Latham & Watkins LLP - The Inside View - Chambers Associate

“I don’t have a bad thing to say… and I promise I’m not AI!” laughed one associate, “I just really wanted to be someplace where they put their money where their mouth is.” Luckily for this junior, California native Latham & Watkins has no issue with going all-in on its associates. In fact, there’s no greater guarantee than Latham for anyone in pursuit of top-of-the-market work spanning a whole host of practices. High praise, but we’re not exaggerating; with a global revenue of over seven billion dollars – one of the highest of any law firm in the world – suffice to say that Latham is a sure bet for those looking to try everything under the sun. And speaking of the weather, with 29 offices across the globe, you can also rest assured that whatever climate suits you best in whatever corner of the world you choose, Latham will be there. Wherever it rains or shines, Latham will reside!

“I just really wanted to be someplace where they put their money where their mouth is.”

Gosh, it sounds really dependable, doesn’t it? The firm’s clients agree, according to our sister guide Chambers USA. Latham cleans up in its home state of California, earning gold medals in antitrust, banking and finance, debt and equity capital markets, life sciences, intellectual property, securities litigation and white-collar crime and government investigations litigation, and technology – amongst many others. Nationwide, the firm gets its flowers for antitrust, banking and finance, and capital markets (again!), alongside appellate law, environment, government contracts, international trade… We could go on (and it does go on!), but it may be best to let the associates speak to the rest of the firm’s prowess from here on out: “Everyone here is brilliant, but super grounded. That plays a big part in Latham’s market position.”

It was evident from checking in with Latham’s associates that, aside from the breadth of work, it was the people that resonated with them the most. “Meeting the attorneys at Latham, you could just tell that they were human, and they cared,” one admitted. Well, it was that, and “I just remember seeing the name Latham around in law school!” Most of the associates on our list were New York or Washington, DC based, but the majority of the rest were based all over California in cities like San Diego, Century City and Los Angeles. 

Latham & Watkins is recognized as a Strong Performer for Associate Satisfaction and two other categories in our 2025 survey.

Strategy & Future

Looking at the bigger picture, knowledgeable interviewees shared that business plans and strategy are discussed in regular “state of the firm meetings.” This provides young associates “some insight into where the firm is going.” Speaking of associate involvement, Latham has recently launched a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence academy designed with both the firm and its clients in mind, offering focused training modules, practical workshops and expert-led sessions.

In terms of practice areas, private capital has been big for the firm, “especially in the last couple of years where interest rates have been super high, and it’s been hard to get loans from banks.” We heard that intellectual property litigation is has been moving into trade secrets as well, though “that may shift in the coming year as administration changes.” Restructuring is also a point of focus in New York, as evidenced by the firm’s recent addition of partners Ray Schrock, Candace Arthur, Alexander Welch, Andrew Parlen, Ed Siskel, Marc Berger and Paul Rosen.

The Work

The ‘unassigned’ system for first years was a hot topic amongst associates at Latham: “You can try everything and hop around all the way up until the end of your first year.” At the beginning of the second year, juniors narrow down a department, and eventually a specific practice at the end of the year. This was either a hit or miss for our sources, as was the balance between centralized and relationship-based staffing. “There are staffing coordinators, but it’s kind of a free for all,” an insider admitted, “but once you do that for a while, you build relationships and get work funneled to you through those.” One potential downside that this junior noted was that “type A personalities can rack up way more hours – people who are timid can lag behind,” and another contemplated, “I like the way it works but it was a little tough to find your footing when we first started. That said, as long as you’re personable and reliable, it’s not an issue.”

At Latham, the corporate department covers a plethora of areas, which is good if you “like to dabble in lots of different things.” The department houses numerous subgroups, so we heard of associates doing anything from data tech transactions or M&A to fund formation and private equity investment funds. Consequently, the client base covers a wide spectrum, though private equity firms and banks tend to run the gamut. These clients range in size too, as this interviewee explained, “Latham loves to adopt mid-market clients because it gives us the ability to help them grow. That’s really exciting for us, building long-term relationships.” The practice is clearly hugely varied, but Latham’s bright-eyed rookies didn’t mind this one bit, as one helpful source relayed, “Every day, I’m dealing with, like, eight to fifteen different matters, so my day-to-day is totally different every time I open my laptop!” Another nodded, “I’ve really enjoyed the variety. That’s something Latham does a good job of.”

"...my day-to-day is totally different every time I open my laptop!”

With so much to choose from, you might be wondering exactly what your regular duties will look like as a corporate junior. Simply put by this insider: “We diligence anything!” No, seriously – M&A transactions, entities when finance clients need loans, contracts and so on. Fund formation also provides the opportunity to do truth in advertising work, which… is exactly what it sounds like. “When a client is trying to raise a new investment fund, they’re doing all this marketing,” an associate elaborated, “so we ensure that what they’re saying actually aligns with their policies and actions.”

Juniors across the department couldn’t emphasize enough that “you are a full team member” from day one, but “you’re not being thrown into the fire. They’re training you from the ground up and want to ensure you’re ready before you do more substantive stuff,” an insider shared. Another agreed, adding that, “they give you as much as you want, and if they see you’re getting overwhelmed, they’ll pull you purely out of concern – not because you’re a junior.”

Corporate clients: Manchester United, Healthpeak Properties, Endeavor Group Holdings. Advised Skydance Media on its $28 billion merger with Paramount to form “New Paramount,” a next-generation media and technology company.

Those who aren’t so keen on corporate offerings can join the litigation and trial department. We were told that antitrust, white-collar and securities litigation were popular, as well as complex commercial litigation which is the “larger bucket for everything that isn’t more specialized” like contract disputes and breach of fiduciary duty. There’s also a heavy intellectual property focus within the department; our sources mentioned patent infringement, PTAB proceedings and “all sorts of copyright cases!” Alongside this, there’s also a connectivity, privacy and information group, of which one interviewee commented, “It’s one of the reasons I chose Latham! I wanted to do tech law and wanted a firm with a robust tech law practice that spanned a lot of different areas. Latham was one of the few firms that did tech law from a variety of angles.”

Like their corporate counterparts, junior litigators echoed that “you’re very much given substantive work early on, which is great for career development!” While rookies start out doing doc review, writing memos, and updating discovery trackers, there are opportunities to “grow very quickly.” For example, this insider beamed, “In my first four or five months, I was second-chairing an International Trade Commission litigation!” Sources also shared that they had become the point of contact for clients, led client meetings, and drafted sections of motions. Of this substantive responsibility, a particularly pleased associate was glad to relay that “Latham is very meritorious. As long as you’re good at what you do and you’re willing to put the work in, you’ll get substantive work early on.”

Litigation clients: Apple, Meta Platforms, Accellion. Represented Biomed Realty’s subsidiary, BMR, in its lawsuit against a competitor real estate development company and others who conspired to scuttle a BMR contract and business opportunity with Amazon to build a last mile distribution facility in San Diego.

Career Development

Insiders were generally on the same page about career development at Latham: “They’re super devoted to it – more so than I ever expected.” Training – described fondly as being “endless” – includes (but is not limited to): business development seminars; webinars, mock trials, deposition training and various sessions on building a brand, networking, conducting client meetings and refining your LinkedIn. There’s also Latham & Watkins University (LWU) which is introduced in your first two months at the firm. “It gives you the basics of everything,” an associate explained, “introducing you to practice groups, as well as the basics of legal research and writing at a BigLaw firm.” There are also other Latham Academies for associates in their first, fourth and sixth years to further build on skills like project management and team leadership in preparation to progress to counsel or partner.

Right away, newbies are also assigned a mentor – generally a mid-level or senior associate – and a buddy in the year above. “The buddy is there for dumb questions!” an interviewee laughed, adding, “The mentor is there to answer big picture stuff.” It’s this big picture outlook that juniors appreciated, telling us that, “they want you to be here for a long time. They don’t want you to be a shooting star and burn out quickly.” Speaking of longevity, we heard that the progression at the firm is a “pretty transparent” process in part thanks to the associates’ committee; “they’re heavily involved in advancement decisions, which just proves that our thoughts matter even as junior associates.”

Pro Bono

"They really want people to go out, find their cause, and do it.”

“Theoretically, a limitless amount of pro bono can count towards your billable hours,” an associate explained of the firm’s pro bono policy. It’s no wonder then that all our interviewees agreed that pro bono is heavily encouraged at Latham, so much so that everyone is expected to hit at least 20 hours of a year (though the goal is 60!). The matters are usually communicated through the weekly pro bono newsletter and range from monthly discrete advice clinics to domestic violence, veterans’ rights, immigration, trusts and estates – “usually for transactional attorneys” – and civil rights cases. Through its “broad base of contacts” across the cities it operates in, Latham “really covers the spectrum.” This source continued, “It’s whatever you want! They really want people to go out, find their cause, and do it.”

Pro bono hours  

• For all US attorneys: 193,601
• Average per US attorney: 79

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,900 target

Thoughts on the achievability of the 1,900-hour target were varied, but ultimately, the consensus was that unpredictable, market-dependent workflow was the culprit. That said, the firm’s allowance for 50 billable hours of activities like recruiting interviews, committee service and knowledge management – such as client alerts, internal admin projects, summarizing previous deals – as well as the unlimited 1:1 billable hour credit for pro bono work eases the burden a little, which our sources were admittedly grateful for. As for the bonus, it’s “technically lockstep but you can get above market” if you’re an associate in good standing who exceeds the 1,900-hour target.

Working hours were a mixed bag for insiders too, but for the most part, we heard that “you’re never really off!” Latham does have some flexibility around working hours though, so there was no set log-on or log-off time for interviewees. Recently, the firm has recommended four in-office days a week for its New York contingent only. This has been met with some grumbles, but it reportedly won’t be enforced too heavily, so juniors were ultimately okay with getting on board.

Culture

"...incredibly impressive and brilliant individuals who take their work seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously.”

Some words of wisdom from this source: “Law is a team sport – a contact sport, but a team sport,” so, the most important thing is for associates to “all have each other’s backs.” This is no issue for juniors at Latham, who “take a very strong stance about protecting each other.” An insider smiled, “The people are chill for a BigLaw firm. They are incredibly impressive and brilliant individuals who take their work seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously.” With social events ranging wildly from baseball games and concerts during the summer to weekly happy hours and pie-eating contests in DC around Thanksgiving, there’s no shortage of opportunities to get together, though there’s “no pressure to hang out with everyone all the time outside of work.” Ultimately, “you’re not a gear to be ground,” another source nodded, “you’re part of a team and a family.”