Latham & Watkins · Superday
Latham & Watkins's superday is the final round. 3-5 hours of back-to-back interviews, entirely interview-driven and conversational. of back-to-back interviews, case work and exercises with senior staff. Below: what the day looks like, what each exercise tests, and how to rehearse the full sequence before you walk in.
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The day
The callback is the definitive evaluative phase, after a successful screener. Invitations often arrive within 24-72 hours of the screener.
3-5 hours of back-to-back interviews, entirely interview-driven and conversational.
Evaluated individually; an office may host 2-10 candidates on a day but tracks are separate and you rarely interact with others.
Callback-to-offer typically 30-45%, depending on office, timing and headcount.
Format. 4-5 individual 30-45 minute interviews with partners and senior associates, plus an associate lunch. No group exercises, presentations or written exams (unlike UK assessment centres).
Decision timing. Same-day verbal offers for exceptional consensus candidates; otherwise 2-5 business days.
The schedule
What you do, when you do it. Built from past attendee accounts so you know what is coming and can pace yourself.
Arrival and check-in; clear security, settle in the home-base conference room, and receive a schedule with interviewer names, titles and practice groups.
Round 1, Behavioral & Fit with a mid-to-senior associate: professional narrative and why Latham over Cravath-scale peers.
Round 2, Resume & Experience deep-dive with a junior/mid-level partner; defend any writing sample or journal note.
Round 3, Practice-group scenario with a senior partner or group leader: hypotheticals and market trends, testing commercial awareness.
Round 4, Final partner session and culture fit with a recruiting-committee member or senior partner: stamina, long-term intent, one-firm alignment.
Lunch with two associates (60-75 min). Framed as casual but actively evaluated for social maturity and poise.
End-of-day debrief with the recruiting coordinator: reimbursement forms and the committee timeline.
The exercises
Each exercise has its own scorecard. Consistency across all of them, not heroics in any single one, is what produces offers.
Format. One-on-one or two-on-one, conversational
Duration. 30-45 minutes
Panel. A senior associate and junior partner, or two mid-level associates
Assessed on. Behavioral competencies, EQ, stress tolerance, collaboration, conflict resolution
Common failure modes. Generic rehearsed answers, sounding scripted, or blaming others
Tactical advice. Use STAR and dedicate ~70% of each answer to the action you personally took.
Format. One-on-one
Duration. 45 minutes
Panel. A partner or senior counsel with a strong analytical background
Assessed on. Substantive legal communication, attention to detail, intellectual honesty
Common failure modes. Cannot recall a paper/project, stumbles over your own writing sample, or inflates your contribution
Tactical advice. Re-read your writing sample and every resume line the morning of; know facts, holdings and deal structures cold.
Format. One-on-one or two-on-one
Duration. 45 minutes
Panel. Partners, practice-group chairs or embedded senior associates
Assessed on. Industry interest, commercial awareness, long-term commitment to a practice
Common failure modes. Vague "corporate law" with no M&A/finance/capital-markets distinction; no awareness of Latham strengths
Tactical advice. Read market updates and league tables; be ready to discuss two recent matters in that group.
Format. One-on-one
Duration. 30-45 minutes
Panel. A senior partner, office managing partner or Executive/Recruiting Committee member
Assessed on. Executive presence, leadership potential, cultural alignment, client-readiness
Common failure modes. Low energy by day's end, basic searchable questions, or no career vision
Tactical advice. Match the partner's energy; ask high-level strategic questions on growth, integration and market conditions.
Format. Two associates to one candidate
Duration. 60-75 minutes
Assessed on. Peer fit, social maturity, interpersonal dynamics (would they want you on a 2:00 AM closing?)
Common failure modes. Dropping your guard, complaining about professors or other firms, poor table manners, arrogance
Tactical advice. Treat it as a professional meeting; ask smart questions about daily life and the unassigned system.
Format. Informal, optional gap-filler
Duration. 15-30 minutes
Panel. 1-2 junior associates or recruiting coordinators
Assessed on. Authenticity, approachability, conversational flexibility
Common failure modes. Irritation at scheduling gaps or a transactional attitude
Tactical advice. Build rapport: ask about office culture, sports leagues, pro bono and the neighborhood.
The scoring
Each interviewer submits an individual evaluation form (1-5 scale or Strong Offer / Offer / Neutral / No Offer) with a written narrative, immediately after the round.
Aggregation. The local Hiring Committee reviews the complete file (transcripts, screener notes, resume, writing sample and all callback feedback) plus associate lunch input, for a consensus-based decision.
Veto mechanic. A single negative or neutral evaluation will not automatically disqualify you if the rest is consistently strong; four strong rounds usually outweigh one concern about practice-group clarity.
Senior-round weighting. Partner and committee rounds carry significant weight; the partner round tests whether you can sit in front of a Fortune 100 client early.
Consistency check. The committee flags inconsistency: telling one interviewer you are committed to litigation and another that you want tech M&A reads as a lack of direction and often leads to rejection. Any integrity, arrogance or ethical red flag is an immediate disqualification.
Decision timing. Same day to 2-5 business days.
The simulator
Rehearse the superday free on Intervyo. Multi-stage scenarios mirror the real day's exercises in order, case work, technicals, behavioural rounds, lunch.
Why candidates fail
Specific failure patterns drawn from past attendee accounts. The day is a marathon, not a sprint, and most failures are about consistency across panels.
Fading energy across rounds
A callback is a mental marathon; shorter answers and slumping posture by round four signal weak stamina.
Behavioral inconsistency across interviewers
Treating junior associates casually while saving respect for partners is noticed; they compare notes.
Not preparing partner-level questions
Asking a group leader about the summer calendar shows a lack of preparation.
Poor lunch behavior
Letting your guard down, casual language or complaints can take you out of the running.
Mishandling substantive questions about your own work
Failing to explain a past project's legal issues raises attention-to-detail concerns.
Lack of specific firm research
Generic "Why Latham?" answers that fit any major firm signal weak interest.
What works
Concrete moves drilled by candidates who clear the day, drawn from accounts of recent offer-holders.
Three anchor stories drilled cold
Master three flexible STAR stories: resolving a group conflict, overcoming an intellectual setback, and managing a heavy workload under deadline.
Specific Latham references every round
Weave in major matters, practice leaders or initiatives like tech-driven litigation or energy infrastructure.
Tailored questions per interviewer
Ask associates how they navigate the unassigned system; ask partners about practice adaptation to regulatory change.
Proactive energy management
Use breaks to refocus, keep water on hand, and bring the same energy to the last interview as the first.
Thank-you notes within 24 hours
Send brief, personalized emails to every interviewer referencing a specific topic discussed.
From past attendees
Anonymised accounts from offer-holders. Preparation, the day itself, what worked, what did not.
New York office, corporate track (offer)
Prep. Read financial news regularly; ready to discuss LBO structures.
Experience. Four consecutive 45-minute rounds with two associates and three partners. The hardest moment was a partner asking how an LBO structure changes when debt markets tighten; walked through equity cushions and mezzanine debt. Kept lunch professional, focused on the unassigned system, and sent thank-you emails by 5:00 PM.
Outcome. Verbal offer from the hiring partner the following afternoon.
Washington DC office, litigation track (waitlist / no offer)
Prep. Relied on strong grades and Law Review; had not re-read the writing sample.
Experience. The first two fit rounds went smoothly, but a senior white-collar partner asked for a defense of a statutory-interpretation argument from the writing sample; stumbled on case-law details and looked unprepared. Energy dropped and the associate lunch drifted into personal topics rather than the litigation practice.
Outcome. Placed on the waitlist four days later; ultimately no offer.
Latham & Watkins quirks
Format conventions, debrief mechanics, and unwritten rules that come up across cycles. These do not appear on the careers site but they shape the day.
The unassigned system mechanics
Corporate and litigation associates start unassigned for one to two years. Interviewers actively evaluate whether you have the proactive communication to seek out work and manage your own billable pipeline.
The global "one-firm" culture
Latham prides itself on an integrated, consensus-driven structure without inter-office turf wars; expect to be tested on willingness to collaborate across offices, such as NY finance attorneys on a Bay Area tech deal.
Conversational style over formal questioning
Unlike Jones Day or Gibson Dunn's highly structured interviews, Latham favors organic, fluid dialogue; keep the conversation flowing while weaving in your key points.
On the day
FAQ
A callback is 3-5 hours of back-to-back interviews, typically 4-5 individual rounds of 30-45 minutes each with a mix of partners and senior associates, plus an associate lunch. It is entirely interview-driven and conversational, with no group exercises, presentations or written exams. The rounds generally move from behavioral and fit to a resume/writing-sample deep-dive, a practice-group scenario, and a final partner or committee session.
Yes. Although it is framed as a casual, un-assessed chance to ask candid questions, the lunch is an active component of your evaluation. Associates do not fill out numerical scoring sheets, but they give direct feedback to recruiting if a candidate shows poor etiquette, arrogance or a drop in poise. Treat it as a professional meeting: stay engaged, ask smart questions about daily life and the unassigned system, and never complain about law school or other firms.
Not on its own. A single negative or neutral evaluation usually will not disqualify you if the rest of your feedback is consistently strong; four strong rounds typically outweigh one concern about practice-group clarity. However, any markdown concerning integrity, arrogance, poor interpersonal skills or an ethical red flag is an immediate disqualification regardless of academic credentials. The committee also flags inconsistency in your stated practice interests across rounds.
Re-read your writing sample and resume the morning of, drill three flexible STAR anchor stories, and prepare tailored questions for each interviewer based on their bio. Research two recent matters in your target practice group, manage your energy across the day, and send personalized thank-you notes within 24 hours. Intervyo runs realistic, firm-specific superday practice with instant feedback on your structure, commercial awareness and composure under back-to-back rounds.
The other rounds
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Intervyo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Latham & Watkins. Exercise details are sourced from past attendees and the firm's published guidance; verify on the firm's careers site before attending. Sector: Commercial Law.
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