Latham & Watkins is one of the world’s leading global law firms, advising the businesses and institutions that drive the economy. We are the market leaders in major financial and business centers globally. With top-tier teams and a track record of advising on landmark deals and high-profile trials, we help clients seize opportunities, navigate challenges, and stay ahead of market shifts.

Our integrated global platform offers unmatched expertise and resources to build an incredible career. Our investment in people, commitment to innovation, and focus on our clients and the future underpin our success — and ensure we remain at the forefront of practice. We empower our lawyers to pursue their vision, become market leaders, and engage in community-serving pro bono work.

Our approach supports your growth — we prioritize excellence over ego to encourage input from all levels and foster early responsibility. Success through collaboration and the pursuit of excellence will shape your career here.

Our commitment to excellence means you’ll work on clients’ most complex and challenging matters. We invest in your future through comprehensive training and career development including mentoring, coaching, and our signature academies to help you grow from an intellectually curious self-starter into an exceptional lawyer. If you aspire to be the best, this is where you belong.

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 Hong Kong. For Singapore and Hong Kong you can find more information at www.lwcareers.com.

London

We run two vacation schemes throughout the year. Our vacation schemes are open to all second year students and beyond, inclusing graduates. 

Application deadline

7 December 2025 (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.

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 two-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.

At Latham & Watkins, you belong as you are.

We aim to help every colleague reach their full potential and achieve success by promoting opportunity while further enhancing our culture of inclusion and sense of community within the law firm. At Latham, you belong as you are.

Our actions are underpinned by the values and principles central to our work:

Inclusion involves creating a workplace environment that is fully inclusive of all our colleagues, recognizing that our firm is made up of individuals from differing backgrounds, varied life experiences, and a wide-range of personal circumstances. These characteristics are the key to delivering excellent legal services.

Opportunity recognizes that all of our colleagues, who represent the best and brightest legal talent, deserve the same prospect to reach their full potential for success.

Community highlights the importance of strengthening a sense of community for all Latham colleagues and investing in our broader communities to expand access to the legal profession.

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.

• M&A
• Private equity
• Technology transactions
• Capital markets
• Competition
• Litigation
• Banking
• Project finance
• Restructuring
• Tax
• Employment
• Financial regulatory
• Energy

• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial

• Austin
• Beijing
• Boston
• Brussels
• Century City
• Chicago
• Dubai
• Düsseldorf
• Frankfurt
• Hamburg
• Hong Kong
• Houston
• London
• Los Angeles
• Madrid
• Milan
• Munich
• New York
• Orange County
• Paris
• Riyadh
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Seoul
• Silicon Valley
• Singapore
• Tel Aviv
• Tokyo
• Washington DC

• London

• A4ID
• LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group)
• PILnet (Public Interest Law)
• Prince’s Trust
• Save the Children
• TrustLaw Connect

• Bright Network
• MyPlus Consulting
• PRIME
• Rare Recruitment
• Stonewall