Rankings & Recognitions
K&L Gates Recognised in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026
Legal 500 has ranked K&L Gates and its lawyers as local and regional leaders in their respective practice areas in the 2026 edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. This includes 43 practice rankings for the firm, and nearly 140 lawyer recommendations in 40 categories across 10 jurisdictions.
Published annually, The Legal 500 rankings highlight the practice area teams and practitioners that provide the most cutting-edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel. Research is based on feedback from clients worldwide, as well as interviews with leading private practice lawyers.
K&L Gates was ranked in the following practice categories. In addition, the firm was recommended as a “Firm to Watch” in Australia for Environment and planning.
Australia
- Banking and finance
- Competition and trade
- Corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution: litigation
- Energy (transactions and regulatory)
- Environment and planning
- Fintech and financial services regulatory
- Infrastructure projects and construction
- Intellectual property
- IT and telecoms
- Labour and employment
- Labour and employment: workplace health & safety (WHS)
- Real estate
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Tax
- Transport: aviation
Brunei (as K&L Gates Straits Law LLC)
- Leading Firms
China
- Corporate and M&A: foreign firms
- Intellectual property: foreign firms
- Investment funds: foreign firms
- Tax: foreign firms
Hong Kong
- Capital markets (equity)
- Corporate (including M&A)
- Fintech and financial services regulatory
- Intellectual property
- Investment funds
- TMT
Indonesia
- Foreign firms
Japan
- Labour and employment: International firms and joint ventures
Malaysia (as K&L Gates Straits Law LLC)
- Foreign firms
Singapore (as K&L Gates Straits Law LLC)
- Asset finance
- Banking and finance: local firms
- Construction: Local firms
- Corporate and M&A: foreign firms
- Dispute resolution
- Energy: foreign firms
- International arbitration
- Investment funds: foreign firms
- Labour and employment: foreign firms
- Projects: foreign firms
- Shipping: foreign firms
Taiwan
- Capital markets
- Corporate and M&A
Twenty-five K&L Gates lawyers were identified by The Legal 500 as either a “Hall of Fame” member, “Leading Partner,” “Next Generation Partner,” or “Leading Associate” in their respective practice areas. These lawyers, and the categories in which they are recognised, were:
Australia
- Julie Brown – Transport: aviation [Leading Associate]
- Samuel Brown – Real estate [Next Generation Partner]
- Ayman Guirguis – Competition and trade [Leading Partner]
- Stephen Hardy – Labour and employment [Next Generation Partner]
- Betsy-Ann Howe – Tax [Leading Partner]
- Sandra Steele – Infrastructure projects and construction [Leading Partner]
- Tim Webster – Dispute resolution: litigation [Leading Partner]
- Rob White – Project finance [Leading Partner]
Brunei (as K&L Gates Straits Law LLC)
- Eric Yong – Leading firms [Leading Associate]
China
- Roberta Chang – Tax: foreign firms [Next Generation Partner
- Edward Yao – Intellectual property: foreign firms [Next Generation Partner]
- Anita Zhou – Tax: foreign firms [Leading Associate]
Hong Kong
- Scott Peterman – Investment funds [Hall of Fame]
Japan
- Takahiro Hoshino – Labour and employment: International firms and joint ventures [Leading Partner: Bengoshi]
- Robert Melson – Banking and finance: International firms and joint ventures [Leading Partner: Gaiben]
- Nobuki Wada – Labour and employment: International firms and joint ventures [Next Generation Partner: Bengoshi]
Singapore (as K&L Gates Straits Law LLC)
- Alexandra Jones – Energy: foreign firms [Leading Associate]
- Samuel Kolehmainen – Asset finance [Leading Partner]
- Joan Lim-Casanova – Dispute resolution [Next Generation Partner]
- Jason Nelms – Investment funds: foreign firms [Leading Partner]
- Christopher Tan – Labour and employment: foreign firms [Leading Partner]
South Korea
- Sarah Park – Projects and energy: foreign firms [Next Generation Partner]
Taiwan
- Billy Chen – Capital markets [Leading Partner]; Corporate and M&A [Next Generation Partner]
- Jacqueline Fu – Corporate and M&A [Hall of Fame]; Capital markets [Leading Partner]
- James Chen – Corporate and M&A [Leading Partner]
To view the firm's full rankings, including the listed lawyers, visit The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026 edition.
K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm. The firm represents leading multinational 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 organizations and individuals.
