Considering Latham offer - Latham folks weigh in? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Background: I have an offer from Latham DC - I loved the interviews, I've done exhaustive research and outreach like only a Type-A obsessive list and chart maker can. I have at least one other comparable offer at a similarly ranked firm. Both do what I love and well, but Latham slightly leads on my overall pro/con list.

The question: The great Lathaming of 2009 scares me. Badly. I worry that Latham's growth strategy is getting aggressive again and that cullings could occur again (and that I could be one of said culled folks). Is this a legit worry? Am I running a risk here that a comparable firm with a much more cautious growth strategy would not present?

Not a troll. Not looking for any factors outside of this comparing Latham against X or Y - just really want to know more about what Latham has done good or bad since 2009 to assuage or exacerbate this issue. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Background: I have an offer from Latham DC - I loved the interviews, I've done exhaustive research and outreach like only a Type-A obsessive list and chart maker can. I have at least one other comparable offer at a similarly ranked firm. Both do what I love and well, but Latham slightly leads on my overall pro/con list.

The question: The great Lathaming of 2009 scares me. Badly. I worry that Latham's growth strategy is getting aggressive again and that cullings could occur again (and that I could be one of said culled folks). Is this a legit worry? Am I running a risk here that a comparable firm with a much more cautious growth strategy would not present?

Not a troll. Not looking for any factors outside of this comparing Latham against X or Y - just really want to know more about what Latham has done good or bad since 2009 to assuage or exacerbate this issue. Thanks!

Trust me, the higher-ups know all about the huge hit their reputation took. Also that was a full 5 years ago now, and there are other firms that are have gone defunct in that time or conducted layoffs much more recently (Weil). They are very busy now, the new Houston office is booming, and they are recruiting accordingly. Probably increasing the summer class size a little bit over last year, but also probably still about half of what it was pre-recession. This definitely should not be a deciding factor, for you it should come down to the fit, the people, what you want to do, etc.

[Morgan12Oak]

Background: I have an offer from Latham DC - I loved the interviews, I've done exhaustive research and outreach like only a Type-A obsessive list and chart maker can. I have at least one other comparable offer at a similarly ranked firm. Both do what I love and well, but Latham slightly leads on my overall pro/con list.

The question: The great Lathaming of 2009 scares me. Badly. I worry that Latham's growth strategy is getting aggressive again and that cullings could occur again (and that I could be one of said culled folks). Is this a legit worry? Am I running a risk here that a comparable firm with a much more cautious growth strategy would not present?

Not a troll. Not looking for any factors outside of this comparing Latham against X or Y - just really want to know more about what Latham has done good or bad since 2009 to assuage or exacerbate this issue. Thanks!

Trust me, the higher-ups know all about the huge hit their reputation took. Also that was a full 5 years ago now, and there are other firms that are have gone defunct in that time or conducted layoffs much more recently (Weil). They are very busy now, the new Houston office is booming, and they are recruiting accordingly. Probably increasing the summer class size a little bit over last year, but also probably still about half of what it was pre-recession. This definitely should not be a deciding factor, for you it should come down to the fit, the people, what you want to do, etc.

:lays off tons of first years:
:sees vault rank drop a few spots:
:sees vault rank climb back as high/higher than it was:
:sees bank account:
:learns lesson?:

[Anonymous User]

Background: I have an offer from Latham DC - I loved the interviews, I've done exhaustive research and outreach like only a Type-A obsessive list and chart maker can. I have at least one other comparable offer at a similarly ranked firm. Both do what I love and well, but Latham slightly leads on my overall pro/con list.

The question: The great Lathaming of 2009 scares me. Badly. I worry that Latham's growth strategy is getting aggressive again and that cullings could occur again (and that I could be one of said culled folks). Is this a legit worry? Am I running a risk here that a comparable firm with a much more cautious growth strategy would not present?

Not a troll. Not looking for any factors outside of this comparing Latham against X or Y - just really want to know more about what Latham has done good or bad since 2009 to assuage or exacerbate this issue. Thanks!

Yes, it is a concern. Latham has grown rapdily for 20-30 years or so, and has done so by heavily investing in boom-bust practices. They continue to do so to this day - see, e.g., Houston office, their high yield practice. Now, to be fair, that's not directly going to hit a Latham DC associate doing whatever crap they do in DC, but Latham is like the late 19th century US economy - rapid growth punctuated by periodic PANIC. If you want to maximize job certainty it is clearly not the best choice. But there's more to a job than security.

[Morgan12Oak]

Background: I have an offer from Latham DC - I loved the interviews, I've done exhaustive research and outreach like only a Type-A obsessive list and chart maker can. I have at least one other comparable offer at a similarly ranked firm. Both do what I love and well, but Latham slightly leads on my overall pro/con list.

The question: The great Lathaming of 2009 scares me. Badly. I worry that Latham's growth strategy is getting aggressive again and that cullings could occur again (and that I could be one of said culled folks). Is this a legit worry? Am I running a risk here that a comparable firm with a much more cautious growth strategy would not present?

Not a troll. Not looking for any factors outside of this comparing Latham against X or Y - just really want to know more about what Latham has done good or bad since 2009 to assuage or exacerbate this issue. Thanks!

Yes, it is a concern. Latham has grown rapdily for 20-30 years or so, and has done so by heavily investing in boom-bust practices. They continue to do so to this day - see, e.g., Houston office, their high yield practice. Now, to be fair, that's not directly going to hit a Latham DC associate doing whatever crap they do in DC, but Latham is like the late 19th century US economy - rapid growth punctuated by periodic PANIC. If you want to maximize job certainty it is clearly not the best choice. But there's more to a job than security.

This. Layoffs are something that is basically engrained in the culture of Latham in the sense that the firm has always sought to expand and then contract when needed. 2009 was NOT the first time they have done mass layoffs. It is just the first time there was media around to cover it. Latham celebrates this culture oddly.

[Anonymous User]

-edit- Nevermind, reread original post.

[Anonymous User]

I was a SA at Latham. When deciding between several firms last year I was definitely concerned about the 2009 layoffs, but in the end I chose it anyway for various reasons (fit, strength of practice groups, etc). From what I know, the size of the summer class this year was the same as last year, but now that the firm is incredibly busy I'm interested to see how many people they give offers to for next summer.

Whether or not Latham is still more prone to go through layoffs, I have no idea. Bob Dell is stepping down so that might shift a change the firm's approach to hiring and firing. Also, as someone mentioned above, I think the firm clearly recognizes that it took a hit to its reputation in 2009 and it will probably want to avoid further damage in the future.

When making your decision, I think you should keep the firms layoffs history in mind, but that shouldn't automatically disqualify it from consideration. Layoffs are unpredictable and can happen at any firm. Just my 2 cents.

[Anonymous User]

Are Latham partners lock-step or eat what you kill? I was told both, separately, this week by partners at other law firms. Not a big deal, but just wondering which structure the firm employs.

[Anonymous User]

also anyone know anything about Latham san diego? i've got a callback there but no clue on its financials, partner prospects, work-life, etc. i'm looking in LA, but if the other firms aren't as great, should i settle for san diego if given an offer?

[911 crisis actor]

Are Latham partners lock-step or eat what you kill? I was told both, separately, this week by partners at other law firms. Not a big deal, but just wondering which structure the firm employs.

Modified lockstep.

http://lw.com/upload/pubContent/_pdf/pub2204_1.pdf