• With significant strength (and over 30 offices) across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, it is one of the most successful international firms.
• Latham & Watkins’ commitment to a truly global offering is emphasised by its lack of a designated headquarters. It has a stronger UK presence and track record than many US competitors (its London office was stablished in 1990), but also a more prominent position in the US market than most UK competitors.
• The firm's "one-firm" culture emphasizes teamwork, cross-office collaboration, and a supportive environment that encourages professional growth and mentorship.
• Consistently ranked in the top tier of several legal directories, such as Chambers Global, Legal 500, and IFLR1000, and has been named "Law Firm of the Year" multiple times by publications like Law360 and The American Lawyer.
• Offers a broad range of practice areas, such as antitrust, banking, capital markets, climate change, data privacy, litigation, M&A, private equity, and others.
• Priorities diversity and inclusion through its Diversity Leadership Academies, Women’s Leadership Academies and Global Affinity Groups and Networks.
• Notable clients include Manchester United, NATO, Siemens, Airbnb, Facebook and Aston Martin. 
• Awarded ‘Band 1’ ranking by Chambers and Partners across a variety of practice areas, including Banking & Finance, Environment, and Private Equity.

We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.

Practice areas / services

Latham & Watkins is a full-service law firm, with a broad range of practice areas including:

• Antitrust & Competition
• Banking
• Bankruptcy Litigation & Creditors’ Rights
• Capital Markets
• Climate Change
• Data Privacy & Security
• Entertainment, Sports & Media
• Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
• Financial Regulatory
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• International Arbitration
• Litigation & Trial Practice
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Private Equity
• Project Development & Finance
• Real Estate
• Restructuring & Special Situations
• Supreme Court & Appellate
• Tax
• White Collar Defence & Investigations

Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded Latham & Watkins its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for the following departments: Banking & Finance: Lenders: Big-Ticket, Banking & Finance: Sponsors, Environment & Climate Change, Restructuring/Insolvency, Banking Litigation, Capital Markets: High-Yield Products, Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas and Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above. See here for more information.

Key sectors / industries

Latham & Watkins services a broad range of industries, with some of its highest-value clients operating in the following sectors:

• Financial Institutions
• Fintech
• Technology
• Retail and Consumer Products

In addition, Latham & Watkins services the following industries: aerospace, defence and government services; automotive; energy and infrastructure; entertainment, sports and media; fintech; healthcare and life sciences; hospitality, gaming and leisure; real estate investment trusts; and video gaming and esports.

Work

Latham & Watkins prides itself on delivering bespoke legal advice on the most complex legal matters. Some recent examples of its work include:

• Manchester United: A cross-border team at Latham & Watkins advised on the acquisition of a minority stake by INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe. 
• NATO: Latham & Watkins advised the NATO Innovation Fund on its lead investment in the €9 million series seed funding round of ARX Robotics, a manufacturer of scalable robotic systems for commercial and defence applications. 
• Siemens: The firm represented Siemens in a $10 billion acquisition of Altair Engineering, a leading provider of software in the industrial simulation and analysis market.
• Airbnb: advised Airbnb on its landmark IPO in 2020, in a public offering valued at $3.4bn.
• Facebook: advised long-time client Facebook on its acquisition of BigBox VR, a virtual reality systems manufacturer.

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: Latham & Watkins considers itself the only ‘fully integrated multinational law firm’ and as a result does not have a single headquarters. It was founded in Los Angeles, and its largest office is in New York City.

Offices: Latham & Watkins has an international network of 31 offices (12 of which are in the United States). Office locations include London, Paris and Washington D.C.

Insights, internships and other opportunities

Latham & Watkins offers a number of opportunities for individuals wishing to gain experience in the legal industry and learn more about life at the firm. 

Opportunities for interested applicants include: a variety of open days, during which university students can visit the London office and discuss life at the firm; a campus ambassador programme, which is open to students at select universities and involves ambassadors building a relationship with the firm whilst promoting the firm to fellow students; a ‘First Year Spring Scheme’, which is open to first year law students and penultimate year non-law students; and winter and summer vacation schemes, open to penultimate year law students, final year non-law students, and graduates.

Training contract

Latham & Watkins offers UK applicants a four-seat training contract, with rotations occurring every six months. All trainees must complete a seat in both finance and corporate (the firm’s two primary practice areas), but other possible seats include (among others) litigation and fintech. While on the scheme, trainees receive a mix of skills training, on-the-job training, and practice-specific training, and there is a focus on encouraging trainees to build a professional network from the outset. To give a specific example, the firm’s Training and Career Enhancement Committee (or "TACE") delivers an extensive legal and business development training programme, which offers the chance for trainees to learn about and get involved in various aspects of the firm’s operations.

Secondments

Trainee secondment opportunities depend on business demand from the firm’s various offices and practices. Previous placements have included Dubai, Madrid and Hong Kong.

Corporate social responsibility

Latham & Watkins states that pro bono is a cornerstone of the firm’s working culture, and the firm is renowned for providing one of the world’s most comprehensive and committed pro bono services. Some examples of recent projects include:

• Mermaids: Latham & Watkins helped Mermaids - an LGBTQ+ charity based in the UK which helps support transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse young people - to launch the first online legal name change clinic in the UK, with a focus on using deed polls for name changes. 
• Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA): The firm helped to found and continues to participate in DARA, a coalition of law firms in the UK that offers pro bono legal advice and representation to survivors of domestic abuse in need of protective injunctions. 
• Cancer Research UK: The firm’s London office has given pro bono legal advice to Cancer Research UK in connection with its corporate legal needs. 

Diversity and inclusion

Latham & Watkins considers its commitment to diversity to be at the heart of its international approach to legal work. As a result, the firm has established a number of initiatives and committees to help foster a diverse and inclusive firm. Some examples include:

• Global Affinity Groups: The firm has established a number of ‘Global Affinity Groups’ that provide lawyers with global, firm-wide platforms for sharing experiences, receiving advice and building networks. There are around 11 global affinity groups and networks at the firm. 
• Diversity Leadership Academies: Latham & Watkins runs two leadership academies: one for law students and one for mid-level associates that helps to develop and empower the next generation of lawyers and leaders. 
• Women’s Leadership Academies: These are annual programmes for Latham associates and partners, as well as allies, to participate in. They include workshops on leadership, executive presence, and business development.