After Latham & Watkins laid off 440 people last year, a phrase entered the legal lexicon: getting “Lathamed.” But Latham’s image got a boost during a goodbye party for its DC summer associates, as first reported by the blog Above the Law. At the fete, held at DC’s hip Donovan House hotel, all 18 of the law students who worked in the Washington office this summer learned they were getting full-time job offers. Twelve accepted on the spot and received bottles of Champagne from deputy Washington managing partner and former George W. Bush Justice Department appointee Alice Fisher. The offers, says Washington managing partner Eric Bernthal, are a “sign that things are very solid here.” However, as was the norm across all law firms, the size of this year’s group was nowhere near what it was in 2007, when Latham had 49 summer associates in DC.
Bernthal missed the party because storms delayed his flight out of Miami, but he received identical e-mails that night from several of the new recruits that read: “I’m coming to Latham! And it’s all because of you.”
Never too early to start buttering up the boss.
This article first appeared in the September 2010 issue of the Washingtonian.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She oversees the magazine’s real estate and home design coverage, and writes long-form feature stories. She was a 2020 Livingston Award finalist for her two-part investigation into a possible wrongful conviction stemming from a murder in rural Virginia. Kashino lives in Northeast DC.
You’re Hired! We Want All of You!
Law firm Latham & Watkins hires all 18 of their summer associates
After Latham & Watkins laid off 440 people last year, a phrase entered the legal lexicon: getting “Lathamed.” But Latham’s image got a boost during a goodbye party for its DC summer associates, as first reported by the blog Above the Law. At the fete, held at DC’s hip Donovan House hotel, all 18 of the law students who worked in the Washington office this summer learned they were getting full-time job offers. Twelve accepted on the spot and received bottles of Champagne from deputy Washington managing partner and former George W. Bush Justice Department appointee Alice Fisher. The offers, says Washington managing partner Eric Bernthal, are a “sign that things are very solid here.” However, as was the norm across all law firms, the size of this year’s group was nowhere near what it was in 2007, when Latham had 49 summer associates in DC.
Bernthal missed the party because storms delayed his flight out of Miami, but he received identical e-mails that night from several of the new recruits that read: “I’m coming to Latham! And it’s all because of you.”
Never too early to start buttering up the boss.
This article first appeared in the September 2010 issue of the Washingtonian.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She oversees the magazine’s real estate and home design coverage, and writes long-form feature stories. She was a 2020 Livingston Award finalist for her two-part investigation into a possible wrongful conviction stemming from a murder in rural Virginia. Kashino lives in Northeast DC.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Cicadas Are the Next Plague That Will Keep You Indoors
Capitol Riot Suspect Arrested in DC Airport After Bizarre Series of Events
Here’s Why the Washington Monument’s Lights Went Out Sunday Night
Check Out NBC’s Lavish New DC News Bureau
Jeni Stepanek’s Last Heartsong
Washingtonian Magazine
January 2021: Joe Town!
View IssueSubscribe
Get Us on Social
Get Us on Social
Related
Video From Fall Real Estate Market Update With Local Leaders
Washingtonian Real Estate Virtual Happy Hour
Videos from Washingtonian’s Wellness Day
Washingtonian Wellness Day
More from News & Politics
Could Northern Virginia Land a Vaccination Supersite?
A Frustrated Writer Built a Useful (and Fun) Site for New Authors
What’s Going On at MASN?
Tom Friedman Says He Knows Larry Hogan Is Governor of Maryland
Martin Baron Announces He’ll Retire as Washington Post’s Top Editor in February
Newsmax Pulls Sean Spicer’s Application to the White House Correspondents’ Association
Here’s Why the Washington Monument’s Lights Went Out Sunday Night
If Joe Biden Wants to Unify the Nation, Why Did He Get a Toasted Bagel?