Real Estate at Latham & Watkins | Career Guide

Latham's real estate practice is widely regarded as a full-service team with strength in cross-border and finance-led mandates. The London office sits within a global platform, so work often involves coordination with US, European and Asia-Pacific teams.

Typical practice areas and deal types you will see include:

• Major portfolio acquisitions and disposals by private equity and institutional investors

• Real estate finance including senior lending, mezzanine facilities and CMBS

• Asset-level joint ventures and development funding

• Leasing and asset management for commercial, logistics and hospitality sectors

• REIT and listed property company transactions and capital markets work

• Restructuring and insolvency advice involving secured property assets

Each area requires commercial judgement, precise drafting (security documentation, loan agreements, leases and JVs) and the ability to coordinate tax, regulatory and construction inputs. Market directories such as Chambers and Legal 500 regularly list Latham among leading firms for high-value, cross-border real estate work. For aspirants this means opportunities to learn technical drafting and complex transaction management early in your career.

While specific mandates change frequently, Latham's real estate caseload typically features high-value and complex work that can include multiple jurisdictions, bespoke security packages and integrated financing structures. Expect to encounter the following on a regular basis:

• High-value refinancings where lenders require detailed security and intercreditor arrangements; you'll see priority issues, enforcement pathways and floating charge versus fixed charge analysis.

• Cross-border acquisitions involving warranty and indemnity insurance, tax structuring and local counsel coordination; you will support due diligence and assist with completion mechanics.

• Development and forward funding deals for logistics and residential projects where construction risk, cost overrun protections and delivery milestones are central.

• Asset management and leasing instructions for institutional landlords or REITs, requiring careful drafting of lease heads of terms, break clauses and incentive structures.

Practical expectations as a junior:

• Drafting and proofreading clauses, schedules and precedent documents.

• Managing diligence requests using data-room tools; organising searches and title investigations.

• Preparing completion bundles, completion accounts and funds flow diagrams.

• Communicating with clients, funders and counsel in multiple time zones.

To build credibility, become comfortable explaining technical points succinctly. For example, if asked to explain the practical difference between a lease and a licence, you could say: a lease grants exclusive possession for a term and creates proprietary rights, whereas a licence permits use without conferring exclusive possession and is typically personal and revocable - implications that affect security, assignment and landlord remedies.

Large international firms like Latham typically combine formal training with on-the-job learning. Expect a structured training contract (or equivalent for SQE candidates) with seat rotations and tailored development.

Typical elements of training and development:

• Formal Technical Training: Classroom sessions and e-learning covering real estate finance, landlord and tenant law, and drafting skills.

• Seat Rotations: Rotations through real estate finance, acquisitions, leasing or restructuring seats to develop breadth and identify specialisms.

• Secondments: Opportunities for client secondments (bank, fund or developer) or secondments to other Latham offices to learn cross-border practice.

• Mentoring And Feedback: Assigned supervisors and partners who provide regular feedback and career conversations.

Progression pathway and skill milestones:

• Junior Associate (0-3 years): Focus on accurate drafting, due diligence and transaction admin.

• Mid-level Associate (3-6 years): Greater client-facing responsibility, leading smaller deals, negotiating standard commercial terms.

• Senior Associate / Counsel: Lead complex elements, supervise juniors and shape commercial strategy.

• Partner: Business development, client relationship management and high-level deal structuring.

Strategies to accelerate progression:

• Volunteer for drafting and negotiation opportunities rather than purely administrative tasks.

• Build a technical library of model clauses and precedent notes that colleagues can reuse.

• Seek short secondments to funds or lenders to understand client priorities and increase commercial awareness.

Realistic preparation combines technical knowledge, demonstrable interest and polished commercial awareness. Use a multi-pronged approach when applying.

CV and cover letter strategies:

• Lead With Transaction Experience: Quantify involvement (eg, "Assisted on a £250m refinancing; drafted charge schedule and coordinated 15 local search reports").

• Emphasise Drafting And Commercial Judgement: Include university moots, pro bono drafting, or commercial law modules where you negotiated or drafted agreements.

• Tailor For The Role: Relate experience to the seat you want (finance, acquisitions or leasing) and reference Latham's cross-border remit.

Assessment centre and interview prep:

• Typical Tasks: Commercial awareness exercises, contract-drafting tests, and competency-based interviews using the STAR technique.

• Example Competency Question And Sample Approach: "Describe a time you managed competing deadlines." Use STAR - Situation (multi-assignment week at uni), Task (prioritise for a group submission), Action (created timeline, delegated research, checked quality), Result (on-time submission and positive feedback). Add reflection on what you learned about communication and time management.

• Technical Questions To Prepare: Distinguish leases from licences; explain lender security priorities; outline steps in a refinancing completion; summarise the landlord's remedies for rent arrears.

• Commercial Awareness: Keep abreast of UK real estate trends - logistics demand, ESG and net-zero obligations, interest rate effects on LTV and covenant drafting, and cross-border capital flows after tax/regulatory changes.

Practical application tools:

• Use YourLegalLadder's training contract tracker and mentor support to map deadlines and tailor applications.

• Keep reading practical resources such as Chambers Student, Legal Cheek, LawCareers.Net, Practical Law, LexisNexis and YourLegalLadder for firm profiles and market updates.

Daily life in Latham's real estate team blends intense transaction periods with quieter drafting days. Work can be deadline-driven and client-facing; associates need resilience and attention to detail.

Typical daily routine:

• Morning: Review overnight emails from other jurisdictions, update action lists and attend internal calls.

• Midday: Focus on drafting or negotiating documents and responding to client queries.

• Afternoon/Evening: Preparation for next-day calls, approve completion checklists and circulate updates to clients.

Work-life balance and culture:

• Expect fluctuation: Quiet weeks alternate with compressed completion periods that require long hours.

• Collegiality: Large teams usually provide buddy systems, associate groups and social events that foster networks within practice areas.

Networking and building a pipeline:

• Informational Conversations: Contact associates and trainees on LinkedIn for 15-20 minute chats about their work - prepare specific questions about typical tasks and training opportunities.

• Events and Publications: Attend firm or industry seminars, roundtables and webinars on real estate and finance topics.

• Proactive Contribution: Offer to write short market-update notes or internal precedent summaries; these showcase commercial awareness and initiative.

Useful resources to consult regularly:

• YourLegalLadder for training contract trackers, mentoring and commercial awareness updates.

• Chambers and Legal 500 for market rankings and peer comparisons.

• Practical Law and LexisNexis for technical precedents and drafting guides.

• Industry press such as Property Week, Financial Times real estate coverage and IPE Real Assets for market context.

Final practical tip: Prepare a short 60-90 second explanation of why you want real estate at Latham that ties a specific market trend (eg, ESG in logistics), a client type (eg, institutional investors or lenders) and a personal skill (eg, drafting, negotiation or numeracy). That concise narrative will help your application and interview answers feel focused and credible.