Latham & Watkins Reviews

Pros

People are extremely sharp but are able to have a conversation about things other than work. Compensation and benefits are very competitive, so there is reward for the demanding work and hours. Senior attorneys are some of the best, so there are excellent examples to learn from.

Cons

People are too busy to stop and talk, whether it be casual or even shop talk. I think the informal mentoring that is helpful to building expertise and teams is minimal.

Pros

Good people and benefits. Teamwork is encouraged, and most staff members are great to work with. Free food on Fridays, and casual days.

Cons

Lack of trust in management because of the terrible way they handled the 2009 layoffs. Relationships between attorneys and staff are strained at best. I've spoken with several people still there, and the reports are dismal. Latham used to have a topnotch work environment, not any more.

Advice to Senior Management

Change the people in charge or, at the very least, start keeping your word to staff members. One of the reasons Latham was a good place before 2009 was that it was a place of respect where everyone was regarded as valuable members of the team. This is gone now and it will take a lot of creative work to get it back.

Pros

Strong name recognition
Good pay
Good perks
Large alumni-base

Cons

NYC reputation isn't as strong as peers
Training
Review process needs improvement
Too political
Experience / culture varies by office

Advice to Senior Management

Develop attorneys who can be better leaders / managers; it's not all about the rainmakers. Invest more in training; Fix your attorney review process to give more feedback associates can use to improve.

Pros

Excellent technology infrastructure and HR support across the global offices. Work with the brightest talent and attorneys in the world.

Cons

Be prepared to work smart and learn fast. High visibility, high stakes work means ideal for detail-oriented, ambitious employees who can tolerate the pressure.

Advice to Senior Management

You obviously need to take care of the attorneys, but also be sure to give the same attention to your support staff. They are the scaffolding that make it all possible.

Pros

The firm has the weight behind it to invest in staff, technology, and infrastructure more so than some other firms. Fairly generous with PTO. Latham has good name value and is good to have on your resume, although somewhat less in the last few years.

Cons

The practice support department has recently restructured itself and cleaned house, with poor results to date. Morale and competency are at low points, and it will likely take a year or two for the firm to realize what happened and to make the necessary changes at the top of the practice support group. Practice support at Latham is under the umbrella of the technology department, but technology's management does not actively engage in oversight. Human resources is disinterested, ineffective, and mostly uninformed of what is going on in the firm at any time. There have been recent changes that make it more difficult for staff to work overtime to complete projects, giving the sense that the firm is moving towards sacrificing quality of service to increase partners' short-term profits.

Advice to Senior Management

Make the decisions necessary to live up to Latham's reputation.

Pros

As always, it's the people. There are some really great partners and senior attorneys that are impressive attorneys and good managers. There was a lot of camaraderie in my own cohort as well. Part of that was the "bunker mentality" that set in as layoffs became more of a sure thing, but almost everyone in my year got along with each other and were cool to work and hang out with.

Cons

In good times the company was all about transparency, but once things got lean management became a black box from which happy-sounding noises would occasionally emerge. The formal "book" system for getting work probably also works fairly well when there is more than enough work to go around, but when work is slim if you rely on the book to get assignments you're sunk. Even during flush times, it was clear that the book was not the place to get the choice assignments, which would be meted out directly by partners and/or senior associates, despite this being supposedly a no-no under the book system.

Also, there was very little opportunity to get practical, useful experience early on - depositions, motion practice, court appearances, etc. This lack of practical experience, plus the golden handcuffs of a salary entirely out of proportion to any actual knowledge, experience or usefulness the associate might have, makes for a difficult fit for smaller-firm job prospects post-Latham (the most likely and plentiful type of job prospects available to the vast majority of mid-level associates).

Advice to Senior Management

Reform or abandon the book system. Be more honest with junior associates about hours expectations.

Pros

Outstanding benefits and perks. Free Pop. Free donuts/fruit every Friday. Charitable jeans day every Friday. Staff appreciation days (seasonal treats). Chair Massages.

Cons

After the big lay-off, every employee was made whole (bonuses raised, raises reinstated) EXCEPT FOR SECRETARIES. Despite the perks, we would happily trade all of it for our previous pay (including raises and bonuses).

Pros

High quality work, smart and friendly attorneys

Cons

Still a very large law firm...

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to keep an eye on managing growth and profitability

Pros

Nice group of people working there.

Cons

No work life balance at all.

Pros

--notable in California
--people are okay
--good pay
--easy location in SF

Cons

--low morale and a lot of work after layoffs
--san francisco office is not strong for corporate work but fine for litigation
--tension between sf and sv corporate departments
--very busy and not enough people after layoffs, so everyone is getting killed now