Latham & Watkins has promoted 40 associates to partner, adding to the 19 counsel it elevated to its partnership in March.
The firm has also promoted 56 associates to counsel, with the latest promotions taking effect from 1 January. This partner promotions round is almost double the 24 associates that were made up at the start of this year, and falls just short of the record intake of 44 at the start of 2024 and 2023.
However, the number of women making partner fell to 40% from 50% in the January 2025 intake.
The US accounted for 75% of the partner promotions, with eight associates elevated in New York, followed by six in Washington DC, four in Boston, three in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles, two each in Houston and Chicago, and one each in Orange County and San Diego.
Europe accounted for the remainder of promotions, with seven making the grade in London, and one each in Paris, Milan and Frankfurt.
The M&A and private equity practice dominates the promotions with 12. That was followed by five in capital markets, four in banking and private credit and three in real estate. There are also two promotions each in the emerging companies and growth practice, data and technology transactions, transactional tax, antitrust, investment funds and complex commercial litigation.
The firm’s white collar defence and investigations practice, the securities and M&A litigation practice, the executive compensation, employment and benefits practice, and the connectivity, privacy and information practice all see one promotion each.
Michelle Carpenter, a partner and chair of the firm’s associates committee, said: “This milestone recognises the talent and skills of the attorneys being promoted. And this robust class reflects the value we place on building client teams and cultivating the best legal talent in the industry.”
Meanwhile, the 56 associates who are promoted to counsel are based across the firm’s offices in Asia (six), Europe (20) and the US (30), with London notching the biggest intake with 10, followed by New York with nine, including banking and private credit lawyer Katherine Webb who will also spend time in LA.
Rich Trobman, chair and managing partner, added: “Today is an important and exciting day for our firm as we recognise and celebrate an amazing group of lawyers, welcoming them as partners and counsel. I am extremely proud of them.
“They have contributed significantly to the growth, success and culture of Latham, and their promotions highlight the incredible depth of talent we have at our firm. Each lawyer embodies our hallmark values of teamwork, dedication and exceptional client service – and each is committed to our shared pursuit of excellence in delivering outstanding results for our clients.”
The list of partner promotions is as follows:
Antitrust and competition
Robin Gushman, Bay Area
David Johnson, Washington DC
Banking and private credit
Shane Alexander, Los Angeles
Tamryn Gallagher, London
Julie Van der Meersche, London
Harris (Hai) Pham, Los Angeles
Capital markets
Ryan Gold, New York
Jonathan Ritson-Candler, London
Sandy Kugbei, New York
Kaj Nielsen, New York
Samuel Niles, Boston
Complex commercial litigation
Anne Malinee, Washington DC
Nathan Sandals, Boston
Connectivity, privacy and information
Will Schildknecht, Los Angeles
Data and technology transactions
Calum Docherty, London
Deborah Hinck, Boston
Emerging companies and growth
Brett Carr, London
Christian Hollweg, San Diego
Executive compensation, employment and benefits
Alisa Hand, New York
Investment funds
Mike Hart-Slattery, Washington DC
Jennifer Tian, Chicago
M&A and private equity
Shannon Cheng, Orange County
Shanta Chirravuri, New York
Michael Colle, Paris
Chris Cox, London
Brad Guest, Washington DC
Clayton Heery, Houston
Lauren Lefcoe, Bay Area
Alice Parker, Houston
Harriet Stephenson, London
Andrea Stincardini, Milan
Laki Triantafylidis, Boston
Dominik Waldvogel, Frankfurt
Real estate
Michael Cromer, New York
Samuel Steinman, New York
Aida Vajzovic, New York
Securities and M&A litigation
Daniel Gherardi, Bay Area
Transactional tax
Abigail Friedman, Washington DC
Michael Zucker, Chicago
White collar defence and investigations
Savannah Burgoyne, Washington DC
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