Sydney office - 2016 Firm Profile Firm Name: Office address: Website: K&L Gates Level 31, 1 O'Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000 http://www.klgates.com/ Telephone: (02) 9513 2000 Facsimile: (02) 9513 2399 Location of other offices: Australia Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney Global North and South America, UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia Brief description of the firm and prominent areas of practice: K&L Gates is a commercial law firm operating at the intersection of globalisation, innovation, and regulation to deliver legal solutions for clients facing an increasingly complex global marketplace. K&L Gates have more than 2000 lawyers across five continents. Within Australia, K&L Gates has lawyers located in 4 offices: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. K&L Gates practices law on an integrated basis and has the largest integrated network of offices of any global law firm. With a presence in Australia's leading financial and commercial centres, K&L Gates represents leading global corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants and entrepreneurs in every major industry group as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organisations and individuals. We are leading legal advisors relating to industries critical to the economies of both the developed and developing worlds technology, manufacturing, energy, transportation, telecommunications, financial services, and life sciences, among others. With the extraordinary inbound investment into Australia from Asia, especially from China, and 4 of Australia's 5 largest trading partners China, Japan, Korea, and India located in the region, the firm has the resources on the ground to handle the most sophisticated legal requirements. Over each of the last five years our revenues exceeded $1 Billion. We have 9 key practice areas on our global platform: Corporate & Transactional Energy, Infrastructure and Resources Finance Financial Services Intellectual Property Labour, Employment and Workplace Safety Litigation & Dispute Resolution Policy & Regulatory
Real Estate What values are most important to the firm? There are many law firms to choose from. But what if there were a law firm that really is different from the others? Law firms often talk about many of the same things - having great lawyers, delivering excellent client service, offering global capabilities. At K&L Gates, we consistently provide all those things to clients, and indeed, we often surpass expectations in those areas. But that s what we do - it isn t who we are. K&L Gates is about more than practicing law or making a living. It s about building something amazing - creating a legacy for you, the firm, our clients and the communities we serve. We thrive in an inclusive and socially conscious environment that embraces our diversity and takes a holistic approach to the career evolution of all our professionals, an approach that ultimately enables us to serve clients more effectively. Here you can make a difference, lead the way, and let your innovation shine. We are all in it together. We come up with big ideas and then roll up our sleeves to get the job done. We are a global community of entrepreneurs and self-starters. We are nimble and ambitious with a high level of integrity, resolve, and strength of character. Although we take pride in our willingness to run through walls for clients, we also value the importance of laughing with clients, colleagues, or friends. We genuinely enjoy working with each other and for our clients. We expect you to work hard, but we don t want you to be a robot. We have doubled in size in the last decade. You don t do that by waiting for someone to show you the way. There is no that s the way it s always been done at K&L Gates - instead we have adapted and evolved as we ve experienced our exponential growth. We guide our clients through their most complex legal issues while they shape their futures, businesses and industries. The net result of building a unified and globally integrated law firm is that we are confident that we can do this better than our competitors. At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place. And hopefully, you ll agree that we are different from all the other law firms - and the right place for you to grow your career. Number of male partners and number of female partners (as at 1 February 2016): Brisbane office: 10 Male, 1 Female Melbourne office: 20 Male, 4 Female Perth office: 9 Male Sydney office: 16 Male, 10 Female Nationally: 55 Male, 15 Female Number of male solicitors and number of female solicitors: Brisbane office: 7 Male and 20 Female
Melbourne office: 34 Male and 46 Female Perth office: 10 Male and 15 Female Sydney office: 23 Male and 48 Female Nationally: 74 Male, 129 Female What distinguishes the firm from other firms? Choosing a career at K&L Gates is choosing to be a part of a progressive and innovative law firm that continues to grow year on year. We work with market leaders across many industries in a range of exciting areas of commercial law. We have a one-company, oneteam mentality, constantly seeking ways to add value to our clients and your career objectives. We look to recruit talented people, then provide the opportunities and support for them to achieve their best. Your career will benefit from unprecedented exposure to high profile deals on an international platform. You will have access to a global knowledge bank to help you develop and grow. Most importantly you will be part of a straight talking culture where you are recognised for what you do and how you do it. Join us and you will join a team of passionate professionals dedicated to providing exceptional client service. Learn what makes our global law firm different: Check out our Facebook page: Check out our brand video on YouTube: /klgateslaw Or visit our Careers page at www.klgates.com for application details. What is the firm s approach to pro bono work? Each lawyer has a minimum number of pro bono hours they must achieve each year. Ideally you will be involved in pro bono matters during your clerkship. This will be dependent on the nature of the work that is available in the practice area during your clerkship. CLERKSHIP PROGRAM How many clerks does the firm typically take in Sydney? Approximately 4-5 each year. How many intakes of clerks are there and when do they typically take place? Sydney: One clerkship program for 8 weeks November to February What stands out in a clerkship application? Solid academic results are important but to be a successful lawyer you need to demonstrate talent and skill in a variety of areas. You need to be able to demonstrate in your application
commerciality, logic and attention to detail, as well as an enthusiasm for delivering exceptional service. What type of work can a clerk expect to undertake? During your clerkship at K&L Gates, you will benefit from being involved in real legal work. This will include participation in client meetings and court visits, research and drafting of advice and general support within one or more of our following practice areas: Corporate & Transactional Energy, Infrastructure and Resources Finance Financial Services Intellectual Property Labour, Employment and Workplace Litigation & Dispute Resolution Policy & Regulatory Real Estate Please visit our website for more detailed information on each practice area at www.klgates.com What other opportunities and experiences does the firm offer its clerks e.g. travel opportunities or extra-curricular activities? At K&L Gates you will participate in a comprehensive induction program that continues throughout your clerkship to learn important skills to lay the foundations for a successful legal career. You will work closely with partners, senior associates and have the support of a junior lawyer or trainee lawyer as a buddy. There are also a number of social and sporting activities that are organised to help you to network with others across the firm and, most of all, have fun! What does the firm look for in a seasonal clerk? We believe in hiring individuals who will become a part of our collaborative, committed and diverse team. To be successful at K&L Gates you will have: Leadership experience: You re a self-starter committed to personal and professional development. And you ve demonstrated initiative, tenacity and potential. Curiosity: You re a strategic thinker who solves problems creatively. Maturity: You possess sound judgment and have excellent people skills. You re confident and professional. Passion: You must be dynamic, enthusiastic and excited about our firm. First class communication skills: You possess the ability to speak and write clearly and intelligently. Attributes of a team player: You re approachable and enjoy participating in group activities. You re a good listener. And you re always willing to share thoughts and ideas.
Will the firm accept non-penultimate applicants? We will accept applications from penultimate year students, final year students or graduates. To be eligible for a clerkship you must be able to commence a Graduate position in March 2018. What is the application and interview process e.g. how many rounds of interviews, style of interview? Applicants will have the opportunity to meet as many K&L Gates people as possible during the 2 round interview process, meeting with a combination of Partners/Senior Associates and HR team members. SUPERVISED WORKPLACE TRAINING (GRADUATE PROGRAM) Description of the graduate program: Our graduate program is designed to give you the technical expertise and commercial context to succeed. Throughout the year you are supported with a buddy, supervisor and mentor. Partners and senior lawyers will support and guide you through each rotation and support your career development. Your buddy, a junior lawyer, will help you transition into your new role. Your professional development program runs weekly. It combines Practical Legal Training (delivered inhouse by the College of Law) with sessions presented by partners, lawyers, external presenters and our professional development team. Our program delivers skill development in 2 key areas fundamental legal abilities and professional legal skills which incorporate: legal technical skills (analysis and judgment); client service (client and business knowledge, networking); and personal effectiveness (communication, work ethic, motivation and maturity). How many graduates does the firm typically take? Graduates are recruited from our previous seasonal clerks. Does the firm offer deferment of a graduate offer? Each request is considered on a case by case basis. You cannot defer to complete your university studies. Are graduate offers made solely from the group of previous clerks? Yes How many rotations does a graduate undertake and for what length? As a graduate you will complete 3 practice area rotations. You will be exposed to a variety of areas of commercial law in all of your rotations. What is the firm s approach to the continuing education of its employees?
We encourage our young lawyers to continue their professional development beyond their PLT with ongoing education while providing the support to do so. What other opportunities and experiences does the firm offer its graduates e.g. secondments or travel opportunities? You will have many opportunities to be involved in an array of firm events and activities to match your interest, whether they be social, sporting, business or community focused. APPLICATIONS How to apply: Contact: Position: Email: Application deadline: cvmail David Forner HR Business Partner david.forner@klgates.com Sydney clerkship applications Applications open 15 June 2016 Applications close 17 July 2016.