Latham NY
Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 2:56 pm
Seen a couple vague posts on fishbowl about “discrimination” at Latham NY… is there anything there
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https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=314593
this is hardly unique to Latham, to be clear; M&A definitely slants towards white men (and arguably a tall, extroverted "bro-y" sort). Lots of Davids and Johns and StevesAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:44 amI'm a Latham NY associate. The firm is extremely white. Like 5 of the M&A partners are named David. There's one token black partner and one token black associate out of like 60 people in M&A. I have not experienced overt racism, but there's definitely zero real effort for diversity, and as a person who is not white (but went to a majority white high school), this is the first place where I felt out of place due to my ethnicity.
Could definitely be worse than Latham NY. Chambers associate has the nationwide racial stats on all of the firms that aren’t too embarrassed to post, for those that are curious.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 11:12 amthis is hardly unique to Latham, to be clear; M&A definitely slants towards white men (and arguably a tall, extroverted "bro-y" sort). Lots of Davids and Johns and StevesAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:44 amI'm a Latham NY associate. The firm is extremely white. Like 5 of the M&A partners are named David. There's one token black partner and one token black associate out of like 60 people in M&A. I have not experienced overt racism, but there's definitely zero real effort for diversity, and as a person who is not white (but went to a majority white high school), this is the first place where I felt out of place due to my ethnicity.
I'm sorry you care so much about the skin tones of your fellow associates. I hope you can one day look past the color of a person's skin and focus on what mattersAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:44 amI'm a Latham NY associate. The firm is extremely white. Like 5 of the M&A partners are named David. There's one token black partner and one token black associate out of like 60 people in M&A. I have not experienced overt racism, but there's definitely zero real effort for diversity, and as a person who is not white (but went to a majority white high school), this is the first place where I felt out of place due to my ethnicity.
You can't be serious lmfaoAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 11:25 pmI'm sorry you care so much about the skin tones of your fellow associates. I hope you can one day look past the color of a person's skin and focus on what mattersAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:44 amI'm a Latham NY associate. The firm is extremely white. Like 5 of the M&A partners are named David. There's one token black partner and one token black associate out of like 60 people in M&A. I have not experienced overt racism, but there's definitely zero real effort for diversity, and as a person who is not white (but went to a majority white high school), this is the first place where I felt out of place due to my ethnicity.
be gone troll!Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 11:25 pmI'm sorry you care so much about the skin tones of your fellow associates. I hope you can one day look past the color of a person's skin and focus on what mattersAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:44 amI'm a Latham NY associate. The firm is extremely white. Like 5 of the M&A partners are named David. There's one token black partner and one token black associate out of like 60 people in M&A. I have not experienced overt racism, but there's definitely zero real effort for diversity, and as a person who is not white (but went to a majority white high school), this is the first place where I felt out of place due to my ethnicity.
This is news to me. When do NALP results get posted?
Just what someone said on fish bowlAnonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 12:00 pmThis is news to me. When do NALP results get posted?
Oof, I assumed the fired SA wasn’t included as one of the two no offered because he didn’t make it to the end of the summer. His story spread like wildfire at my school, definitely justified.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 10:04 pmLW associate here. Unfortunately 2 POC summers were no offered. It’s an unfortunate look but one of them had repeated incidents of blatant sexual harassment (and I heard other stories that weren’t reported) that led to them being let go during the summer.
The other one was a former pre-law summer who had spent three summers at LW including this past summer. To give the most blunt response, big law just isn’t for this person. I understand that numerous accommodations were made for them that escalated each year, despite several people calling for them not to receive return offers due to a combination of social interactions and work product. This person was at the point of effectively having their own tailored summer program separate from the rest of the SAs. None of the SAs that I spoke to after the fact were surprised at the outcome.
Think LW is coming out of this one with an underserved bad image, though maybe could’ve weeded these out better?
LW associate here. I heard that that summer didn't request or complete any assignment this entire summer and did not show up at most summer events.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 1:14 amLatham sounds at fault in the case of the summer with their own separate program. Don’t let it get that far and let them find another firm in 2L summer recruiting…
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 10:04 pmLW associate here. Unfortunately 2 POC summers were no offered. It’s an unfortunate look but one of them had repeated incidents of blatant sexual harassment (and I heard other stories that weren’t reported) that led to them being let go during the summer.
The other one was a former pre-law summer who had spent three summers at LW including this past summer. To give the most blunt response, big law just isn’t for this person. I understand that numerous accommodations were made for them that escalated each year, despite several people calling for them not to receive return offers due to a combination of social interactions and work product. This person was at the point of effectively having their own tailored summer program separate from the rest of the SAs. None of the SAs that I spoke to after the fact were surprised at the outcome.
Think LW is coming out of this one with an underserved bad image, though maybe could’ve weeded these out better?
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:31 pmAnonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 10:04 pmLW associate here. Unfortunately 2 POC summers were no offered. It’s an unfortunate look but one of them had repeated incidents of blatant sexual harassment (and I heard other stories that weren’t reported) that led to them being let go during the summer.
The other one was a former pre-law summer who had spent three summers at LW including this past summer. To give the most blunt response, big law just isn’t for this person. I understand that numerous accommodations were made for them that escalated each year, despite several people calling for them not to receive return offers due to a combination of social interactions and work product. This person was at the point of effectively having their own tailored summer program separate from the rest of the SAs. None of the SAs that I spoke to after the fact were surprised at the outcome.
Think LW is coming out of this one with an underserved bad image, though maybe could’ve weeded these out better?
Former LW SA here.
I agree that the two NY SAs who were no-offered this year 10000% deserved it.
However, two things can be right.
What also happened was that, last summer, several POC across LW's offices in the U.S. turned down their 1L or 2L diversity fellowships due to their experiences with racism. I was one of them. Tons of us were Asian, Black, Latino/a, women, etc. and we were horrified by the shit we saw and personally experienced. We are *happily* at other firms now, and it's bonkers because we didn't even know how bad things were until we started seeing each other at different offer dinners for other firms.
Oh - and the one Black male partner at LW NY just left the firm.
I didn't work for a single WASP partner during my time in NYC biglaw. They've been discriminated against into near extinction, with a vengeance, and now we have this regime. There's no need to pile on any more.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:46 amI am a foreign midlevel attorney at a major Biglaw firm in NYC. I have next to nothing in common with the rich, waspy partners I work for, but I' m not going to bitch and moan about that.
I think it would be more helpful for everyone, including potential summer associates and even Latham, for you to cite specific things that happened rather than broadly gesturing and referencing things that you were “horrified to see” without specifics. If it was that horrifying, then I would personally gladly broadcast that to the world.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:31 pmAnonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 10:04 pmLW associate here. Unfortunately 2 POC summers were no offered. It’s an unfortunate look but one of them had repeated incidents of blatant sexual harassment (and I heard other stories that weren’t reported) that led to them being let go during the summer.
The other one was a former pre-law summer who had spent three summers at LW including this past summer. To give the most blunt response, big law just isn’t for this person. I understand that numerous accommodations were made for them that escalated each year, despite several people calling for them not to receive return offers due to a combination of social interactions and work product. This person was at the point of effectively having their own tailored summer program separate from the rest of the SAs. None of the SAs that I spoke to after the fact were surprised at the outcome.
Think LW is coming out of this one with an underserved bad image, though maybe could’ve weeded these out better?
Former LW SA here.
I agree that the two NY SAs who were no-offered this year 10000% deserved it.
However, two things can be right.
What also happened was that, last summer, several POC across LW's offices in the U.S. turned down their 1L or 2L diversity fellowships due to their experiences with racism. I was one of them. Tons of us were Asian, Black, Latino/a, women, etc. and we were horrified by the shit we saw and personally experienced. We are *happily* at other firms now, and it's bonkers because we didn't even know how bad things were until we started seeing each other at different offer dinners for other firms.
Oh - and the one Black male partner at LW NY just left the firm.
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 10:29 pmI think it would be more helpful for everyone, including potential summer associates and even Latham, for you to cite specific things that happened rather than broadly gesturing and referencing things that you were “horrified to see” without specifics. If it was that horrifying, then I would personally gladly broadcast that to the world.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:31 pmAnonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 10:04 pmLW associate here. Unfortunately 2 POC summers were no offered. It’s an unfortunate look but one of them had repeated incidents of blatant sexual harassment (and I heard other stories that weren’t reported) that led to them being let go during the summer.
The other one was a former pre-law summer who had spent three summers at LW including this past summer. To give the most blunt response, big law just isn’t for this person. I understand that numerous accommodations were made for them that escalated each year, despite several people calling for them not to receive return offers due to a combination of social interactions and work product. This person was at the point of effectively having their own tailored summer program separate from the rest of the SAs. None of the SAs that I spoke to after the fact were surprised at the outcome.
Think LW is coming out of this one with an underserved bad image, though maybe could’ve weeded these out better?
Former LW SA here.
I agree that the two NY SAs who were no-offered this year 10000% deserved it.
However, two things can be right.
What also happened was that, last summer, several POC across LW's offices in the U.S. turned down their 1L or 2L diversity fellowships due to their experiences with racism. I was one of them. Tons of us were Asian, Black, Latino/a, women, etc. and we were horrified by the shit we saw and personally experienced. We are *happily* at other firms now, and it's bonkers because we didn't even know how bad things were until we started seeing each other at different offer dinners for other firms.
Oh - and the one Black male partner at LW NY just left the firm.
I’m at Latham and personally do care about these things but when people don’t come to us and tell us what they’re seeing, we are less effective. Even in exit interviews everyone paints a pretty face on the way out.
Also, was sad to see Jason go. Very very nice person, but the firm is just not promoting income partners to equity in capital markets right now given the state of the market and he found a firm that would offer him that path. I don’t think a single capital markets partner was even made globally this year IIRC.