BigLaw Firm Opens 40th Office with Seven Lawyers from Parker Poe in Charleston
K&L Gates is expanding once again.
The law firm is adding an office in Charleston, S.C., with seven partners from Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, report the Am Law Daily, the Pittsburgh Business Times and a press release. It will be K&L Gates’ 24th office in the United States and 40th in the world.
The seven lawyers represent half of Parker Poe’s partnership, the Am Law Daily says. K&L Gates chairman Peter Kalis tells the publication he also expects several Parker Poe staffers and lower level lawyers to make the move.
South Carolina has a “business-friendly climate” and it is expected to be an increasing destination for business, Kalis says. Charleston is also expected to benefit from the widening of the Panama Canal; Kalis says his firm is well-positioned to deal with the legal issues because of its maritime practice.
Another law firm, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, has also moved into Charleston with the acquisition of 44-lawyer firm Buist Moore Smythe McGee.
According to Pittsburgh Business Times, K&L Gates “has been on an office-opening spree over the past few months,” with new offices in Sao Paulo Brazil and Doha, Qatar.
