Latham[a] & Watkins LLP is an American multinationallaw firm. Founded in 1934 inLos Angeles, California, it is known for its litigation, corporate and regulatory law practices.
The firm was founded in January 1934 in Los Angeles, California, byDana Latham and Paul Watkins. Latham's practice focused on state and federaltax law, and he eventually served as Commissioner of theU.S. Internal Revenue Service under PresidentDwight Eisenhower. Watkins's practice focused primarily on labor. At first, the firm grew slowly, with only 19 attorneys employed as of 1960.[1]
As of 2020, the company is known for lobbying and litigating against actions to mitigateclimate change.[3][verification needed] According to the Law Students for Climate Accountability, "Latham & Watkins is the only firm to be in the Top 5 Worst Firms for both transactions and litigation exacerbating climate change."[4]
Amid the global recession in 2009, the firm laid off 190 lawyers and 250 paralegal and support staff, representing twelve percent of the firm's total associates and ten percent of the support staff.[5] At a time when many firms were conducting layoffs, the term "Lathamed" became legal slang for being laid off.[6]
At one time Latham & Watkins was considered to be the world's largest law firm by total revenue when, in February 2018, it surpassed $3 billion in annual revenue.[7]
As of February 2021[update], Latham's largest office is in New York City, with more than 450 lawyers.[8] According to Latham, it is the only fully integrated multinational law firm with no single headquarters.[9] In 2007, Latham became the first American law firm to attain more than $2 billion in yearly revenue, and in 2018 it was the first law firm to report more than US$3 billion in gross revenue.[10][11][12] As of 2018, it was briefly the highest-grossing law firm in the world, but has since lost the number one spot toKirkland & Ellis.[13][14]
Latham opened its first office in Moscow in 1992, and thereafter represented a number of Russian state-owned companies.[15] These clients include the state-owned bankVTB and the natural gas producerNovatek.[16] Latham ended its Russia operations in March 2022, followingRussia's invasion of Ukraine.[17] In August 2023, Latham announced the decision to close itsShanghai office amid consolidation of its operations in China.[18][19]
Amid clashes at some college campuses, following the onset of the2023 Israel-Hamas war; in November 2023, Latham & Watkins was among a group of law firms who sent a letter to 14 American law school deans denouncinganti-Semitism,Islamophobia, andracism. The letter stated that "We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses",[20] and was denounced by a coalition ofMuslimbar associations.[21]
In February 2024, Latham cut off itsHong Kong-based lawyers' access to content in its U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Asia databases.[22][23]
Latham has been consistently ranked as the second-largest law firm in the world by revenue among theAm Law 100, since 2021, and was the No. 1 firm in theAm Law 100 rankings for 2017.[25] In 2022, Latham was also one of the most profitable law firms in the world,with profits per partner exceeding US$7.1 million.[26]
In 2024, the firm received its tenth consecutive ranking fromChambers and Partners, which is the highest number of consecutive practice and lawyer rankings.[27][28] Latham ranked #4 among theVault Law 100 in 2024.[29]
In March 2025, Latham & Watkins was named 2024 Americas Law Firm of the Year.[30]
^Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; de la Merced, Michael J.; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (November 2, 2023)."Law Firms Warn Universities About Antisemitism on Campus".The New York Times. RetrievedNovember 2, 2023.
US$7.0 billion (2024)
