While the journey to scoring a training contract with Latham is incredibly competitive, the lucky 25 are exposed to industry-leading supervisors, clients and cases. Corporate and finance seats are mandatory, but trainees also have the opportunity to sit in competition, data & technology transactions, entertainment, sports & media, environment, equity capital markets, financial regulatory, tax, litigation and more. 

In line with many other American firms, while structured training is provided, trainees have noted that most of the learning happens “on the job”. This provides the flexibility to personalise the training contract and Latham’s lean teams offer incredible exposure to a variety of work that is often at an associate level. The firm’s globally prestigious reputation translates to a wide range of international opportunities, not only for international secondments but also in trainees’ rotational seats. According to those who have interviewed with Chambers Student, much of the work is brought in from Asia, Europe and Africa. For those interested in international secondments, popular destinations for Latham’s trainees are at Hong Kong, New York and Singapore. 

Every day in the office at Latham & Watkins is different and offers new, practical experiences to further your career. Tasks vary from the obligatory trainee-level bundling and project management tasks but the smaller intake and leaner teams also open up opportunities to conduct complex legal research and draft documents from an early stage. Supervision and feedback is offered at multiple levels with partner and associate level “buddies” being assigned to each trainee for regular checkups and task feedback. For anybody with an especially proactive attitude, an interest in corporate and banking, and a global mindset, Latham is definitely an option to consider.