Survey Results - Trainee feedback on K&L Gates
Survey Results - Trainee feedback on
The lowdown - Trainees (in their own words) on K&L Gates
Why did you choose to join this firm? ‘I had heard positive things about the firm from speaking to existing lawyers. They spoke highly of their colleagues, of their clients, and of the work that they get to do at K&L. The impression I got was that this is a firm where you can work on interesting, global matters with plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, while still maintaining a decent work-life balance’, ‘because of the collegiate environment, the work-life balance and the firm’s workstream/types of client’
What is the best thing about the firm? ‘You are given a lot of responsibility but in a supportive environment. Supervisors care about your development and want you to succeed; they are patient with your questions and nobody is out to get you’, ‘the people I work with on a daily basis’, ‘balance and opportunities’, ‘the corporate department’, ‘good quality work and generally decent hours, good pro bono opportunities’
What could the firm do to improve? ‘Greater formalisation of internal, seat‑specific training for trainees would be a positive addition to an already strong and supportive learning environment’, ‘more competitive pay and tech’, ‘grow its London office to have broader practice areas’, ‘improve the trainee retention rate; better/more frequent social activities’, ‘it could improve our IT, in particular our laptops and loaning us monitors for home-desk setup’, ‘better qualification prospects’
What has been the best moment of your training? ‘Seeing an argument I developed be used in our pleadings’, ‘holding a board meeting for a client on a deal in the finance department’, ‘transactional seats’, ‘being involved in a very high-value arbitration’, ‘early responsibility on substantive drafting, including longer agreements such as patent assignment agreements, a share purchase agreement and a framework agreement. I was involved in and led some client calls, and received constructive guidance along the way’
What has been the most challenging moment of your training? ‘The beginning of each new seat is a difficult adjustment. Although we are very lucky to be able to experience four different areas of legal practice, it can be hard to go back to square one every six months. In particular, managing your own capacity can be tough at the start, as it is tricky to anticipate how long a task will take when you have never done it before’, ‘adjusting to the lack of free time’, ‘Quiet periods in the less-supported seats like private funds’
The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on K&L Gates
With ‘high-quality, international work and a notable US presence, combined with its distinctively British atmosphere in its London office’, K&L Gates offers trainees a compelling middle ground: the scale and sophistication of a US-headquartered firm, without sacrificing a collegiate culture and work-life balance.
A small trainee cohort ‘provides great opportunities for learning and development’, through ‘hands-on work with seniors’. This is facilitated by ‘trainees often sharing offices with partners’, which ‘makes it easy to ask questions and learn through direct exposure to live matters’. As a result, juniors have ‘opportunities early on to make a meaningful impact on cases’, and ‘gain experience and insights not available at other US law firms’.
Trainees would appreciate a ‘greater formalisation of seat-specific training’, with ‘more training sessions that focus particularly on the types of work that a trainee would encounter in their respective seats’. Some respondents would also like to see ‘more transparency in relation to career growth opportunities and salaries’.
As is perhaps to be expected, ‘adapting to the pace and demands of different seats’ was one of the more challenging parts of the training contract, ‘particularly during busy periods’. ‘Juggling five or six multiple workstreams at the same time’ wasn’t easy either. The good news is that ‘partners are normally very good at resolving such conflicts when escalated promptly to them’.
When it comes to best moments, ‘carrying out a mock dawn raid at our client’s premises to simulate what it would be like if the Competition and Markets Authority carried out an unexpected investigation into alleged breaches of competition law’ was a clear highlight. This was ‘both a brilliant learning opportunity and an exciting, hands -on experience’.
As one respondent enthused: ‘The most important thing to me when applying for firms was being able to do good quality work, with good people and have a good work-life balance. In my opinion, K&L Gates delivers on all three of those things’.
Legal500 day in the life of a trainee
Anna Carter, Second Year Trainee
Departments to date: Corporate Department
7:50 AM: I head to the tube station, and my commute takes around 40 minutes.
8:30 AM: Once I’m at my desk, I grab a coffee from the canteen, swap my shoes, and open my emails. I check for anything that’s come in overnight – being part of an international law firm often means other offices have progressed matters while we were offline, ready for us to pick up first thing in the morning. I then spend the next couple of hours working through urgent tasks and emails and setting out my to-do list for the day.
I divide my to-do list into three categories (1) tasks for me to complete, with deadlines; (2) work sent out to clients or team members, so I can follow up if needed (3) long-term pieces of work with a deadline not falling within the next two weeks. This system helps me prioritise effectively and maintain a long-term view of my workload.
9:30 AM: I chat with my supervisor, one of the partners in the team. As trainees, we share an office with a partner, which is a fantastic opportunity. Sitting with a partner allows us to ask questions and receive feedback easily. It helps us develop not only the technical skills of being a lawyer but also the softer skills, such as client relationship management.
10:30 AM: My supervisor and I have a meeting with a long-standing client of the firm to discuss upcoming projects. You get great client exposure at this firm – I’ve sat in countless client meetings, attended events and have liaised with clients directly throughout my training contract.
12:30 PM: I usually bring lunch from home, but on days I don’t have time (like today), I either grab something from our chef or pop out to one of the many nearby lunch spots – we’re spoilt for choice but today I went for sushi. When the weather is good, trainees often have lunch on the firm’s terrace, which offers one of the best views in London of St Paul’s Cathedral.
2:00 PM: We have a kick-off call with the corporate team for a potential new deal. We’re acting for the buyer and will be conducting a due diligence exercise, which involves reviewing documents provided by the target company. The call covers how the work will be split, the depth of the review, and the deadlines. After the call, the partner kindly explains the structure and mechanics of the acquisition to me and the other trainee.
2:45 PM: I grab a coffee with a couple of other trainees. We all studied the SQE together, and since we’re a small cohort, we’re a close-knit group. It’s nice to check in and support each other.
3:15 PM: Back at my desk, I focus on a couple of pro bono matters. The firm has many great pro bono initiatives, and trainees are encouraged to get involved. I’ve been working on two large international projects, which have involved liaising with local counsel in different jurisdictions.
4:30 PM: More emails come in, along with a few ad hoc tasks from different team members. I work through these for the rest of the afternoon.
6:15 PM: I finalise my billing for the day, check in with members of the team to see if I can help with anything else before I head home, update my to-do list for tomorrow, and log off.
7:00 PM: Once I’m home, I drop off my bags and head out for a walk. I try to do this every evening to get some steps in before cooking dinner.
About the firm
The firm: K&L Gates is one of the largest law firms in the world with more than 40 offices located in key capital cities and world commercial and financial centres around the globe. 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.
Managing partner: Paul Callegari, London Managing Partner.
Other offices: Austin, 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, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Washington DC, Wilmington.
Who we are: K&L Gates fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment across its fully integrated global platform.
What we do: 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, derivatives, aviation, debt capital markets, Islamic finance, funds, financial services regulation, antitrust, competition and trade regulation, public policy, real estate, 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.
What we’re looking for: We are looking for highly motivated, intellectually curious individuals with an interest in commercial law, looking for comprehensive training
What you’ll do: A thorough induction scheme: emphasis is placed on early responsibility and client contact. Pro bono and CSR activities are encouraged.
Perks: Life assurance scheme, group income protection, gym membership, group personal pension plan, season ticket loan, private GP service, employee assistance programme, cycle to work, eye tests, language learning tool and fertility support.
Sponsorship
SQE sponsorship of £15,000.
PGDL sponsorship of £13,000.
Seat options
Corporate; asset management and investment funds; white-collar crime; intellectual property; antitrust, competition and trade regulation; energy, infrastructure and resources; construction and infrastructure; employment; real estate; finance; litigation and dispute resolution.
Tips from the recruiter
- Be clear and concise in your application form. Consider what a law firm is looking for and tailor your responses accordingly. Share your interests, hobbies and skills to help us gain a genuine sense of who you are.
- Take time to ensure your answers are thoughtful and well-structured. Use specific examples to illustrate your points and provide evidence to support your responses.
- Show that you understand the role of a law firm and why you aspire to become a solicitor in London. Demonstrate awareness and curiosity for current affairs.