K&L Gates is one of the largest law firms in the world with more than 45 offices located in key capital cities and world commercial and financial centres across five continents. At K&L Gates, we foster an inclusive and collaborative environment across our fully integrated global platform that enables us to diligently combine the knowledge and expertise of our lawyers and policy professionals to create teams that provide exceptional client solutions. We marry process with vision, success with dedication, and method with passion.

K&L Gates overseas offices is located in Austin, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Brisbane, Brussels,  Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Fort Worth, Frankfurt, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, Houston, Kansas City, London, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Melbourne, Miami, Milan, Munich, Nashville, Newark, New York, Orange County, Palo Alto, Paris, Perth, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Washington DC, Wilmington.

To find out what it is like to work at K&L Gates LLP read the firm's Meet the Lawyer profile.

The firm’s formal summer legal work placement scheme is open to law and non-law students and other relevant postgraduates. Your two weeks with us in June/July will provide you with broad exposure to opportunities in diverse areas. We aim to give you a seat in at least two departments, and wherever possible we will allocate you to a seat of your choice.

The firm ensures each trainee is given exceptional opportunities to learn, experience and develop so that they can achieve their maximum potential. K&L Gates is active in the areas of corporate/M&A, capital markets, private equity, restructuring and insolvency, banking and asset finance, structured finance, debt capital markets, Islamic finance, funds, financial services regulation, antitrust, competition and trade regulation, public policy, real estate, planning and environment, intellectual property, technology transactions, construction, energy, infrastructure and resources, insurance coverage, regulatory, tax, employment, litigation, international arbitration, investigations, enforcement and white collar crime plus other forms of dispute resolution.

Trainees spend six month seats in four of the areas mentioned above. Each trainee sits with a supervisor and is allocated an individual mentor to ensure all round supervision and training. The firm has a thorough induction scheme and career development programme. High importance is placed on the acquisition of business and professional skills, with considerable emphasis on client contact and early responsibility. The training programme consists of weekly legal education seminars, workshops and a full programme of skills electives. Pro bono and corporate social responsibility activities are also encouraged.

Trainees will take the SQE route before joining us. 

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is a core value that motivates and inspires our team. 

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 believe we build better teams, forge better client relationships, and provide better service because of our diverse, collaborative team of professionals. We seek and welcome the talents of those from different walks of life and cultural backgrounds. These are the threads that make up the fabric of our firm.

Awarded Top Score in the 2023-24 Corporate Equality Index

For the 13th consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign awarded our firm its top score of 100 in the organisation’s Corporate Equality Index, naming it a “Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.”

Recognised as a Top Performer

We have been recognised with both the 2023 Top Performer and Compass Award designations from the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). These distinctions recognise organisations and law firms with the highest level of engagement with LCLD, signalling a commitment to building more diverse organisations and a more inclusive legal profession.

Awarded Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum

Our global law firm has been awarded a United States Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for the eleventh time, recognising the high levels of success by the firm’s women as partners and leaders.

Recognised as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion”

Our global law firm has been named one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” in the 2024 Disability Equality Index (DEI) by Disability IN. We are one of only nine law firms to achieve this distinction. 

Microsoft’s Law Firm Diversity Programme

We were honoured as a top achiever in advancing diversity within the legal profession by Microsoft’s Law Firm Diversity Programme, tying for first place for our work in increasing diversity across three key areas: the firm’s overall partnership and leadership, among Microsoft’s relationship partners, and on Microsoft’s client matters.

Chevron’s Law Firm Diversity Awards Programme

We were recognised by longtime client Chevron U.S.A. for our commitment to inclusion and diversity at Chevron’s annual law firm diversity awards programme. The award recognised Chevron law firm partners that have distinguished themselves through their commitment to diversity in the legal industry and by fostering an inclusive work environment.

Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Diversity Awards Programme

We were recognised by Lockheed Martin Corporation for our excellence in diversity and inclusion. The honour was based on the strength and diversity of the client’s outside legal teams, including the percentage of minority and female timekeepers working on the client’s matters. This was the first time an outside law firm had been recognised for excellence in the area of diversity and inclusion.

SQE fees paid and grants offered.

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