How King & Spalding is building a different kind of US firm in London

King & Spalding has been among the most active US firms in the City this year and wants to keep growing in litigation, private credit and funds.

The Atlanta-headquartered firm’s London office increased revenue by 48% to $148 million last year. It has since hired eight partners and seven other lawyers from WilmerHale in London and the US, including star arbitration partner Gary Born, alongside several other laterals.

London is King & Spalding’s fourth-largest office, its biggest outside the US and a hub for its offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

London managing partner Tom Sprange tells The Non-Billable Podcast that the firm wants to build on its existing strengths rather than try to do everything.

“I don’t think we have any aspirations to be full service in London,” he says. “If you look at it from the point of view of full service in terms of high-value practices, then absolutely.”

Selective expansion

King & Spalding has a somewhat distinctive practice mix for a US firm in London. It is neither a transactional powerhouse in the mould of Kirkland and Latham nor a disputes-only firm like Quinn Emanuel.

Around half of its London lawyers work across disputes, arbitration and investigations. The other half are spread across leveraged finance, fund finance, private credit, corporate and regulatory work.

Sprange says last year’s growth came from a mix of lateral hiring and lawyers rising through the firm. Its 11-strong fund finance team, recruited from Cadwalader in 2024, is now gaining traction. The decision looks increasingly well timed, coming before this year’s scramble for fund finance talent in the City.

Deeper disputes bench

The WilmerHale move also reflects how international arbitration has changed. Sprange says cases have become larger, more complex and more combative, often involving several arbitrations and related court proceedings across multiple jurisdictions.

Clients want firms with deeper benches capable of handling those overlapping disputes. The WilmerHale lawyers had worked together for years and brought capabilities that complemented King & Spalding’s existing practice.

That preference for established teams influences the firm’s approach to lateral hiring. Sprange says placing too much weight on a lawyer’s claimed portable business is “a recipe for disaster”.

“The critical question is: is this person a practice builder?” he says. “How are they going to do at building a practice with you and your colleagues?”

Listen to the full conversation with Tom Sprange on The Non-Billable Podcast.