The partners of global law firm K&L Gates and Australian national firm Middletons have voted unanimously to combine firms effective 1 January 2013.

The addition of Middletons’ 300 lawyers and four offices – in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane – extends K&L Gates’ global reach to more than 2,000 lawyers in 46 offices across five continents.

The combined firm will employ the K&L Gates name.

Through the combination, K&L Gates greatly enhances its Asia Pacific regional coverage to 400 lawyers and 11 offices, including a recently announced office in Seoul, and becomes the first firm to combine with an Australian firm to form a single integrated global law firm.

In addition to the common brand, from the outset the firm will enjoy full financial, operational, and technological integration, as well as unitary global governance and a single approach to partner compensation.

K&L Gates chairman and global managing partner Peter J Kalis (pictured) and Middletons national managing partner Nick Nichola, said: “By their resoundingly affirmative votes, our partners have boldly seized the future by aligning our business with the businesses of clients in an era of intense consolidation and globalisation. With the largest integrated network of law offices and law partners of any global law firm, our clients will be able seamlessly and efficiently to access top-notch legal resources around the corner and around the world.”