Latham & Watkins
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Legal services |
| Founded | 1 January 1934 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Founder | Dana Latham, Paul Watkins |
| Headquarters | Multiple locations (no singular central headquarters) , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Litigation, corporate law, regulatory matters, M&A transactions |
| Website | www |
Latham[lower-alpha 1] & Watkins LLP is a global American law firm established in 1934 in Los Angeles, California. It is recognized for its expertise in litigation, corporate law, regulatory matters, and particularly in M&A transactions.
History
The firm was founded in January 1934 by Dana Latham and Paul Watkins. Its initial expansion was gradual, with a team of 19 lawyers by 1960. Dana Latham concentrated on state and federal tax law and later served as Commissioner of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service during President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration, while Paul Watkins specialized in labor law.
By 2020, Latham had gained attention for its opposition to climate change mitigation through lobbying and litigation efforts. The Law Students for Climate Accountability identified it as one of the leading firms contributing negatively to climate change via its transactional and legal work.
During the global financial crisis of 2009, Latham reduced its workforce by laying off 190 attorneys and 250 support employees, representing roughly 12% of associates and 10% of support staff. This led to the term "Lathamed" being coined within legal industry circles to describe layoffs.
In February 2018, the firm achieved over $3 billion in annual revenue, momentarily becoming the highest-grossing law firm worldwide. By February 2021, its New York City office had grown to more than 450 attorneys. Notably, Latham operates as a fully integrated multinational without a singular central headquarters. The firm first exceeded $2 billion in revenue in 2007 but was surpassed by Kirkland & Ellis after 2018.
Latham launched its Moscow office in 1992, representing prominent Russian state-owned enterprises such as VTB Bank and Novatek. However, it ended its Russian operations in March 2022 following Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. In August 2023, the firm closed its Shanghai office as part of streamlining its presence in China.
During heightened campus tensions amid the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Latham joined other firms in issuing a letter to U.S. law school deans denouncing anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism, urging strict zero tolerance policies. This initiative faced criticism from Muslim bar organizations.
In February 2024, citing security concerns, Latham limited access for its Hong Kong-based lawyers to international legal databases.
In 2024, Latham played a leading role in M&A transactions representing clients including BC Partners in Goldman Sachs Alternatives’ purchase of Synthon, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in acquiring NeueHealth, and DAZN in its acquisition of Foxtel Group.
Rankings
Since 2021, Latham has consistently held the position of the second-largest law firm worldwide by revenue according to the Am Law 100, having previously ranked first in 2017. In 2022, it was among the most profitable firms globally with profits per partner exceeding US$7.1 million.
In 2024, Chambers and Partners awarded Latham its tenth consecutive year of rankings—the longest streak for practice areas and individual lawyers. That same year, it secured the #4 spot on the Vault Law 100 list.
In March 2025, Latham & Watkins earned the title of 2024 Americas Law Firm of the Year.
Prominent Clients and Key Legal Matters
- Assisted Ardshinbank in its purchase of HSBC Armenia.
- Represented Relentless, Inc. in the influential case Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, which played a pivotal role in dismantling the Chevron deference doctrine originating from Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.. This litigation marked a major evolution in administrative law by directly contesting the Chevron doctrine.
Public Sector
- Carla Anderson Hills – Former United States Trade Representative, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division
- Bruce Babbitt – Ex-United States Secretary of the Interior
- Sean M. Berkowitz – Prosecutor for federal government in trials concerning Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling; also served as defense counsel for Lori Loughlin during the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- Leslie R. Caldwell – Served as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the United States Department of Justice from 2014 to 2017
- Michael Chertoff – Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
- Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon
- Christopher Cox – Previous Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
- Richard Danzig – Former United States Secretary of the Navy
- Mark S. Fowler – Ex-Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
- Gregory G. Garre – Former United States Solicitor General
- Fred Goldberg – Past Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Patricia Guerrero – Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court
- Roderick M. Hills – Former Chairman at the Securities and Exchange Commission
- Dana Latham – Previous Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service
- Jonathan Lippman – Former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals
- Philip Perry – Ex-Associate Attorney General, general counsel for the Office of Management and Budget, and legal counsel for the Department of Homeland Security
- J. Thomas Rosch – Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
- Kathryn Ruemmler – Served as White House Counsel to President Barack Obama and acted as federal prosecutor in Enron executive trials
- Andrew H. Warren – State Attorney for Florida's 13th Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County) from 2017 to 2022
- Rick Zbur – California State Assembly member
Private Sector
- Matthew Prince – Chief Executive Officer of Cloudflare
Related Topics
External links
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