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110 Cannon Street London EC4N 6AR 
Favoured by 4 users
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The lowdown (in their own words...)Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'International spread, small London trainee intake, friendliness, good range of work'; 'really enjoyed interview day, it gave a good insight into the atmosphere here'; 'small enough so that everyone gets to know you and large enough to ensure quality work and wide variety of seat options'; 'a firm with ambition' How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'As one of a smaller group of trainees, I feel I'm getting a greater amount of responsibility and work'; 'a lot of thought put into which supervisor you sit with'; 'good in-house seminars and well supervised'; 'genuine interest taken in training trainees'; 'more enjoyable to work here' Best thing about the firm? 'Collegiate atmosphere with people working together on projects. A good example is when one trainee ends up with a tedious job that looks like it will go on into the night, others try to help out'; 'close-knit culture'; 'combination of terrific work, high-quality clients yet a very relaxed atmosphere' Worst thing about the firm? 'The fact that very few people outside the firm seem to know who we are'; 'a lot of the impetus seems to come from the American management without too much consultation over here'; 'Lawyers Lounge (lunch room), which served up great meals for £4 everyday, was done away with as part of the cost-saving measures' Best moment? 'Three-day trip to Washington to meet our American cousins was a lot of fun'; 'being in charge of two small planning appeal public enquiries - drafting statements of case, instructions to Counsel, etc'; 'football tour to Lisbon'; 'completion champagne after weeks of late nights'; 'attending court hearings/completion meetings' Worst moment? 'Working all night printing off documentation from a data room'; 'lying in bed on a Sunday morning downloading documents from Companies House and forwarding them to the associate'; 'an unholy amount of bundling, paginating and photocopying - but that's what trainees do'; 'when there's not much work to do' The firmK&L Gates resulted from the 2005 merger between century-old City firm Nicholson Graham & Jones and US-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart. This 33-office, 1,800-lawyer firm has established itself as a reliable full-service player in London, with particular strength in corporate law (international deals up to £100m remain the sweet spot for the 16-partner UK corporate group), financial services and real estate. The star performersBrand management; Commercial property; Construction; Corporate restructuring and insolvency; Electoral law; Environment; Flotations: small and mid-cap; IT and telecoms; Intellectual property; M&A: lower mid-market, £50m-£250m; Partnership; Private finance initiative; Property finance; Sport. The dealsActed for Henderson UK Retail Warehouse Fund and Aviva in £91.5m sale of Cambridge Retail Park; advised the EBRD in developing a legal framework for clean fuel in Mongolia; advised Anglo Irish Bank on the restructuring and restatement of a £210m loan facility; advising Northern Ireland Health Group on the £240m-capex South West PFI Hospital. The clientsAmbrian Partners; Arbuthnot Securities; City & Capital; Halliburton; Henderson Global Investors; Laing O'Rourke; Microsoft. The money(from Legal Business magazine) Turnover in 2008: $755.2m (+51% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: $800,000 (+3%) Highly commended US law firm of the year for ongoing expansion through mergers (Taiwan, Chicago, Texas and Charlotte) and new offices (Shanghai and Paris). The Lex 100 verdictA Lex 100 Winner for friendliness, trainees here got positive vibes from the outset - 'I really enjoyed the interview day, it gave a good insight into the atmosphere here which is very friendly' - and feel their firm is the 'most friendly by far.' It's a great choice for those seeking a City firm with a 'relatively small London office', but with the comfort of being part of a larger global US firm. There's also a smaller trainee intake ('hence better supervision with opportunities for good calibre work'), 'excellent' work/life balance, 'friendly culture' matched with global work, clients and networks. The variety of departments is wide and the firm has a client list ranging from longstanding client the Liberal Democrats to the West Indies Cricket Board. The three-day trip to Washington 'to meet our American cousins' was a lot of fun and other highlights included 'being in charge of two small planning appeal public enquiries' and the football tour to Lisbon. Several trainees speak of the 'very collegiate atmosphere' which even extends to helping out other trainees stuck with tedious jobs. The current bunch of trainees feel a strong sense of camaraderie. Training is well planned, with 'thought put into which supervisor you sit with; I hear various stories about people from other firms not getting on very well with their supervisors, but here everyone seems happy'. Less happy, however, about the current lack of overseas seats, the fact 'impetus seems to just come from the American management without too much consultation over here' or that 'very few people outside the firm seem to know who we are'. However, if you can put up with the occasional 'K&L who?', you'll be rewarded with 'terrific work, high-quality clients yet a very relaxed atmosphere' at this quietly ambitious firm. A day in the life of..... Lee Forsyth first-year trainee, K&L Gates LLP University: Exeter College, Oxford University Departments to date: Corporate; real estate Degree and class: Law, 2(1) 9.00am: I arrive at the office after a rather pleasant walk down the Thames path. A letter from the Land Registry is waiting on my desk informing me that the property transfer I was assisting with has been registered successfully.9.30am: First piece of excitement of the day over, I check my emails to see if anything urgent has suddenly revealed itself. I have been dealing with a licence to assign and have received an email from the tenant's solicitors informing me that they are in a position to complete. I give them a ring and, after completion, I inform our client. There is a lot of client contact in real estate and I regularly correspond with clients by phone and email.9.45am: I check my to-do list. This is essential in real estate as trainees have many files to deal with and it is important to manage your time effectively. First on the list is to give advice in relation to whether our client landlord can recover certain costs from the tenants in one of their retail parks. After considering the relevant law and checking the leases to the various properties I draft a letter of advice. I show it to my supervisor and after he makes a few minor alterations I send it to our client.10.30am: I have been negotiating the terms of a licence for alterations and receive the latest amendments to my draft licence from the other side. A few of the amendments do not seem reasonable and I discuss the correct response with an associate. He agrees that we cannot accept all the amendments and explains the necessity for certain clauses to remain. I send an email explaining our position and the justifications for refusing certain amendments. 12.45pm: I get some lunch from the cafeteria and meet the other trainees by the park next to the river. It is summer and I take the opportunity to sit in the sun and catch up with everyone before going back to work. We discuss where we should go for our next night out. It was karaoke last time and due to my rather embarrassing display I suggest we go somewhere else.1.45pm: One of the partners asks me to do a research task which has to be done by the end of the day. It is an interesting piece of research on an area of public law I have not encountered. After reading an overview on the topic in a textbook I consider the relevant legislation and caselaw and draft a memorandum in answer to his question.3.30pm: The heads of terms for a lease arrives in my inbox. After a discussion with my supervisor about any technical points that need to be addressed I find a suitable precedent and begin my first draft of the lease. I have been given challenging work throughout my training contract and the firm is not afraid to give trainees a lot of responsibility which really helps you to progress and increases your confidence. 6.30pm: I recently represented the firm in a squash tournament and tonight I am attending the award ceremony. Sadly we did not win but I will be enjoying drinks and canapĆ©s with the team. Maybe next year. About the firm Address: 110 Cannon Street London EC4N 6AR Telephone: 020 7648 9000 Fax: 020 7648 9001 Email:
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Managing partner: Antony Griffiths
Total partners: 61
Other fee-earners:85
Total trainees :16
Other offices: Anchorage, Austin, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Dubai, Fort Worth, Frankfurt, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orange County, Palo Alto, Paris, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Spokane/Coeur D'Alene, Taipei, Washington. Who we are: K&L Gates comprises approximately 1,900 lawyers in 33 offices located in North America, Europe and Asia, and represents capital markets participants, entrepreneurs, growth and middle market companies, leading Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 global corporations and public sector entities. What we do: We are an international practice with expertise in investment management and related funds work, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, real estate, intellectual property, digital media and sport, travel and leisure, construction, insurance coverage, securities enforcement, environmental matters, litigation and other forms of dispute resolution and other specialisms. What we are looking for: We are looking for highly motivated, intellectually curious individuals with an interest in commercial law, looking for comprehensive training. What you will do: A thorough induction commencing in the US and ongoing in the UK with a training programme consisting of weekly legal education seminars, workshops and a full programme of skills electives. Emphasis is placed on early responsibility and involvement. Pro bono and corporate social responsibility activities are also encouraged. Perks: Permanent health insurance, season ticket loan, 25 days' holiday, private health insurance, life assurance, bonus scheme, subsidised gym membership, pension scheme. Sponsorship: GDL fees paid plus £5,000 maintenance grant, LPC fees paid plus £7,000 maintenance grant. Application processApply to: Hayley Atherton, HR Officer - Recruitment. How to apply: Apply online via the website at www.klgates.com/europe_recruitment/graduate/ or request a paper application form. When to Apply: 31 July 2010 (for training contracts commencing in 2012). What is involved: Full day assessment centre. Facts and figuresTrainee places available for 2012 tbc Applications received pa 1,000 Percentage interviewed 10% SalaryFirst year £35,000 (2008) Second year £38,000 (2008) Newly qualified £62,000 (2008) Placement schemesSummer: July 2010 (apply by 15 February 2010). |
