. Their biggest complaint? Lately, there’s simply not enough work to go around.

Associate Life

Satisfaction
• "I’ve generally enjoyed my time here so far but it hasn’t been all that busy. I am a little nervous they might have over-hired."
• "I am satisfied with my job. I work with excellent attorneys and good people who I genuinely enjoy working with on a daily basis. It is my colleagues that make my job as enjoyable as it is in this stage of my career."
• "I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of (moderately) meaningful work that I have been assigned at this early stage in my career. I am also finding that good work tends to be recognized and rewarded with more meaningful and challenging assignments."
• "Good work, very busy, relatively high level of responsibility. I feel like I'm furthering my career. Lack of transparency in compensation (black box ‘merit-based system’) is frustrating."

Become a Gold Member or Log in to read the entire Survey Says

DISCUSSIONS

View all discussions

Company Initiatives

Law Firm Diversity Programs, View from the Top: Law Firm Leaders, View from the Top: Legal Women Leaders, Pro Bono Programs

Save to My Vault