Commercial Law
Latham & Watkins Application Guide
One of the world's highest-grossing law firms: an integrated global platform with a market-leading transactional, finance and litigation practice.. Every stage of the process, the questions Latham & Watkins actually asks, and the prep that gets candidates through, in one place.
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The firm
About Latham & Watkins
The business today
Latham & Watkins is a full-service, global commercial law firm and one of the highest-grossing law firms in the world. It acts as primary outside counsel to major corporations, private equity funds, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds and emerging technology companies, pioneering a highly decentralized, institutional corporate model rather than the localized prestige of traditional Wall Street firms.
The business is built on high-leverage transactional and advisory execution: an M&A mandate routinely feeds the firm's capital markets, leveraged finance, tax, executive compensation and antitrust groups. A dynamic, tiered partner structure rewards top rainmakers while maintaining a large associate-to-equity-partner leverage ratio.
Financially, Latham reported global gross revenue of $8.3 billion in fiscal 2025, an 18.6% surge from roughly $7 billion in 2024, with profits per equity partner of $8.7 million (up 21.3%). It has over 3,500 attorneys across 30-plus offices and is led by Global Chair Richard Trobman. It is locked in a continuous race for industry dominance with Kirkland & Ellis.
There is no formal corporate headquarters; management is fully distributed, which prevents regional factionalism and lets junior associates work seamlessly on cross-office deal and litigation teams. Recent strategy doubles down on private equity and infrastructure, with overhauled "super points" equity tiers to match packages up to $20 million for top lateral corporate partners, and a rationalized global footprint (for example, winding down Shanghai to focus on New York, London and Northern California).
Why people apply to Latham & Watkins
The trade-off is an intense environment driven by a demanding client base. There is no formal billable cap for bonuses, but the implicit target to stay in good standing is roughly 1,900-2,000 hours, with high performers frequently at 2,300+. Deal flow is relentless: weekend work, late-night fire drills and unpredictable scheduling are baseline, and burnout is a real risk in years 3-5.
The primary draw is an unmatched transactional platform paired with structural career flexibility. The Unassigned Program lets incoming corporate and finance associates spend their first 12-18 months sampling M&A, capital markets, private equity, structured finance and restructuring before committing to a group, rather than forcing immediate specialization.
Latham treats its global offices as a single profit center, creating a low-friction internal market for cross-staffing: an associate in Los Angeles or Houston can secure lead roles on high-profile New York M&A deals or Silicon Valley tech IPOs.
Exits are among the most lucrative in the legal sector, into mega-cap private equity and credit, Fortune 100 and tech in-house roles, bank legal teams, and elite government and boutique tracks.
Divisions inside Latham & Watkins's Commercial Law
Corporate / M&A and Private Equity
Day-to-day
Multi-billion dollar public and private acquisitions, cross-border combinations and joint ventures. Juniors run due diligence, draft ancillary agreements, disclosure schedules and board resolutions, and manage the closing process. Public M&A centers on New York; PE is spread across New York, Chicago, Century City and Boston.
Interview style
Conversational and commercial: why deals over disputes, the thesis behind a recent transaction, and signs of extreme organization and flawless execution under time pressure.
High difficultyFinance (Banking and Leveraged Finance)
Day-to-day
A market-leading practice representing investment banks (arranger-side) and direct private credit lenders financing complex buyouts. Juniors track conditions precedent and draft credit agreements, security documents and payoff letters, coordinating multi-party closings. Centered in New York with sub-hubs in LA and Chicago.
Interview style
Commercial curiosity about funding: the difference between syndicated bank debt and high-yield bonds, why a sponsor uses high leverage in an LBO, and awareness of how rates drive deal volume.
High difficultyCapital Markets
Day-to-day
Structuring IPOs, high-yield and investment-grade debt, and equity-linked securities. Juniors draft Form S-1 registration statements, manage comfort-letter processes and SEC review cycles. Split between New York (financial institutions, traditional industries) and the Bay Area (tech and life sciences IPOs).
Interview style
Tied to macro conditions: exceptional writing, meticulous organization and an interest in disclosure and SEC compliance.
High difficultyLitigation and Trial
Day-to-day
High-stakes commercial disputes, securities litigation, antitrust defense, IP and multi-district torts. Juniors manage document review, legal research, discovery requests, motions to dismiss and trial prep. Distributed across Washington DC, New York, LA, San Francisco and Chicago.
Interview style
Extremely academically selective: federal clerkships, law review notes and analytical writing prized. Expect to defend your writing sample in IRAC/CRAC structure.
Extreme difficultyRestructuring and Special Situations
Day-to-day
Representing debtor companies, creditor committees and sponsor groups in out-of-court restructurings and Chapter 11 filings. Juniors organize master service lists, draft first-day motions and research bankruptcy mechanics. Anchored in New York, Chicago and Houston.
Interview style
Small, specialized teams favor candidates with finance, accounting or distressed-debt backgrounds and a clear grasp of debtor versus creditor work.
Extreme difficultyProject Development and Finance (Energy)
Day-to-day
Major energy, infrastructure and renewable assets: development, project agreements and multi-sourced debt facilities. Juniors review EPC and offtake agreements, draft security instruments and manage regulatory diligence. Houston is the powerhouse, with support in DC and New York.
Interview style
Houston recruiting explicitly targets candidates committed to the energy transition, oil and gas, or infrastructure, with awareness of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits.
Moderate-high difficultyTry it now
Score your Resume against Latham & Watkins's screen
Latham & Watkins talent acquisition screens thousands of Resumes per cycle. Most are read in under 30 seconds. The candidates who get to interview have Resumes that signal commercial relevance fast, in the format Latham & Watkins expects.
What Latham & Watkins looks for in a Resume
Quantified impact
Numbers in every bullet: deal size, team size, percentage uplift, revenue managed. "Led a team" is filler, "led a 6-person team that delivered £400k of revenue" is a signal.
Named firms and deals
Latham & Watkins recruiters skim for brand names they recognise. Name your prior internships, the deals you observed, the clients you worked on. Specifics beat generic descriptions.
Industry-relevant language
Use the vocabulary of the commercial law world: drafting, due diligence, commercial context, matter experience. Generic "analysed data" reads as not-yet-in-the-industry; the right terms read as ready.
Tight, structured layout
One page max. Reverse-chronological. Three to five bullets per role. No long paragraphs, no dense blocks. The skim test decides the read.
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The application
How Latham & Watkins hires
4 stages, real interview questions, the criteria that decide it, and the moves that separate offers from rejections.
The process, stage by stage
- 1
Application / OCI bid
Pre-OCI opens around May-June after 1L grades drop; formal OCI runs July to early August. Rolling.Apply via the direct pre-OCI pathway as early as possible; Latham fills a large share of summer slots before OCI begins. Submit a clean single-page resume and a transcript that includes 1L spring grades.
- 2
Screening interview
June through mid-August; a single live 20-30 minute interview via FloRecruit/Zoom or in OCI rooms.Master a 90-second resume pitch and a specific why-Latham plus why-this-city answer. There are no technical drills; this is conversational and fit-driven.
- 3
Callback (Superday)
Often within 24-72 hours of the screener; 3-5 hours of 4-5 back-to-back 30-45 minute interviews plus an associate lunch.Stay consistent and high-energy across every round, treat the lunch as evaluated, and prepare sophisticated, interviewer-specific questions.
- 4
Offer
Same day to 2-5 business days after the callback.Decisions are fast and committee-led. Summer-to-full-time conversion is historically 98-100%.
What Latham & Watkins asks at each round
Screening Interview
- Why Latham & Watkins, and what separates us from our competitors?
- Why this specific geographic office over where you grew up or studied?
- Walk me through your resume.
- Why corporate law versus litigation (or the reverse)?
- Why did you decide to go to law school?
- Tell me about a recent Latham transaction or case you found compelling.
Callback (Superday)
- Latham runs an unassigned system for junior associates. How will you navigate it to build your practice?
- Walk me through the statutory interpretation argument in your writing sample, then counter it from the other side.
- A long-standing client wants an urgent cross-border acquisition in a regulated sector. What risks do we flag first?
- With elite firms paying identical market comp, why explicitly choose Latham?
- Tell me about a time you balanced competing deadlines for two senior stakeholders.
- Where do you see your practice expanding five years from now?
Behavioral
- Tell me about a time you managed a heavy workload with competing deadlines. How did you prioritize?
- Describe working closely with someone whose style conflicted with yours.
- Tell me about a mistake you made. How did you handle it?
- Describe difficult constructive criticism and how you implemented it.
- Tell me about a leadership role and the biggest challenge you faced.
Commercial Awareness
- What macroeconomic or regulatory trend is impacting our clients, and how should Latham respond?
- What is the difference between bank debt and high-yield bond issuance, and why pick one?
- How are shifting interest rates affecting private equity and leveraged buyouts?
- In an M&A deal, what is a reverse break-up fee and who does it protect?
- Name a recent Latham matter you followed and what stood out.
What Latham & Watkins looks for
Academic and analytical horsepower
Strong law school performance (broadly top 30-35% at T14s, top 10-15% at schools ranked 15-30, top 5-10% at regional schools), plus the ability to articulate complex legal concepts clearly. Journal, moot court and a sharp writing sample help.
Commercial awareness
Law is a business. Latham wants candidates who track macro and regulatory trends (FTC/DOJ antitrust scrutiny, interest rates, the energy transition) and understand how they drive client decisions and firm profitability.
Communication and professional presence
Articulate, structured delivery and the poise to sit in front of a Fortune 100 client or PE sponsor. Conciseness within a 20-minute screener is itself a test.
Firm fit and the "Latham Culture"
Egalitarian, collaborative, low-ego and entrepreneurial. Latham actively filters out arrogance and lone-wolf behavior, and weighs how pleasant you would be to work alongside at 2:00 AM on a closing.
Drive and initiative for the unassigned model
Corporate and finance associates start unassigned and must proactively pitch partners for work. Interviewers look for self-starters who can manage their own deal flow.
A genuine, specific reason for the firm and the city
A why-Latham answer that names the Unassigned Program, the global platform, or a specific local matter, plus authentic ties to the office city, especially for non-NY markets like Houston, Chicago and California.
The edge: what separates offers from rejections
Specific moves most applicants skip. None of them need talent, only preparation.
- 01Cite the Unassigned Program specifically as the vehicle for your growth, not generic prestige
- 02Reference a specific recent matter from the local office and connect it to your background
- 03Have a rock-solid "why this city" tie, especially for non-NY offices like Houston or LA
- 04Use the STAR method with extreme ownership, keeping behavioral answers under two minutes
- 05Show real commercial awareness (FTC/DOJ scrutiny, rates and PE, the energy transition)
- 06Keep energy and respect identical across associates and partners, and through the final round
- 07Prepare sophisticated, interviewer-specific questions; never run out of questions
Prep, stage by stage
Drill each Latham & Watkins round
Dedicated pages for the four rounds Latham & Watkins runs. Practise each round on Intervyo.
Pay & culture
Working at Latham & Watkins
What they pay
Graduate
$225,000 base for a first-year associate (Class of 2025), on the lockstep Cravath scale, identical in every US office.
Internship
Paid 10-week summer associate program, compensated on the prorated first-year associate scale (first-year base is $225,000).
Perks
| Company | Comp | Hours / week | Exit options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkland & Ellis | Cravath scale (~$225k 1st-yr) | Very high | Unrivaled PE and restructuring |
| Skadden Arps | Cravath scale | Very high | Fortune 100 General Counsel pipelines |
| Davis Polk | Cravath scale | Very high | Top-tier investment banking channels |
| Gibson Dunn | Cravath scale | Very high | Boutiques, government, in-house |
What working at Latham & Watkins is like
- High-octane corporate environment balanced by an egalitarian "one-firm" ethos
- Intentionally decentralized: no formal corporate HQ; management is fully distributed
- Unassigned Program lets corporate/finance associates sample practices for 12-18 months before committing
- A single global profit center, so cross-office staffing is low-friction
- Billable expectation roughly 1,900-2,000 hours; high performers scale to 2,300+
- Structured 4-day in-office week (Mon-Thu), Friday flexible remote
- Relentless deal flow: weekend work and late-night fire drills are baseline
- Collaborative, low-ego and entrepreneurial; arrogance is actively filtered out
Timeline
When Latham & Watkins programmes open and close
By programme. Use these dates to plan applications across the cycle and submit early on rolling lines.
| Programme | Opens | Closes | Assessment | Offers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1L Summer Associate / First-Year Diversity Fellowship | November 1 (1L year) | Late December | Interviews early January through February | Rolling through late February | 10-week paid program with the 1L Summer Academy and an automatic conversion path to a 2L offer on satisfactory performance. |
| Pre-OCI / 1L Spring Outreach | Mid-May (on availability of final 1L grades) | Rolling | Interviews late May through June | Rolling | Fast-growing channel that now accounts for a significant share of 2L summer hiring. |
| 2L Summer Associate (Primary Track) | May-June (Direct/Pre-OCI); July (Formal OCI) | Through OCI in early August | Interviews June through mid-August | Within days of the callback | Full-time return offers extended at the close of the 10-week summer program (typically mid-to-late July). |
| 3L and Post-Clerkship Hiring | July-August (3L); rolling for clerks | Rolling | - | - | 3L entry hiring is limited and opportunistic; post-clerkship hiring runs year-round with a competitive market clerkship bonus. |
FAQ
Latham & Watkins application questions
How hard is it to land a summer associate position at Latham?
It is highly competitive. The firm receives thousands of applicants for a summer associate class that typically ranges between 350 and 450 slots nationwide across all offices. Roughly 15-20% of applicants secure an initial screening interview, and of those, around 25-35% advance to a callback. Candidates generally need top academic credentials from target institutions, or an exceptional ranking from a regional school, along with strong interview performance. The pre-OCI channel has grown rapidly, so applying early in the direct window is one of the highest-leverage moves you can make.
Does Latham enforce a hard GPA cutoff?
There is no absolute automated cutoff across the firm, but the recruiting committee uses academic performance as a major primary filter. At core T14 schools, candidates generally need to be in roughly the top 30-35% of the class, with exceptional leadership or a specialized technical background able to offset a slightly lower GPA. At schools ranked 15-30, the bar rises to roughly the top 10-15%. At regional or non-target schools, the firm selectively targets top performers, typically a top 5-10% rank or a spot on the premier Law Review board.
How does the Unassigned Program actually work for first-year associates?
Incoming corporate and finance associates do not join a specific sub-practice group. Instead, you are given access to a central project pool spanning M&A, capital markets, banking, private equity and restructuring. A dedicated allocation manager helps you balance your workload, allowing you to sample different practices for up to 18 months before formally choosing a group. The system rewards self-starters: you must proactively pitch partners for work and manage your own deal flow, which is exactly the maturity interviewers probe for at the callback.
What is the conversion rate from a 2L summer offer to a full-time offer?
Historically the conversion rate is extremely high, typically 98-100%. Barring egregious behavioral issues, professional misconduct, or a total failure to execute tasks, the firm extends full-time return offers to its entire summer associate class. The 10-week summer program is therefore best understood as the real interview for your career start, not a low-stakes audition. Full-time offers are formally extended at the conclusion of the program, typically mid-to-late July.
Can I split my summer between two different Latham offices?
Latham occasionally permits summer splits between two domestic offices (for example New York and Houston, or Los Angeles and San Francisco) on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a clear geographic connection and both offices approve. However, splits are generally discouraged so that candidates can integrate deeply with a single office's recruiting committee and culture. If you do pursue a split, be ready to articulate a genuine, structural reason for ties to both markets.
Does Latham sponsor international candidates?
Yes. Latham routinely sponsors international students from top US law schools, supporting the F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) period and transitioning into H-1B lottery sponsorship. For candidates who do not secure an H-1B slot, the firm can leverage its international footprint (London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Tokyo) to transfer associates abroad, often setting up a later return to the US on an L-1 track. International applicants should target a state bar (commonly New York or California) that fits their degree path.
How not to fail
Mistakes that cost candidates Latham & Watkins offers
Specific failure modes the firm screens out. None of these need talent to avoid, only awareness.
- 01Showing arrogance during interviews. Latham prioritizes a collaborative, team-oriented culture. Any intellectual entitlement or condescension toward recruiting coordinators or junior associates results in immediate rejection.
- 02No clear answer for "Why this specific city?". If you are in New York applying to LA, Houston or Chicago, you must show explicit, authentic professional or personal ties to that market. The firm avoids candidates who might default back to New York.
- 03Inability to explain your own resume. If you list a research paper, a legal note or a transaction, you must articulate the core concepts, legal challenges and outcomes clearly under questioning.
- 04Failing to understand the business model. Confusing credit finance with public capital markets, or debtor versus creditor restructuring work, signals a lack of preparation.
- 05Running out of questions. Saying "I think we covered everything" shows disengagement. Always have sophisticated, practice-specific questions ready for every interviewer.
If you are rejected
What to do next
A rejection during the 1L cycle does not hurt your 2L candidacy; Latham often looks favorably on applicants who showed interest as 1Ls and return with improved records. If rejected during the primary 2L OCI cycle, you generally wait until the next lateral or post-clerkship cycle to reapply.
Peer elite BigLaw
Sidley Austin, White & Case, Simpson Thacher and Milbank recruit similar profiles.
Strong mid-market and regional
Premier mid-market firms with strong local practice alignment build the transactional or litigation base Latham hires laterally.
Lateral route back
Latham is highly active in lateral hiring for second-to-fifth-year associates when demand climbs, so solid experience elsewhere can be a path back.
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Intervyo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Latham & Watkins. Process details are sourced from past applicants, the firm's published guidance and our own research; verify timings on the firm's official careers site before applying. Last updated July 18, 2026.
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