Overview

K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers and allied professionals located across five continents. The firm advises multinational corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants, public sector entities, educational institutions and philanthropic organisations across a broad range of industry sectors and practice areas. K&L Gates emphasises innovation and cross-border collaboration — examples include AI and legal workflow partnerships and an internal "Idea Group" to drive firmwide innovation — and has invested in client-facing thought leadership, sector teams (including a visible Nuclear Energy focus) and global platforms to support complex multi-jurisdictional matters.

Headquarters: Pittsburgh, K&L Gates Center
Trainees: 8
Offices: 48

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

Energy & Natural Resources
Real Estate
Corporate & M&A
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Financial Services & Regulation
Private Equity & Venture Capital
Investment Funds
Infrastructure & Projects
Technology & Digital
Intellectual Property
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
International Arbitration
White Collar Crime
Employment
Environment & Planning
Construction & Engineering
Tax
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Regulatory & Compliance
Transport & Logistics
Shipping & Maritime
ESG & Sustainability
Pensions
Commercial Contracts
Fraud & Investigations

Geographic Focus: Integrated global platform with a particularly large US office footprint and significant presence across Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. The firm emphasises fully integrated cross-border delivery, sector-focused teams (for example Nuclear Energy) and local capability in key commercial centres to serve multinational clients and complex international transactions and disputes.

Training Contract

Starting Salary: £50,000 (Year 1); £55,000 (Year 2).
NQ Salary: £120,000
Trainee Intake: 8
Qualification Rate: 33% (latest trainee retention rate reported).
Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1. Minimum A Level requirement: 128 UCAS points.
Application Deadline: 2026-07-31

Sponsorship

PGDL/GDL grant: Not applicable (reported). SQE grant: £13,000 (reported).

SQE Support

SQE grant: £13,000 (reported).

International Opportunities

Chances of secondment abroad reported as 0% (LegalCheek data).

Client Secondments

Chances of client secondment reported as 8% (LegalCheek data).

Apply on the K&L Gates website →

Programmes & Schemes

Open Day

Open day events for law students and graduates (candidates are asked to indicate interest via either the legal work placement scheme or the training contract application).

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Legal Work Placement Scheme

Legal work placement scheme for students seeking practical experience; used as an avenue to indicate interest in open days and training contract applications.

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Notable Matters

Masraf Al Rayan / Al Khaliji Bank – Qatar domestic merger (creation of one of the largest Islamic banks)

K&L Gates led and advised on the merger of Masraf Al Rayan with Al Khaliji Bank in Qatar, a transaction recognised as the Domestic Deal of the Year at the IFLR Middle East Awards 2022 and cited by the firm in regional award coverage. The deal created one of the largest Islamic banks globally and involved complex banking and regulatory work in Qatar.

Banking & Finance

BARBRI acquisition of Kaplan Altior (UK legal training provider)

K&L Gates London advised Leeds Equity Partners portfolio company BARBRI on its acquisition of Kaplan Altior, a UK provider of training courses for legal professionals. The team handled transactional aspects of the cross-border acquisition, enhancing BARBRI's tutor base and law‑firm relationships.

Corporate & M&A

Representation in high-profile sanctions evasion matter (United States v. Kostin / representation of Vadim Wolfson)

K&L Gates' White Collar team represented Vadim Wolfson in a sanctions-evasion case in the Southern District of New York, securing a deferred prosecution agreement following a sustained defence of the government's evidence — work recognised by shortlisting at the Global Investigations Review awards.

White Collar Crime

Multi-year internal investigation for Seatrium leading to Singapore deferred prosecution agreement

K&L Gates conducted a multi-year cross-border internal investigation on behalf of rig builder Seatrium, work that preceded Singapore’s first deferred prosecution agreement in that jurisdiction and was cited in the firm’s recognition in international investigations award shortlists.

Fraud & Investigations

What K&L Gates Looks For

Key Competencies

Commercial awareness
Teamwork and collaboration
Client-service orientation
Adaptability and initiative
Intellectual rigour and attention to detail
Commitment to diversity and pro bono

Evidence Signals

International or cross-border experience
Relevant sector experience (e.g., energy, financial services, technology)
Pro bono involvement or community engagement (e.g., work with refugee or equality causes)
Demonstrable commercial internships or transactional/research experience
Participation in mooting, client-facing activities or professional development programmes

Benefits & Wellbeing

Trainee salary Year 1: £50,000
Trainee salary Year 2: £55,000
Newly qualified (NQ) salary: £120,000
SQE grant: £13,000
PGDL/GDL grant: Not applicable
Annual leave: 25 days
Annual target hours: 1,600
Average start time: 09:12; Average finish time: 18:35
Chances of client secondment: 8%

Awards & Recognition

Law Firm of the Year, The Changing Lawyer Awards (2020)
International Law Firm of the Year, Qatar Business Law Forum Awards (2023)
Banking & Finance Team of the Year, Qatar Business Law Forum Awards (2022)
Corporate & Commercial Team of the Year, Qatar Business Law Forum Awards (2022)
Property & Construction Team of the Year, Qatar Business Law Forum Awards (2020)
Domestic Deal of the Year, IFLR Middle East Awards (for Masraf Al Rayan / Al Khaliji Bank merger, 2022)
Shortlisted - Global Investigations Review Awards (White Collar team, 2025)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As a firm, we reject racism and social injustice.

Conversations About Race and Diversity (firmwide speaker series)
Opportunity and Inclusion Committee
Women in the Profession committee
K&L Gates Pathway to Success business training programme (with Ms. JD) for women and diverse associates
Equal justice pro bono effort (voting rights, criminal justice reform, indigenous peoples' rights)
Pro Bono Committee; partnerships with KIND and Mary’s Place Legal Clinics

Pro Bono

More than 4,000 hours of pro bono service to KIND clients in a year (Texas offices example); more than 250 firm lawyers participating in an equal justice pro bono effort (reported).

Innovation

K&L Gates pursues an innovation strategy that emphasises people-led change with technology as an enabler: the firm operates a dedicated Idea Group to surface and escalate innovations, partners with technology vendors to build legal workflow tools (including a multiyear collaboration on a Panoramic workflow system) and has implemented AI tools for document and contract review. Training and cross-functional programmes and virtual practice retreats are used to embed new approaches and improve client service across the global platform.

Idea Group (joint committee of lawyers and allied professionals to identify and progress innovation)
Multiyear partnership with Thomson Reuters developing a panoramic legal workflow solution
Implementation of multiple AI programmes for document, matter and contract review
Participation and finalist status in Microsoft's Legal Business Design Challenge

Quick Application Angles

Highlight cross-border experience and an interest in sector work (for example energy/nuclear or financial services) — the firm prizes integrated global delivery and sector expertise.
Demonstrate familiarity with the firm's innovation agenda (mention the Idea Group, AI initiatives or the Panoramic workflow partnership) to show alignment with their people‑led, tech‑enabled approach.
Reference the firm's recent transactional experience (for example the BARBRI/Kaplan Altior acquisition or the Masraf Al Rayan / Al Khaliji Bank merger) when showing commercial awareness and why you are a fit for their corporate or finance teams.
Use examples of teamwork, peer support and client service (the firm scores highly in trainee peer support and partner approachability ratings) — provide concrete instances where you collaborated on complex problems or client-facing projects.

K&L Gates