K&L Gates Snags Saul Ewing Practice Leader in Pittsburgh
Adam Kelson, who was once an associate at K&L Gates, is returning to the firm in its emerging growth and venture capital practice.
January 25, 2018 at 04:47 PM
3 minute read
Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
One of the founders of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr's Pittsburgh office has made a move to K&L Gates, where he previously practiced law as an associate.
Adam Kelson, who had been the leader of Saul Ewing's technology and manufacturing practice, joined K&L Gates as a partner in its emerging growth and venture capital practice.
The move back to K&L was client-driven, Kelson said, adding that he was drawn to the firm's deeper bench of lawyers and its international capabilities. While K&L is much larger than Saul Ewing in terms of head count, he said, the firm still works with a number of middle market businesses, and will allow him to continue providing flexibility to startup clients.
Kelson works with clients on both the business and investor sides on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, recapitalizations and equity and debt securities offerings. He also counsels emerging businesses at various stages of the startup lifecycle.
“Pittsburgh is a great place to be right now for the tech scene,” Kelson said, pointing to local universities, health care entities and robotics and machine learning research.
During his time at Saul Ewing, Kelson helped to spearhead the firm's Resources, Access and Mentoring Program, also known as RAMP, which offers guidance to entrepreneurs and startup companies. Life sciences partner Deborah Spranger led that program with him when it began. She has since moved to Pepper Hamilton.
Kelson was one of four lawyers, also including partners Jay Panzarella and David Berk, who launched Saul Ewing's Pittsburgh office in 2012, coming from Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. Of those four lawyers, Berk is the only one remaining in Saul Ewing's Pittsburgh office, which has 17 lawyers, according to Saul Ewing's website.
When the office opened in 2012, firm leadership pointed to the energy industry and Marcellus Shale play as a major reason for entering the city. Then-managing partner David Antzis said “having a 412 area code” would make Saul Ewing more attractive to energy sector clients.
While energy remains a key industry in Western Pennsylvania, law firms have increasingly been looking to capitalize on Pittsburgh's blossoming technology industry and startup culture.
K&L Gates has nearly 80 partners working with emerging growth companies and in venture capital law, according to the firm. While a large group of those lawyers is in Pittsburgh, the practice is spread out internationally and has large groups in New York, Seattle, Paris and Charlotte, North Carolina.
In an email Thursday, a spokeswoman for Saul Ewing said the firm wishes Kelson the best in his new position.
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