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K&L Gates

4.4
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

K&L Gates Graduate Programs & Internships

  • Law

K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers located across five continents. In Australia, we have four offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. We are a fully integrated network of lawyers and legal professionals who believe that clients need more than technical legal skills; they need insightful and practical advice on the diverse issues that affect their businesses, delivered with unparalleled client service. Our combination of practice strength, global platform, and unsurpassed client service is a true differentiator in the legal services marketplace. With a strong presence in key capital cities and world commercial and financial centres, we represent a broad array of Global 500, Fortune 100, and FTSE 100 corporations in nearly every major industry, including energy, financial services, health care, infrastructure, life sciences, manufacturing, sustainable development, technology, telecommunications, and transportation, amongst others. Are you looking for a law firm that really is different? Where can you be empowered to discover quality work and clients, develop through opportunities to learn more while growing your career, and thrive in a diverse and inclusive culture? Then join our global community of talented visionaries.

We have nine key practice areas on our global platform:

  • Corporate
  • Energy, Infrastructure and Resources
  • Finance
  • Asset Management and Investment Funds
  • Intellectual Property
  • Labour, Employment and Workplace Safety
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Policy & Regulatory
  • Real Estate

Culture

Practising commercial law challenges all lawyers in so many ways. The rewards of developing commercial experience, long-lasting relationships with colleagues and clients are realised through hard work, persistence and K&L Gates is about more than practising 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. We are all in it together - 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.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment. Our firm wide Diversity and Inclusion Committee focuses on increasing the representation of women in leadership roles, increasing the representation of Asian Australian lawyers and raising LGBTQ awareness and inclusion in the workplace. We are proud members of the Diversity Council of Australia, Pride in Diversity, Asian Australian Lawyers Association and Victorian Women Lawyers.

We share a vision for a just, equitable and reconciled Australia. To achieve that vision, we must engage in dialogue with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to understand how we can actively support reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our business activities and communities more broadly.

Framing our approach to the multifaceted tasks of reconciliation is our 2020-2021 Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Pro Bono and Community Outreach

We actively encourage our lawyers to provide pro bono legal representation and to participate in other charitable, community, educational, and professional activities. Our annual Global Day of Service program helps to foster and strengthen connections across the firm’s global platform and promote, recognise, and celebrate our commitment to community service around the world. In 2020, we devoted more than 46,000 hours to Pro Bono Cases.

Innovative

We strive to meet our clients at the critical cross-roads of their challenges and business needs to help them navigate the increasingly complex legal landscape. In today’s data-heavy, fast-moving, and multijurisdictional environment, we understand the importance of being able to manage the growing volume of information at ever-increasing speeds. That’s why we carefully invest in technology platforms, harness innovative techniques in processes and procedures, and create a culture of driving growth which enhances our efficiency and delivery of services, facilitates collaboration, and helps solve client problems. We are named to Australian Lawyer's 2020 Innovative Law firms list.

Our Ideal Candidate

K&L Gates is about more than practising 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 look to recruit well-rounded, talented people, to provide the opportunities and support for them to achieve their best. It sounds simple, and to us it is. Our aim is to develop commercially orientated and entrepreneurial lawyers. Solid academic results are important but to be a future lawyer in our firm you need to demonstrate talent and skill in a variety of areas.

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.

Our Clerkship Program

As a law student in your penultimate year at university, a clerkship program is the ideal opportunity for you to experience firsthand what it is like to work as a lawyer in our firm. As a seasonal clerk you will be embedded into our practice areas and be involved in real legal work right from the start, giving you in-depth experience and providing real insight into life as a corporate lawyer at K&L Gates. Not only will you get to experience what it is like to work in a global corporate law firm firsthand, you will have the chance to enjoy our down to earth culture we are known for. Clerks are encouraged to attend learning and development sessions, firm celebrations and other activities such as staff drinks and our regular pro-bono, community and charitable activities. There will also be opportunities to join in on some of the work our Diversity Committee does to create an inclusive, diverse and supportive working environment. Clerkship dates and duration are subject to change, so visit klgates.com/careers for details relevant to your location.

Our Graduate Program

Our graduate program is designed to give you the technical capability and commercial context to succeed. The program runs for 12 months, in which time you will complete three practice group rotations. You will be exposed to a variety of areas of corporate law in all your rotations.

Throughout the year you are supported by a buddy, supervisor and mentor. Partners and senior lawyers will support and guide you through each rotation and ensure you get the necessary 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 in-house 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).

You will have many opportunities to be involved in an array of firm events and activities to match your interests, whether they are social, sporting, business or community-focused.

Recruitment Process

All applications should include a cover letter, CV and academic transcript. Our application process also involves answering a few short answer questions.

The Interview Process

You will experience a two-stage interview process with us.

First-round interview

Your first-round interview will be with one of our partners, special counsels or senior associates who are part of our recruitment team, as well as a member of our Human Resources team.

The first interview is our opportunity to get to know you and for you to get to know us. We will expand on your application and your interest in K&L Gates.

Second round interview

For Melbourne and Sydney applicants, the second round interview is a group activity. You will work through a series of legal scenarios with a group of candidates and two members from our recruitment team.

The group interview assesses your ability to demonstrate your analytical skills and to think critically and commercially, as well as your teamwork skills (an essential skill for our lawyers!)

The second round interview process also includes a networking session, giving you another opportunity to meet our people and get to know more about life at K&L Gates.

Offers

Offers for a clerkship role will be made in accordance with the relevant state guidelines.

Remuneration & Career Growth

In conjunction with on-the-job experience, we provide formal training sessions. On day one, you will receive an in-depth induction to the firm as well as training on relevant internal processes and systems, followed by other sessions over the course of the clerkship program. These sessions have been designed to develop your legal knowledge and business skills, as well as to give you a broader insight into the various areas of law in which we practise.

 

Graduate Reviews

Overall Score
4.4
Overall score based on 36 reviews
They Score Best in…
9.1
Culture
9.0
Satisfaction
8.7
Management
8.6
Training
9.1
Culture
9.0
Satisfaction
8.7
Management
8.6
Training
What Graduates Say About Them
  • Lots of interesting directly client-related work, lots of work directly from partners rather than all work coming down the hierarchical chain.
  • My firm puts so much time and effort into its staff, particularly its Graduates and Junior Lawyers. It provides us with opportunities for growth and development, on both personal and professional levels, in a safe, supportive and personable environment, while still providing client-focused, market-leading professional legal services.
  • Everyone is approachable and friendly. Quality of the work is very high. Great place to learn.
  • The culture and the opportunities, the people are amazingly supportive and creative. The opportunity to work with different clients nationally and internationally is great.
  • Small and highly skilled team structures means graduates are exposed to important and real work very early on.
  • The teams have very different cultures and ways of working so it is difficult to find your feet consistently.
  • The lack of employee benefits in comparison to other law firms
  • Occasionally, hours can be long and overtime is required.
  • Rotations very brief

Jobs & Opportunities

Locations With Jobs & Opportunities
  • Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Hiring candidates with qualifications in
B
Business & Management
C
Creative Arts
E
Engineering & Mathematics
H
Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences
I
IT & Computer Science
L
Law, Legal Studies & Justice
M
Medical & Health Sciences
P
Property & Built Environment
S
Sciences
T
Teaching & Education

Graduate Success Stories


  • Graduate stories
My favourite thing about being a junior lawyer is that you’re encouraged to ask questions.

Shani Horii-Watson

  • Graduate stories
My favourite thing about being a junior lawyer is that you’re encouraged to ask questions.

Shani Horii-Watson

  • Graduate stories
My favourite thing about being a junior lawyer is that you’re encouraged to ask questions.

Shani Horii-Watson

  • Graduate stories
My favourite thing about being a junior lawyer is that you’re encouraged to ask questions.

Shani Horii-Watson

A Day In The Life Of


  • Day in the life

Tamsyn Vohradsky

I head upstairs to the training rooms to meet up with my fellow clerks for a session to get to know how Pro Bono operates within the firm and what we need to do if we want to get involved.
  • Day in the life

Tamsyn Vohradsky

I head upstairs to the training rooms to meet up with my fellow clerks for a session to get to know how Pro Bono operates within the firm and what we need to do if we want to get involved.
  • Day in the life

Joshua Robbins

I finish the day working on a matter involving Modern Slavery... Currently, we are preparing for a modern slavery training presentation for one of our infrastructure construction clients.
  • Day in the life

Joshua Robbins

I finish the day working on a matter involving Modern Slavery... Currently, we are preparing for a modern slavery training presentation for one of our infrastructure construction clients.
  • Day in the life

Tamsyn Vohradsky

I head upstairs to the training rooms to meet up with my fellow clerks for a session to get to know how Pro Bono operates within the firm and what we need to do if we want to get involved.
  • Day in the life

Tamsyn Vohradsky

I head upstairs to the training rooms to meet up with my fellow clerks for a session to get to know how Pro Bono operates within the firm and what we need to do if we want to get involved.
  • Day in the life

Joshua Robbins

I finish the day working on a matter involving Modern Slavery... Currently, we are preparing for a modern slavery training presentation for one of our infrastructure construction clients.
  • Day in the life

Joshua Robbins

I finish the day working on a matter involving Modern Slavery... Currently, we are preparing for a modern slavery training presentation for one of our infrastructure construction clients.