Latham & Watkins LLP

Overview

Latham & Watkins is a US-headquartered global law firm that combines elite transactional, regulatory, and litigation capabilities across a widely integrated international platform. The firm is routinely ranked top in M&A, private equity, capital markets and antitrust work and is highly active on landmark, high-value cross-border deals and precedent-setting litigation. Latham emphasises a collaborative, cross-office approach (including regionally integrated teams such as its Asia "One Asia" model and a Brussels hub for EU antitrust) and invests heavily in lawyer development, pro bono and innovation resources that distinguish its market position.

• Lawyers: 4,000+ lawyers (as stated on the firm's website)
• Trainees: 32
• Offices: 30

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets
• Corporate & M&A
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Investment Funds
• Competition & Antitrust
• Technology & Digital
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• White Collar Crime
• Tax
• Intellectual Property
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• ESG & Sustainability
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Financial Services & Regulation
• Real Estate
• Regulatory & Compliance

Geographic Focus: A truly global platform with integrated regional hubs: deep US capability across New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other US offices; a Brussels hub for EU antitrust and regulatory work; a unified Asia presence (Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore) operating as a coordinated "One Asia" team; Dubai and Riyadh as regional hubs for Middle East work; and leading capabilities across major capital markets (London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Frankfurt). The firm routinely fields cross‑juru

Training Contract

Latham emphasises an integrated, skills-driven approach to early lawyer development through a combination of formal global academies, practice-specific training and on-the-job supervision. Associates and trainees participate in multi‑day global Academies (Summer, First‑Year, Fourth‑Year, Sixth‑Year), TACE skills programmes, and the AI Academy. New and lateral associates are assigned a formal mentor at the outset; associates receive regular, 360‑degree feedback and are encouraged to take early responsibility, including client‑facing pro bono work.)

• Starting Salary: Year 1 trainee salary: £60,000; Year 2 trainee salary: £65,000 (figures published in supplementary data).
• NQ Salary: £173,077 (newly qualified salary as published in supplementary data).
• Trainee Intake: 32
• Qualification Rate: 85% (latest trainee retention rate as published in supplementary data).
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1; Minimum A‑level requirement: AAB (figures published in supplementary data).
• Application Deadline: 7 December 2025

Sponsorship

Pgdl/PGDL grant: £20,000 (as published in supplementary data).

SQE Support

SQE grant: £20,000 (as published in supplementary data).

International Opportunities

Chances of secondment abroad: 24% (LegalCheek statistic). The firm operates 30 offices across 14 countries and routinely offers international secondments as part of cross‑office development and client project needs.

Client Secondments

Chances of client secondment: 2% (LegalCheek statistic).

Mentorship

Every new and lateral associate is assigned a formal mentor; additional mentoring and support are provided through practice and affinity groups, local office networks and global training faculty. Associates also participate in reciprocal review processes where associates review supervisors confidentially.

Apply on the Latham & Watkins LLP website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Latham & Watkins LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Attention to detail and high technical standards
• Early leadership potential and willingness to take responsibility
• Resilience and stamina for high‑value, time‑sensitive work
• Interest in innovation and technology (AI, fintech, digital assets)
• Commitment to pro bono and public‑interest work

Evidence Signals

• Relevant transactional or litigation experience (internships or paralegal work)
• Pro bono experience and sustained community engagement
• Commercial or sector-specific projects (tech, energy, life sciences, financial services)
• Demonstrable interest or coursework in AI/technology/crypto for technology‑focused practices
• International experience or language skills, given the firm’s global platform
• Strong academic record (minimum 2:1 degree and AAB A‑levels as published for trainee entry)

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Year 1 trainee salary: £60,000
• Year 2 trainee salary: £65,000
• NQ salary: £173,077
• Pgdl/PGDL grant: £20,000
• SQE grant: £20,000
• Annual leave: 20 days
• Annual target hours: Undisclosed
• CareConnect: customised, confidential 24/7 counselling and coaching service for colleagues and family members
• On-site health centres run by Johns Hopkins Medicine in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. (advanced practice providers, physical therapists and mental‑wellbeing coaches)
• LiveWell Latham global well‑being programme (mindfulness/meditation app subscriptions, resilience training, topical wellbeing programming)
• Ergonomics support from 150+ trained in‑house ergonomics specialists
• Financial well‑being coaching and guidance services
• Family building and caregiving resources (support for multiple pathways to parenthood and caregiving guidance)
• Global training academies, formal mentorship, career coaching and leadership academies
• Extensive pro bono participation with billable, bonus‑eligible credit for approved pro bono hours

Wellbeing

Comprehensive wellbeing offering under the LiveWell Latham platform including 24/7 confidential counselling (CareConnect), resilience and stress‑management training, on‑site health centres in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C., ergonomics support, mindfulness and meditation app subscriptions, topical webinars/podcasts and an annual global Spring Challenge.

Awards & Recognition

• Chambers USA 2026: 98 Band 1 practice and industry rankings, 108 Band 1 lawyer rankings (firm announcement)
• Financial Times: Most Innovative Law Firm in North America 2025
• The American Lawyer A‑List 2025 (23 consecutive years on the A‑List)
• Law360: Practice Group of the Year (seventh consecutive year) 2025
• Bloomberg / LSEG / Mergermarket / Law360: More than 100 #1 rankings across global, regional and industry M&A and PE league tables in 2024
• Chambers UK 2024: market recognition and top endorsements across key areas

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equity Index (as published on the firm's website). The firm also highlights extensive global affinity group activity and firmwide initiatives to promote inclusion and pro bono engagement.

Pro Bono

270,400+ pro bono hours in 2024; 95% of Latham lawyers participate in pro bono work (figures published on the firm's website). Signature initiatives include defending students with disabilities (Supreme Court victories), supporting asylum seekers in Belgium (Legal Helpdesk), pro bono partnerships with libraries and vision health NGOs, the Robert M. Dell Prize recognition for the Paris office, and sponsorship of Equal Justice Works fellows.

Innovation

Latham pursues an explicit innovation strategy that combines lawyer training (AI Academy), proprietary tools and public resources (Book of Jargon®, Global Merger Regimes® App, Crypto Policy Tracker) and firmwide investments in sustainability analytics and legal‑tech enablement. The firm positions technology and AI education as core to lawyer development and client advice, and offers structured opportunities for associates to engage with AI and digital‑asset work across transactional, regulatory and litigation matters.

• AI Academy
• AI Resource Hub
• Crypto Policy Tracker Hub
• Decentralization Matrix (in partnership with a16z Crypto)
• Book of Jargon® series
• Global Merger Regimes® App
• Latham OID Threshold Calculator™
• LathamDrive
• Sustainability analytics and supplier assessment tools (sustainability technology stack referenced on the sustainability page)

Quick Application Angles

• Reference the firm’s market‑leading work on AI infrastructure and compute financing (e.g., Apollo / Broadcom AI XPV capital solution) and explain how your commercial awareness of AI infrastructure trends would add value.
• Emphasise cross‑border experience or adaptability — cite Latham’s Brussels antitrust hub, One Asia approach and recent cross‑jurisdictional M&A mandates when explaining why you’d excel on global teams.
• Showcase technology curiosity or technical projects (AI, crypto, fintech) and mention Latham’s AI Academy and Crypto Policy Tracker to demonstrate alignment with the firm’s innovation focus.
• Highlight pro bono commitment and client‑facing responsibility (describe pro bono matters or clinic experience); Latham prizes substantive pro bono and gives credit for client work.
• If applying for a transactional seat, demonstrate familiarity with capital markets and SPAC/de‑SPAC structures (Latham ranks highly for SPAC and IPO work) and connect a concrete example from your experience to those practice themes.