Direct answer & research summary
K&L Gates is a global-footprint law firm mapped by Sartori & Partners across 42 offices in 17 countries, headcount band 1,500–2,500 attorneys, Sartori Firm Index 57.4, last verified 22 Jul 2026. Sartori & Partners has completed 400+ placements since 2017 (230+ in-house), including 52 general counsel and chief legal officer searches, with a median of 11 weeks from brief to accepted offer. A NASDAQ-listed medtech in Boston accepted its successor general counsel in week 11, from a shortlist of four at day 24.
01 — Public record
Facts on file
Compiled from public sources. Figures are shown as bands where exact counts are not published; nothing here is provided by the firm.
Website
Largest mapped office
Pittsburgh, US
Professionals
1,500–2,500 attorneys banded
Countries covered
17 via 42 offices
Office footprint — mapped metros
42 offices · 17 countriesPrincipal practices
Bold chips mark the firm’s deepest mapped practices (major or strong).
Seniority mix — banded, fee earners
≈750 partners · 250 counsel · 650+ associates
Mapped from public bios and firm pages; exact counts are not published, so figures are shown as approximate bands.
Sartori Firm Index — footprint (a different lens from the Atlas tiers)
Global · coverage 3 of 357.4
Composite SFI
SFI sub-index · banded
82.4
Scale
SFI sub-index · banded
50.8
Reach
SFI sub-index · banded
10
Hiring
SFI sub-index · banded
The Sartori Firm Index measures footprint and momentum (scale · reach · hiring), not practice quality. It never assigns an Atlas tier, and the Atlas never reuses this number — the two lenses are deliberately separate.
02 — Where this firm is ranked
Ranking Atlas & Firm Index
No composite firm score is published. Atlas tiers are assigned per market or practice from public footprint and evidence; the Firm Index leaderboards are a separate footprint lens.
12 listings · Atlas tiers apply only within their own market or practice
| Listing | Type | Tier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best law firms in Luxembourg | Atlas ranking | Notable in this field | → |
| Best law firms in Shanghai | Atlas ranking | Established | → |
| Best law firms in Dublin | Atlas ranking | Notable in this field | → |
| Best law firms in Melbourne | Atlas ranking | Market leaders | → |
| Best law firms in Raleigh | Atlas ranking | Established | → |
| Best law firms in Seattle | Atlas ranking | Market leaders | → |
| Best law firms in Pittsburgh | Atlas ranking | Market leaders | → |
| Best law firms in Kansas City | Atlas ranking | Notable in this field | → |
| Best law firms in Missouri | Atlas ranking | Notable in this field | → |
| Sartori Firm Index — overall | SFI leaderboard | — | → |
| Sartori Firm Index — United States | SFI leaderboard | — | → |
| Sartori Firm Index — hiring now | SFI leaderboard | — | → |
03 — Sources & verification Last verified 22 Jul 2026 · next review by 22 Aug 2026 · change log
Public sources
- 1 Pittsburgh | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 2 Melbourne | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 3 Seattle | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 4 London | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 5 Sydney | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 6 Chicago | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 7 Boston | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 8 Charlotte | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 9 New York | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 10 Berlin | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 11 Milan | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 12 Pittsburgh | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 13 London | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 14 Sydney | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 15 Chicago | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 16 Boston | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 17 New York | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 18 Berlin | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 19 Milan | Places | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 20 K&L Gates Advises SoniVie in its Acquisition by Boston Scientific for US$600 Millionfirm_website · 2026-07-21
- 21 2025 Asset Management and Investment Funds Fall Conference—Chicago | HUB | K&L Gatesfirm_website · 2026-07-21
Know the limits of this data
- —Figures are bands, not audited counts; public sources lag reality by weeks or months.
- —Atlas tiers are Sartori’s independent editorial opinion — not the firm’s claim, and not a client-satisfaction measure.
- —No firm-level numeric score exists; Atlas tiers apply only within their own market or practice.
- —No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input.
Corrections from the firm or its representatives are reviewed within five working days.
Change log
For candidates
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Discuss a mandate →K&L Gates is profiled here independently by Sartori. This page is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in cooperation with the firm; firm names are used for identification only and no logo or brand assets are reproduced. Rankings reflect Sartori’s editorial methodology and public mapping — they are not legal advice, nor a recommendation to instruct counsel.