Established in 1883, the Seattle office of K&L Gates is both the city's oldest and one of its largest law offices.  It offers clients a full spectrum of legal services, including counseling, litigation, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and transactional advice.   Major practice groups include corporate, tax, benefits, tax-exempt organizations, private clients, litigation, bankruptcy, construction, electronic discovery, intellectual property, public finance, school districts, labor and employment, healthcare, real estate, environmental and land use, and energy and utilities.

The Seattle corporate practice has deep experience in mergers and acquisitions, financings, public offerings, and other matters.  It is consistently recognized for its exemplary client service.  Since 2007, corporate lawyers in the firm's Seattle office have lead more than 85 M&A transactions with values ranging from $6.3 billion to $2.9 million.  Lawyers in the group represent clients across the industry sectors with a particular focus in the areas of technology, energy and utilities, and consumer products.

Litigators in the Seattle office handle trials, arbitrations, and appeals in local, national, and international venues.   Members of our litigation practice groups have been at the center of many important legal disputes, including environmental, securities, antitrust, copyright, and constitutional cases.  The E-Discovery Analysis and Technology (e-DAT) group works seamlessly in matters handled by firm litigators and also addresses records management, e-discovery, and litigation readiness issues for a wide range of other clients.  Uniquely experienced and equipped to provide creative and cost-effective solutions, the group comprises a dedicated team of lawyers and paraprofessionals.

The Seattle office's intellectual property practice is on the leading edge of technology and intellectual property law, helping clients to develop, commercialize, and protect their intellectual assets, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.  Our Internet safety practice group works with clients to protect their online brand, Internet commerce sites, and computer systems from Internet-based threats and cyber villains.   Our licensing and e-merging commerce lawyers have literally written the book on electronic commerce; they help clients address issues raised by electronic contracting, financial regulations, privacy regulations, and Web services.

Together with public finance attorneys in other offices, our public finance group was ranked fourth among bond counsel nationwide for competitive sales by Thomson Reuters for the first half of 2009.  The Bond Buyer ranks the firm #2 among bond counsel in the Far West region, #1 in the state of Oregon, #2 in the state of Washington, and #3 in the state of Alaska for the first half of 2009.  Our school districts practice group represents numerous school districts and coalitions of school districts in Washington, as well as a major school district risk management pool.   

Our environmental, land, and natural resources lawyers are recognized as a top-tier group having the breadth and depth of knowledge required to handle a wide range of work.  They have considerable experience with large-scale, capital-intensive public and private projects and acquisitions.   

The energy and utilities practice helps clients to finance, site and develop wind and other renewable resource generating projects, thermal generating projects, electric transmission projects, and interstate natural gas pipelines.   The group is involved in both major transactions (e.g., the acquisition of an electric and gas utility) and major litigation (e.g., responding to claims by the State of Montana that it is entitled to rent for streambeds inundated by hydro projects).  The group works on a range of climate change issues, from compliance with greenhouse gas regulations to the creation and trading of renewable energy credits.

The Seattle labor and employment practice advises employers on general employment issues, helps draft policies and handbooks, and handles complex union, leave law, and wage and hour issues.   Members also assist clients in responding to agency investigations and represent them in discrimination, wage and hour, and other lawsuits filed in state and federal court.  The group has extensive experience in conducting legal compliance and due diligence audits for clients and in evaluating potential acquisition targets.

Clients call upon our real estate lawyers   to address development, construction, leasing, acquisition, financing, eminent domain, and real estate litigation needs.  The real estate practice group has worked on some of the most complex public/private joint ventures and infrastructure projects in the Pacific Northwest, such as the development and financing of SAFECO Field and the $300 million expansion of the Seattle Art Museum.  Our lawyers have also handled the sale/leaseback of a $340 million portfolio of building material outlets in 25 states as part of corporate asset sale, assisted a global software company in developing its data centers, and helped finance hotels and resorts throughout the US

The private clients practice in Seattle helps individuals to preserve and protect their wealth and pass it on to their intended beneficiaries.  The tax-exempt organizations practice group works with a wide range of non-profit and charitable organizations to address governance, corporate, tax, real estate, and finance issues.  Clients of the TEO group include the world’s largest private foundation and numerous public charities.