Latham & Watkins 2028 interview and callback guide

For
2028 summer associates
Sources
15 cited

Got a Latham & Watkins interview or callback for the 2028 summer associate program? Here is how the stages fit together, who you meet, what the Recruiting Committee says it listens for and the questions to prepare.

A law student in a dark suit in conversation with a lawyer at a small two-person table beside a floor-to-ceiling window over a low-rise street lined with palm trees, a closed padfolio and a glass of water on the table.
At a Latham callback you meet several lawyers over several hours, matched where possible to the interests you named.

Key facts

  • Assessment: All applicants take a virtual assessment of the skills and behaviors Latham looks for, with written feedback on their strengths.4,15
  • Who interviews: Recruiting Committee members and other lawyers, including managing partners, practice group leaders and associates.4
  • Style: Interviews are designed to feel like conversations about what motivates you, how you approach teamwork and what excites you about practicing law.4
  • Callback: Callbacks put you with several lawyers over several hours, chosen where possible to speak to your interests.4
  • When: Interviews run on a rolling basis and work around your academic commitments. Timing and process may vary by office.2
  • Offers: You become eligible for an offer once you submit your complete first-term transcript.2
  • What they look for: Academic credentials, but also leadership achievements and traits such as grit and teamwork, with ambition, curiosity and real interest in the work.4,1
  • Callback to offer: Across firms, 47% of callback interviews led to offers in the 2025 cycle (summer 2026).9

Latham runs an interview preparation site with Cappfinity, and Forage job simulations written by its lawyers. Both are optional.3,13

What the Latham & Watkins interview looks like

  1. Before the first interview

    You apply directly, between Nov 1, 2026 and Jan 29, 2027, and every applicant takes Latham's virtual assessment. It reads the skills and behaviors the firm says lawyers need to excel there, and you get written feedback on your strengths. Latham's own step-by-step guide (2023) describes it as a simulated pro bono case based on a real matter, plus behavioral preference-type questions. Law school guidance on these assessments puts them at 20 to 30 minutes with no right answers to study.1,2,4,12,15

  2. The first interview

    A wide range of Latham lawyers interview, from managing partners and practice group leaders to associates, and the conversation turns on what motivates you, how you work in teams and what draws you to the law. Latham leaves the format to each office. Law firm screeners usually run 10 to 30 minutes, so have a clear story ready.4,2,6,8

  3. The callback

    If you go through, you meet several lawyers over several hours. Latham tries to match you with lawyers who can speak to your interests and answer your questions. Interviewers and questions vary by candidate and office, so expect to tell your story more than once, and treat each telling as the first.4,6

  4. What interviewers listen for

    Latham's Recruiting Committee says grades are not the whole barometer: it also looks for leadership, grit and teamwork, and values authenticity, ambition, excellence, creativity and innovation. Its advice is to be yourself and tell stories that show how you would contribute to a consensus-based, entrepreneurial culture.4,1

  5. After the interviews

    You become eligible for an offer once your complete first-term transcript is in, and offers through these programs come with a US$50,000 signing bonus, on terms. If two weeks pass after a callback with no word and no timeline, a short follow-up email is reasonable.2,1,6

From application to offer, step by step

Virtual assessment About 20 to 30 min
All applicants. Written feedback on your strengths afterwards.
First interview About 10 to 30 min
With Recruiting Committee members or other lawyers. Format varies by office.
Callback Several hours
Several lawyers, matched where possible to your interests.
First-term transcript Required for an offer
You become eligible once your complete transcript is in.
Offer Rolling
With a US$50,000 signing bonus on acceptance, on terms.

The stages come from Latham's pages, including its step-by-step guide, and its Recruiting Committee in Chambers Associate. The assessment and first-interview lengths are Intervyo's reading of law school guidance.1,2,4,6,12,15

Before your Latham interviews

  • Finish the virtual assessment soon after you apply, in a quiet slot, and read the feedback.
  • Prepare three stories: what led you to law, a team setback, and something you led.
  • Know why you want the office you applied to, for the long term.
  • Name two or three practices you would try in the Unassigned Program, and why.
  • Know every line of your resume and cover letter.
  • Read the bios of your callback interviewers when the firm sends their names.
  • Bring spare copies of your resume, transcript and writing sample to the callback.
  • Send a separate thank-you email to each interviewer within 24 hours.

The questions

Expect conversation built on your own stories: what led you to law, how you work with others, what you have led, why the office, and which practices you want to explore in the Unassigned Program.4,1

  • Your story: The experiences that shaped your path to law and what motivates you.
  • Teamwork: How you work with others, handle setbacks and take feedback.
  • Leadership: Something you led, and what you would do differently.
  • Motivation: Why Latham, why a global firm and why the office long term.
  • Practice interests: What you want to try in the Unassigned Program.

Which division question you get

IP Litigation
Latham asks IP Litigation applicants for a technical background in engineering, computer science, chemistry, biology or physics, so expect questions on that work and how it connects to patent cases.1
Texas offices
Texas hires 1Ls for both the 2027 and 2028 summers, so expect to explain why Texas and why you want to start at a firm in your 1L summer.1,2
Hong Kong, Singapore
The 2L program also covers Hong Kong and Singapore, and Latham weighs a long-term wish to practice in the office you select, so be ready to explain the move.1
Corporate (unassigned)Best guess
Expect to name the deal work you want to try first and why, since summers explore practices before choosing.

The corporate line is our best guess from the pattern in the other rows: say what you would explore first in the Unassigned Program, and why.

Example questions and how to answer them

Your story"Tell me about the experiences that shaped your path to law."4,1
  1. 1Start with one moment or job, not your whole life.
  2. 2Say what you learned there that pointed you to law.
  3. 3Link it to what you want to do at Latham.
  4. 4Keep it to about two minutes.

Tip: Latham's recruiters suggest reflecting before the interview on the experiences that shaped your path: what motivates you, what you learned and how it helps you contribute.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Intervyo example.

Before law school I spent three years as an engineer on pipeline projects in Houston. The part I liked most was not the design work but sitting in on contract reviews, where a single clause could change who carried the risk on a $200 million project.

That is why I came to law school, and why I want a transactional practice in energy. The Unassigned Program would let me try project finance and M&A before I choose, and I want to build that practice in Houston, where I already know the market.

Teamwork"Tell me about a time you worked on a team that hit a setback."4,7
  1. 1Set the scene: the team, the goal and what went wrong.
  2. 2Say what you did yourself to get it back on track.
  3. 3Give the result.
  4. 4Close on what you would repeat or change.

Tip: Latham names grit and teamwork among the traits it looks for. Show both: you kept going, and you brought others with you.

Motivation"Why Latham, and why this office?"1,8
  1. 1Give one reason specific to Latham, such as the Unassigned Program or its global platform.
  2. 2Tie it to your own background.
  3. 3Give a concrete reason for the city: family, past work or a market you know.
  4. 4Close on what you want to learn in the summer.

Tip: A desire to practice at a global firm and in the selected office long term is one of Latham's stated criteria, so the office half of the answer matters as much as the firm half.

Leadership"Tell me about something you led."1,4
  1. 1Pick a role where you were responsible for people or an outcome.
  2. 2Say what was hard about it.
  3. 3Give the result, with a number if you have one.
  4. 4End on what it taught you about working with others.

Tip: Leadership achievements are a named factor for Latham's Recruiting Committee alongside grades. Choose a story you can take two follow-up questions on.

Practice interests"Which practices would you explore in the Unassigned Program?"11,5
  1. 1Name one or two areas and the reason, from a class or a job.
  2. 2Show you are open to trying more.
  3. 3Ask the interviewer how they found their own practice.

Tip: Latham does not require you to choose a practice up front. Saying you want to explore is a fine answer if you name where you would start.

More Latham & Watkins interview questions

Motivation

  • “Why are you interested in our firm?”8

  • “Why do you want to practice at a global firm?”1

    Wording ours; a global firm is in Latham's criteria

  • “Why this office, for the long term?”1,8

Resume

  • “Can you talk about your experience and what you learned from it?”7

  • “What did you take from that job before law school?”6

    Wording ours; interviewers dig into what you learned

Behavioral

  • “Tell me about a challenging experience in law school or another job.”7

    A common opener across firms, from another firm's interviewer

  • “Tell me about a time you took constructive criticism.”7

    Wording ours, from another firm's interviewer

  • “What excites you about practicing law?”4

    Wording ours; Latham's interviews ask what excites you

Interests

  • “What area of the law are you most interested in?”8

  • “What would you want to work on in your first month as a summer?”5

    Best guess

    Latham summers pick projects aligned to their interests

Practice for Latham & Watkins with Intervyo

Start free to practice Latham & Watkins questions and track when it opens. Go deeper on Latham & Watkins with the pack, or cover every firm you apply to with the Season Pass.

Free

Try it and track Latham & Watkins

$0no card

Sign up free
  • 2 HireVue-style questions, scored
  • A resume review and a cover letter
  • An online assessment in the real format
  • The tracker, with alerts for 5 companies

Season Pass

Save 63%

Every company you apply to

$16.58a month

Get the Season Pass
  • 20 live AI mock interviews a month
  • 130 HireVue-style questions a month, every company
  • 150 online assessment runs a month
  • 5 final round simulations a month
  • 30 resume reviews and 90 cover letters a month

$199 a year, or $44.99 monthly. Cancel any time.

How long to hear back after the interview

Latham interviews on a rolling basis around your exams, and timing can vary by office. You become eligible for an offer once your complete first-term transcript is in.2

  1. 2024 (summer 2024 class)

    Latham summer program

    289 of 289 2L summer associates received offers.5

  2. 2025 (summer 2026)

    All firms, NALP survey

    47% of callback interviews led to offers. May 2025 was the busiest offer month, and 85% of offers went out before July.9

  3. Nov 1, 2026 (summer 2028)

    Latham, all US offices

    The application window opened, with interviews on a rolling basis from then.1,2

  4. Jan 8 to 13, 2027 (summer 2028)

    Harvard Early Interview Program

    Virtual screeners for private sector employers, for the Class of 2029's 2L summer jobs.10

  5. Jan 29, 2027 (summer 2028)

    Latham

    The application window closes at 5:00 p.m. ET.1

Response times vary by firm more than by candidate. If two weeks pass after your callback with no word and no timeline, a short follow-up email is reasonable.6

Best guessWith the window open from Nov 1, 2026, expect first interviews from late November to February and offers once fall grades are in, from January 2027.

What happens after the interview

  1. Online application

    The online application, cover letter, resume and law school transcript, from Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 29, 2027.1,2

  2. Virtual assessment

    Every applicant takes it, then gets written feedback on their strengths.4,15

  3. Screening, then callback interviewsYou are here

    This page. A first interview, then a callback with several lawyers over several hours.4,2

  4. Offer

    Once your complete first-term transcript is in, with a US$50,000 signing bonus on acceptance.2,1

First interview vs callback

The first interview checks your story and motivation; the callback lets more Latham lawyers get to know you, and lets you get to know them.

Who

First interview

Recruiting Committee members and other lawyers, from managing partners to associates.4

Callback

Several lawyers, matched where possible to your interests.4

Length

First interview

About 10 to 30 minutes.6,8

Callback

Several hours.4

Focus

First interview

What motivates you, teamwork and what excites you about law.4

Callback

Your passions and experiences, and how you would contribute.4

Your questions

First interview

Specific questions about the office and the Unassigned Program; interviewers notice when you have none.7

Callback

Questions for each lawyer about their own work and path.4,6

2028 summer associate status

The summer is ten weeks in Latham's Unassigned Program, with an assigned mentor, real-time feedback and Summer Academy, which brings summers from across the firm together for several days of training and events.1,4,11

FAQ

What is the Latham first interview like?

A conversation with one of a wide range of Latham lawyers, from managing partners to associates, about what motivates you, how you work in teams and what draws you to the law. Format varies by office; plan for 10 to 30 minutes.4,2,6,8

What happens at a Latham callback?

You meet several lawyers over several hours. Latham tries to connect you with lawyers who can speak to your interests and answer your questions.4

Does Latham have an assessment?

All applicants take a virtual assessment and get written feedback on their strengths. Firms set these assessments at different points in the process, so take it as soon as you are invited.4,12,15

What does Latham look for in interviews?

Leadership, grit and teamwork alongside academics, with ambition, curiosity and real interest in the work. Its recruiters advise you to be yourself and tell stories that show how you would contribute.4,1

Should I bring a writing sample to a Latham callback?

Bring spare copies of your resume, transcript and a 5 to 10 page writing sample in case an interviewer asks, even though the application does not list one.6,14,1

When will I hear back from Latham?

Interviews run on a rolling basis and timing varies by office. You become eligible for an offer once your complete first-term transcript is in.2

Interview at other firms

Sources

Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 4, 2026.

  1. 1Latham & Watkins: United States: Summer Associates
  2. 2Latham & Watkins: Link with Latham: Application Timeline (Oct 2026)
  3. 3Latham & Watkins: United States: Beginning Your Legal Career
  4. 4Chambers Associate: Latham & Watkins firm profile: Get Hired (Sep 2026) · prep site
  5. 5Vault: Latham & Watkins: Summer Law Program · prep site
  6. 6University of Michigan Law School Office of Career Planning: Guide to Firm Callback Interviews · prep site
  7. 7Chambers Associate: OCI advice from the interviewers · prep site
  8. 87Sage: What I Wish I Knew before BigLaw Recruiting 101 (Aug 2022) · prep site
  9. 9NALP: Law Student Recruiting Moves Earlier as Employer-Sponsored Hiring Expands (Jan 2026) · press
  10. 10Harvard Law School Office of Career Services: Recruiting Programs for Employers · prep site
  11. 11Flo Recruit: Latham & Watkins firm profile (updated Oct 2026)
  12. 12Berkeley Law Career Development Office: CDO: EIW Law Firm Assessments (2021) · prep site
  13. 13Latham & Watkins (Cappfinity): Latham Interview Prep
  14. 14Yale Law School Career Development Office: Writing Samples, References & Transcripts · prep site
  15. 15Latham & Watkins, via the Wayback Machine: Recruiting step-by-step application process, US (archived Nov 2023)

Intervyo isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Latham & Watkins. Formats change between cycles and divisions, so always follow the instructions in your own invite.