K&L Gates sees departures from Chicago office

Pittsburgh law firm K&L Gates is seeing numerous lawyers depart its Chicago office, citing dissatisfaction with strict compensation policies, high overheads or client conflicts. K&L Gates established a presence in Chicago in 2009 when it acquired local outfit Bell Boyd & Lloyd. The firm currently lists 128 lawyers in the Chicago office, down from 170 in mid-2011. And Bell Boyd had 218 lawyers on its roster before its name disappeared in 2009. Chicago Business reports that former and current K&L Gates partners attribute resignations this year mainly to expiration of merger-related curbs on pay cuts, and to a mid-January announcement that 2011 firmwide earnings would decline an unexpected 13 to 14 percent.

K&L Gates sees departures from Chicago office chicagobusiness.com Sun, Sep 23, 2012