Latham & Watkins is a leading international law firm with internationally recognised practices across a wide spectrum of transactional, litigation, corporate and regulatory areas.

Our teams of sharp and intelligent people have built one of the few global law firms with truly integrated strength in the major financial centres across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. As our teams are smaller than those in many large UK law firms, we’re looking for energetic people who are ready to make an important contribution almost immediately in our growing London office – people who will relish playing a key role in international projects and working alongside fellow lawyers worldwide.

Working at Latham & Watkins offers the best of both worlds. You’ll rapidly assume a high level of responsibility and enjoy significantly more partner and client interaction than at other leading law firms, coupled with an established mentoring program and continuous support.

In a nutshell, you’ll gain real responsibility to enable you to develop a really rewarding career here at Latham.

If this environment is for you, we look forward to hearing from you.

Accepting a training contract is an important decision. Our vacation schemes are an exciting opportunity not only for us to get to know you, but also for you to get to know us. You will be exposed to real work, with real clients, experiencing the real life of our lawyers.

We offer vacation schemes in London, Singapore and Dubai. For Singapore and Dubai you can find more information at www.lwcareers.com.

London

We offer vacation schemes throughout the year. Our vacation schemes are open to penultimate-year law students, all final-year students, and graduates.

Application deadline

1 January 2023 (spring and summer)

During the course of two weeks, you will sit in two practice areas (we will ask you for your preferred areas before the scheme starts). You will share an office with your supervisor each week, and you will also have the support of a trainee mentor and the graduate recruitment team.

You can expect to be involved in client calls, court visits, Q&As and training, as well as group work and social events.

Towards the end of the scheme, once you have had a chance to experience the work and culture at Latham, you will have the opportunity to interview for our training contract.

Latham & Watkins recruits students with incredible legal minds who are also incredible people; the firm values transparency, respect, innovation, collaboration, and diversity. As a meritocracy, Latham seeks out candidates who have demonstrated they can contribute to the firm’s culture through their initiative, communication skills, complex thinking, willingness to assume responsibility, resilience, and judgment.

A Latham training contract combines real responsibility on global matters with supervision from world-class lawyers who foster professional development. In addition to a sophisticated training programme, our trainees also benefit from a core three-week trainee foundation designed to bridge the gap between law schools and practice, as well as training in each seat. After induction, trainees complete four, six-month seats – two of which will be in corporate and finance. Trainees have the opportunity to apply for a secondment on either their third or fourth seat.

Latham & Watkins’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is incorporated at every level of the firm. The mission of our diversity leadership committee (DLC) is to enhance diversity at all levels of our lawyers’ careers including through recruitment, development, retention, promotion, and leadership.

The DLC works closely with our executive committee and the committees who oversee recruitment, evaluations, and progression to strengthen and promote the firm as a workplace where the best and brightest attorneys from all groups, including those traditionally underrepresented in the legal industry, excel and find the opportunities and support to fulfill their potential to become firm and industry leaders.

Once you receive your training contract offer, we ask you to enrol for the PGDL and SQE (where applicable) at BPP. We support you financially during your studies, paying your fees and a maintenance grant of £20,000 per year.

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