K&L Gates LLP

K&L Gates has approximately 1,696 attorneys across 17 offices. It took its current form in a 2007 merger.

$225,000+

Announced by the firm (Oct 2026)

2026 summer class; 91.9% reported offer rate

#49

Overall firm rank

$1.6M

Am Law #48

$1.4B

Rank #48; 1,696 attorneys

Not reported: Partnership Track.

Openings

Every firm on the Job Board

3L / Entry-LevelOpen
Opens
Opened Oct 8
Deadline
Rolling
1L Summer 2027 · Class of 2029Opening Soon
Opens
Expected October or November
Deadline
Not announced
2L Summer 2028 · Class of 2029Closed
Opens
Closed this cycle
Deadline
Not announced
Closed
Fellowship / ScholarshipOpening Soon
1L
Opens
Not announced
Deadline
Not announced

K pays $225,000+, the same as 159 of the 197 firms that publish pay.

Listed firms by announced first-year comp

Firms by first-year comp
First-Year Comp	Firms
Above $225K	18
$225K	159
Below $225K	20

Source: firm announcements. 197 listed firms publish a first-year figure.

About K&L Gates

K&L Gates combines legal and public policy capabilities across an integrated international platform. Its firm overview describes interdisciplinary teams working across offices, while its practice materials show how commercial advice can intersect with regulation. Asset management and investment funds provide one example of those overlapping disciplines.

Within that practice, lawyers advise registered funds on federal securities regulation and compliance. Related derivatives and commodities work includes advice to traders, financial institutions, and exchanges on registration, regulatory relief, and risk-management procedures. Financial services policy adds another dimension to matters affected by changing government rules and priorities.

For students, the combination offers a concrete way to understand the firm's broader platform. A financial services client may need transactional advice, a compliance framework, or help navigating regulation and policy. Those needs call for different legal skills while remaining connected to the same industry, making practice-level research useful when considering opportunities at K&L Gates.

Description source

Rankings

Latest published editions. Each links to its source.

Size and Standing

$1.4B gross revenueAm Law 100, $1.4B gross revenue: #48 (opens in a new tab)
Lawyers in 16 countriesGlobal 200, Lawyers in 16 countries: #57 (opens in a new tab)
1,696 attorneysNLJ 500, 1,696 attorneys: #18 (opens in a new tab)
PrestigeVault Law 100, Prestige: #49 (opens in a new tab)

Pro Bono and Inclusion

Vault Practice Rankings

Practice Strength by Market

Every band below appears on this firm’s Chambers USA 2026 profile, checked September 26, 2026. Where Chambers splits a table into The Elite and Highly Regarded, every Elite firm ranks above every Highly Regarded firm.

View firm on Chambers

Scroll sideways to see recognition.

Practice	Market	Recognition, 2026
Banking & Finance: Corporate & Regulatory	Massachusetts	Band 1
Bankruptcy/Restructuring	North Carolina	Band 1
Construction	Tennessee	Band 1
Corporate/M&A	North Carolina: Charlotte & Surrounds	Band 1
Corporate/M&A & Private Equity	Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh & Surrounds	Band 1
Energy & Natural Resources	Pennsylvania	Band 1
Energy & Natural Resources	Washington	Band 1
Environment	New Jersey	Band 1
Healthcare	North Carolina	Band 1
Hedge & Mutual Funds	Massachusetts	Band 1
Insurance	Pennsylvania	Band 1
Litigation: General Commercial	Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh & Surrounds	Band 1
Registered Funds	Nationwide	Band 1
Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Regulatory	Nationwide	Band 1
Antitrust	Illinois	Band 2
Bankruptcy/Restructuring	Washington	Band 2
Construction	Pennsylvania	Band 2
Corporate/M&A	Washington	Band 2
Corporate/M&A & Alternative Entities	Delaware	Band 2
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation	Washington	Band 2
Environment	Pennsylvania	Band 2
Environment	Washington	Band 2
Government Relations: Federal	Nationwide	Band 2
Intellectual Property	Pennsylvania	Band 2
Intellectual Property	Washington	Band 2
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations	Pennsylvania	Band 2
Oil & Gas Litigation	Nationwide	Band 2
Real Estate	Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh & Surrounds	Band 2
Real Estate	South Carolina	Band 2
Tax	North Carolina	Band 2
Tax	Washington	Band 2
Corporate/M&A	Oregon	Band 3
Corporate/M&A	South Carolina	Band 3
Corporate/M&A	Tennessee	Band 3
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation	Pennsylvania	Band 3
Environment	Tennessee	Band 3
Healthcare	Tennessee	Band 3
Immigration	Texas	Band 3
Insurance	New Jersey	Band 3
Intellectual Property	North Carolina	Band 3
Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets	Illinois	Band 3
Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets	Texas	Band 3
Investment Funds: Investor Representation	Nationwide	Band 3
Investment Funds: Regulatory & Compliance	Nationwide	Band 3
Labor & Employment	New Jersey	Band 3
Labor & Employment	North Carolina	Band 3
Labor & Employment	Washington	Band 3
Life Sciences	Massachusetts	Band 3
Litigation: General Commercial	North Carolina	Band 3
Litigation: General Commercial	Washington	Band 3
Offshore Energy	Nationwide	Band 3
Real Estate	Washington	Band 3
Tax	Illinois	Band 3
Transportation: Aviation: Finance	Nationwide	Band 3
Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation)	Nationwide	Band 4
Environment	Nationwide	Band 4
Hedge Funds	Nationwide	Band 4
Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder	Nationwide	Band 4
Intellectual Property	Massachusetts	Band 4
Leisure & Hospitality	Nationwide	Band 4
Litigation: General Commercial	Massachusetts	Band 4
Litigation: General Commercial	Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds	Band 4
Private Equity: Fund Formation	Nationwide	Band 4
Sports Law	Nationwide	Band 4
Construction	Nationwide	Band 5
Intellectual Property	Illinois	Band 5
Labor & Employment	Massachusetts	Band 5
HealthcareHighly Regarded	Nationwide	Band 2
Corporate/M&AHighly Regarded	Nationwide	Band 4
Litigation: General CommercialHighly Regarded	Nationwide	Band 4

70 reported ranking rows

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Your contactsRecruiters and attorneys you met at this firm.
Your historyEvents, Gold Stars and when you applied.

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Locations

17 reported

New York, NY

Washington, DC

Los Angeles, CA

San Francisco, CA

Chicago, IL

Boston, MA

Houston, TX

Show 10 more locations

Dallas, TX

Irvine, CA

Miami, FL

Nashville, TN

Pittsburgh, PAHeadquarters

Portland, OR

Raleigh, NC

Research Triangle Park, NC

Seattle, WA

Wilmington, DE

Firm Facts

: 1,696
US Partners: 811
: 8.99 (Am Law leverage, FY2025)
Firm Leadership: Stacy Ackermann

Recruiting & Development

: Yes
: 91.9%

Culture, Diversity & Pro Bono

Women Partners: 27%
Pro Bono Hours Per Attorney: 23.4 hours

Facts verified by BigLaw Bear, narrative by the firm. Figures carry a source link where we hold one; prose is K&L Gates’s own.

Firm Highlights

Revenue: $1.4BAm Law #48Source
Revenue Per Lawyer: $808K
Profits Per Partner: $1.6M

Attorneys by role

Partners: 811

Summer Program

Program features

Summer Pay: $225,000+Announced by the firm (Oct 2026)
Total Summer Associates: 446 1Ls, 38 2Ls. Class of 2026Source
Program Length: 10 weeksSource

Pro Bono

Average Hours Per Attorney: 23.4 hoursAm Law pro bono rank #93

Schools K&L Gates Hires From

8 schools name K&L Gates on its own employer or placement pages. These lists are not exhaustive.