K&L Gates

K&L Gates LLP
Headquarters K&L Gates Center
Pittsburgh[1]
No. of offices 45
No. of attorneys Over 1800[2]
Major practice areas General practice
Key people James Segerdahl (global managing partner), Michael Caccese (chairman, management committee)
Revenue Increase US$1.17 billion (2016)[2]
Date founded 1883 (Seattle, U.S.A.)
Company type Limited Liability Partnership
Website www.klgates.com

K&L Gates LLP is a US-based international law firm with offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the United States.[3] Measured by headcount, it is the 8th largest law firm in the United States[4] and the 11th largest among law firms worldwide.[5] The firm delivers legal services at both an individual office level and through nine broad firmwide practice areas: Corporate and Transactional; Energy, Infrastructure and Resources; Finance; Financial Services; Intellectual Property; Labor, Employment and Workplace Safety; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Real Estate; and Regulatory and Policy, each of which also include a number of subject matter and industry-based practice groups.[6]

Corporate governance

As of March 2017, the leaders of K&L Gates are James Segerdahl (global managing partner) and Michael Caccese (chairman, management committee).[7] They replaced longtime chairman and global managing partner Peter Kalis, who had held that position since 1997.[8]

History

  • 1858: London-based Nicholson Graham & Jones is founded
  • 1883: Preston Gates & Ellis is founded in Seattle,[9] emerging out of the private law offices of Harold Preston.
  • 1946: Pittsburgh-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart is founded
  • 2005: Kirkpatrick & Lockhart and Nicholson Graham & Jones merge to become Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham
  • 2007: On January 1, K&L Gates is formed in a merger between Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham and Preston Gates & Ellis to form Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis.[10] The name was later shortened to K&L Gates.
  • 2008: In January, K&L Gates combined with Hughes & Luce, a Dallas-based firm of 150 attorneys with offices in Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth
  • 2008: In July K&L Gates combined with Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman LLP, a North Carolina-based firm of 200 attorneys with offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Research Triangle Park.[11]
  • March 1, 2009: K&L Gates merged with Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, a Chicago-based firm with approximately 215 attorneys with offices in Chicago, San Diego and Washington, D.C.
  • 2013: K&L Gates combined with Australian national firm Middletons with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane

Notable ratings

In 2017 U.S. News ranked K&L as the best Law Firm in the category of Environmental Litigation.[12] The Financial Times labeled K&L among the "Most innovative North American law firms 2015: Compliance & technology".[13]

K&L Gates received a "100 percent" on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index compiled by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, an LGBT advocacy group.[14] In 2016 the "Yale Law Women" included K&L gates in the top ten "family-friendly" law firms.[15]

Notable projects

In September 2014, K&L Gates founded the "Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project". The project initially involves about fifty K&L lawyers working pro bono to assist about 100 victims of "revenge porn". According to the New York Times, the project is believed to be first of its kind at a major United States law firm.[16] By 2016, the project has aided hundreds of victims and has led to a handful of arrests.[17] In April 2017 the project secured an $8.9 million jury award for a King County couple, reportedly the largest award for non-celebrity targets of "revenge porn" to date.[18][19]

In 2016, K&L awarded a $10 million grant to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to establish the "K&L Gates Endowment for Ethics and Computational Technologies". This new research center is to explore the ethics of artificial intelligence and establish a biennial conference. The firm has provided legal services to CMU for decades; K&L Chairman Emeritus Charles J. Queenan Jr. once chaired CMU's Board of Trustees.[20][21]

In 2017, K&L announced it would create its own blockchain.[22]

Political contributions

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, K&L Gates was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.29 million, 52% to Democrats.[23] By comparison, during that same period Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld donated $2.56 million, 66% to Democrats,[23] while oil conglomerate ExxonMobil donated $2.66 million, 88% to Republicans.[24] Since 1990, K&L Gates contributed $10.26 million to federal campaigns, and spent $1.25 million on lobbying since 1999.[25]

Notable lawyers and alumni

References

  1. ↑
  2. 1 2
  3. ↑ http://www.klgates.com/places/
  4. ↑ "The NLJ 250:Our Annual Survey". The National Law Journal. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "The 2011 Global 100: Most Lawyers". The American Lawyer. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  6. ↑ http://www.klgates.com/aboutus/xpqGC.aspx?xpST=AboutUsGeneral&key=ec9cb923-6322-4cc9-838c-bda359f6626e&activeEntry=7cc28745-1d6a-44fc-8d41-33be565591ac
  7. ↑ "As K&L grows, it takes two to fill Kalis' shoes," Pittsburgh Business Times, Sept. 23, 2016, http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2016/09/23/as-k-l-grows-it-takes-two-to-fill-kalis-shoes.html
  8. ↑ "Kalis elected to fifth terms as head of K&L Gates," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 25, 2012, http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/kalis-elected-to-fifth-terms-as-head-of-kl-gates-654825/
  9. ↑ Riggio, Jim (3 November 2005). "Former Congressman, Judge James Rogan Joins Orange County Firm". Metropolitan News Enterprise. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  10. ↑ James, Andrea (14 December 2006). "Preston Gates & Ellis OKs merger". Seattle Pi. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Press release from K&L Gates
  12. ↑ "K&L Gates - Rankings". U.S. News. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Innovative Lawyers - Financial Times". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Local companies earn perfect score on LGBTQ index". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  15. ↑ "These 10 law firms are ranked the most family-friendly". ABA Journal. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  16. ↑ Goldstein, Matthew (29 January 2015). "Law Firm Founds Project to Fight 'Revenge Porn'". New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Miami lawyers' project helps online victims of revenge porn". Miami Herald. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  18. ↑ "King County couple awarded $8.9M revenge porn verdict". seattlepi.com. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  19. ↑ "How One Woman's Digital Life Was Weaponized Against Her". Wired. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  20. ↑ Markoff, John (1 November 2016). "New Research Center to Explore Ethics of Artificial Intelligence". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  21. ↑ Aupperlee, Aaron (2 November 2016). "K&L Gates gives $10M to CMU to study ethics of AI". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  22. ↑ "K&L Gates to implement private blockchain". ABA Journal. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Lawyers & Lobbyists: Top Contributors to Federal Candidates, Parties, and Outside Groups". OpenSecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics.
  24. ↑ "Energy/Natural Resources: Top Contributors to Federal Candidates, Parties, and Outside Groups". OpenSecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  25. ↑ "Organizations: K&L Gates". OpenSecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  26. ↑ Thornburgh Shares Lessons From Three Mile Island Crisis
  27. ↑ K&L Gates - People - Dick Thornburgh
  28. ↑ Testimony of Dick Thornburgh, Former Attorney General of the United States, Counsel, K&L Gates LLP
  29. ↑ Congress is on a health-reform path that will raise premiums
  30. ↑ K&L Gates - People - K&L Gates
  31. ↑ http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202667573523/Lifetime-Achiever-Charles-Queenan-Jr-
  32. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2013/07/30/peter-kalis-among-top-50-innovators.html
  33. ↑ http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/LBTP2013Web.pdf
  34. ↑ http://support.wilsoncenter.org/page.aspx?pid=429
  35. ↑ ABA Journal ABA President to Replace Magowan as Managing Partner of San Francisco Giants
  36. ↑ K&L Gates - People - Michael S. Greco
  37. ↑ Nelson, Robert T. (January 27, 1995). "Democratic Firm Learns To Do Business With New Congress". The Seattle Times.
  38. ↑ Postman, David; Bernton, Hal (2006-02-07). "How scheming lobbyist operated in Seattle firm". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  39. ↑ Eric Schneiderman
  40. ↑ 10 Things You Didn't Know About Rick Santorum
  41. ↑ 9 Things You Need to Know About Rick Santorum
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