Latham & Watkins

Far from a BigLaw cliché, find your Wat-kin at this international hotshot bringing an “energy and eagerness” to the associate experience.

About the Firm

Ever been to a big city with a small-town feel? From Portland to Boulder, Milwaukee to San Diego, certain places combine the best of both worlds: a huge footprint with a warm, familiar feeling. Add to that list the city of Latham & Watkins, a firm so big that it probably has the collective land mass of a small town. We’re not exaggerating – with almost 4,000 lawyers spread across 29 countries, Latham’s area of operations spans far and wide, but it brings a “noticeably different vibe than other BigLaw firms.”

What is that je ne sais quoi exactly? According to some associates, it’s the firm’s “understanding of what associates want in the 21st century. It’s a very modern firm, so it’s not stuffy or caught up in the more traditional ways law firms operate.” Others pointed to the “amount of personality in the office,” which they attributed to “a targeted focus on bringing in people with an energy and eagerness.”

This doesn’t mean the firm is strictly social butterflies, but as one junior commented, there is “a goal of creating a buzzing, flowing working group. They don’t just hire the smartest people they can find regardless of personality type. They care about more than that, and it shows.”

“…a highly regarded international firm that does quality, newsworthy work for clients.”

Undeniably, the strength of Latham’s brand name doesn’t hurt either. “I understood it to be a highly regarded international firm that does quality, newsworthy work for clients,” one insider remarked. No kidding - the firm cleans up in our sister guide Chambers USA, receiving commendation for its antitrust, debt & equity capital markets, intellectual property: trademark, copyright & trade secrets, corporate/commercial life sciences, securities litigation, white collar crime & government investigations, and technology work in its founding state of California. Corporate/M&A & private equity and healthcare take the cake in DC, while New York shines for its banking & finance, bankruptcy/restructuring, and general commercial litigation offerings. This is only a handful of the firm’s accolades, for the full array, head over to chambers.com.

Most of the juniors we spoke to were based out of New York, the firm’s biggest office, with the rest largely working out of DC.

Latham & Watkins is recognized as a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

Clued-up associates gave us a peek into the firm’s strategic focus. In banking, for instance, there’s been a renewed focus on private credit: “It’s a growing market, and we have an advantage in that we’ve done a lot of that work. So, we have a pretty big market share.”

As well as a push to build out its fintech resources, there’s also been an emphasis on growing restructuring (as part of the firm’s wider capabilities in private capital solutions) in New York, as evidenced by the “highly publicized” hiring of lateral partners to further that interest. “It’s all very forward-looking,” an insider mused, “it really feels like we’re trying to grow as a whole.”

Latham & Watkins is recognized as an Excellent Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

The Work

A big selling point for prospective Latham & Wat-kin is the unassigned system, which allows first-years to gain experience across multiple practice areas until they focus on a general department in their second year and, eventually, a specific practice for their third.

On this, a third-year advised: “I always tell juniors to take advantage of the unassigned system and explore different areas. There’s a sense when you’re entering a law firm that it’s either litigation or M&A, so it’s a great way to try specialist areas that you aren’t so aware of when joining.”

Although the unassigned system ends once associates complete their first year, they retain access to a centralized staffing scheme that takes account of their expressed interest in particular areas, as well as their anticipated hours for the coming weeks. We also heard that “you do get staffed on ad hoc matters too through relationships with partners and senior associates.”

Most interviewees loved this hybrid system. As one put it, “People are nuanced, so there’s something to fit everyone’s mold” – citing Latham as a “very open dialogue firm.” This is within reason though, because “if they need bodies and you’re low on hours,” business need comes first!

Latham & Watkins is recognized as a Strong Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Career Development

Looking to add another alma mater to your resume? Associates are enrolled at the Latham & Watkins University (LWU) within two months of joining, and various other Latham Academies are on offer for those looking to build their soft skills. Evidently, “there are a lot of training opportunities,” including regular technical skills sessions, mock trials, and negotiation workshops.

Outside of more structured training, there is also plenty of room for live learning given “there is a big culture of ‘if you don’t know what to do, tell me and I’ll show you.’” Another source concurred, adding that practice group leaders are “really good at sitting down with us when something big is going on,” to walk rookies through the process. This is a credit to the leadership at Latham, as this insider detailed: “I can appreciate the signs of a good leader, and I see it a lot at Latham, which I thought was almost nonexistent in the legal field.”

Mentorship, both formal and informal, was noted as another valuable addition as well. Associates are assigned a senior mentor (a senior associate, partner, or counsel) and a junior mentor (an associate who’s “a year or two above you”) upon joining. On top of this, Latham coordinates monthly coffee chats to connect people from different parts of the firm to “get different perspectives from different mentors.” One interviewee grinned: “My mentor is fantastic; I couldn’t ask for anyone better to be learning under.”

Though far in the future, partnership prospects at Latham had our sources feeling “confident,” as “they’ll tell you about what the expectations are for it and where you are in relation to that.”

Culture

“When I walked in here for the first time, I felt like I was in a spaceship,” an awe-struck New Yorker said of their office, “It’s like something from the future.” Another nodded, “It’s very much like a tech office, which is emblematic. It’s more indicative of the culture than anything else.” With themed floors in New York (“a tea floor, an H20 floor, a billiards floor”), insiders also raved about the glass paneling, natural light, open collaboration spaces, pool tables, and “the fully free coffee shop and cafeteria!”

Those in DC shouldn’t feel left out, though. “We have an entire building to ourselves! We have a physical therapist, two gyms, a bunch of outdoor areas… oh, we also have mini golf!” one excited DC associate enthused. They added: “We also have free lunch every day, subsidized breakfast, free snacks… they literally have everything you need.”

“Latham is the best. If I left Latham, it would be to leave BigLaw.”

Office aside, occasional happy hours, fitness challenges, holiday parties, pie-eating contests, and team dinners are the norm. “People here are smart and hardworking without taking themselves too seriously,” an appreciative associate commented, "being a lawyer isn’t who they are, it’s just their job.”

Latham’s people received glowing praise across the board, so much so that several associates made it crystal clear that “as far as BigLaw firms go, Latham is the best. If I left Latham, it would be to leave BigLaw.”

Hours & Compensation

We heard that across all sources that most people hit their billable target. One reassured us that “it’s very much achievable because there’s plenty of work to go around.” Sweetening the deal is the unlimited pro bono allowance and 50-hour ‘commitment hours’ credit that encompasses time spent on committee participation, recruitment and mentoring programs, and more. The bonus system at the firm was also well received, whereby the base of the bonus is lockstep but “once you hit 1,900, it can go up.”

Associates in our survey reported working just under 50 hours a week on average, and while weekend work can’t be ruled out altogether at the firm, we were told that “a lot of my work has been during the week, there’s a pretty good respect for weekends.”

There is an expectation to be in the office three days a week, and that policy was described as “super mature: They’re not going to babysit you. They’re like, ‘Here are the resources, this is our culture, get the work done!’”

Pro Bono

Pro bono is a “big priority for Latham, it’s part of the culture,” an insider noted. The firm encourages everyone to do at least 60 hours a year, and a weekly pro bono digest circulates available matters for associates to get involved in. There’s a wide range of work on offer, from immigration & asylum cases and domestic violence matters to helping NGOs draft their docs and review contracts, name changes, and small business clinics, the latter of which involve “giving advice to small business owners or entrepreneurs.” Juniors were happy to see a breadth of opportunities, as “there are things that non-litigators can sink their teeth into as well!”

Inclusion

Latham is “100% doing enough” when it comes to inclusion, according to our interviewees. Affinity groups were all the rage (allies welcome!), with sources highlighting the Women’s group, LGBTQ+ group, the Black Lawyers group, and the Asian Lawyers group in particular.

We heard about lunch events, coffee breaks, and rooftop brunches, as well as celebrations specific to cultural events. “It permeates throughout the workplace,” an associate said of the inherently inclusive environment at Latham, “there’s an added openness because of it.”