Associate - Corporate - Real Estate

About the Firm

Latham & Watkins is one of the world's leading global law firms, advising the businesses and institutions that drive the global economy. We are market leaders in major financial and business centers globally, offering unmatched expertise and resources to help you grow from an intellectually curious self-starter into an exceptional lawyer.

About the Real Estate Practice

Latham's Real Estate Practice is consistently recognized as one of the premier practices in the industry. The group regularly earns top rankings from Chambers USA, with the Chicago practice group achieving Band 1 recognition for 2025. Additionally, the practice has received top-tier recognition from Legal 500 US and was named Law360 Real Estate Group of the Year for 2025. The practice handles some of the largest and most complex multi-billion real estate transactions in the market.

Our global Real Estate Practice advises clients on landmark acquisitions, dispositions, management agreements, joint ventures, and financings across every major asset class. This reputation for excellence and innovation attracts sophisticated clients and challenging work. Our clients include private equity and investment funds, public and private real estate operating companies, development partners, S&P 500 REITs, financial institutions, and other institutional investors. Associates collaborate with attorneys both locally and across the firm, regardless of their assigned office.

About the Role

The Chicago Real Estate Practice is experiencing significant growth and offers an exciting opportunity for talented attorneys looking to join a high-performing team. We are seeking to add several associates to support the expanding practice, including one to two associates with substantial commercial leasing experience. Candidates with a background in data center leasing, build-to-suit transactions, or other specialized commercial leasing work are particularly encouraged to apply.

We welcome applications from attorneys currently in in-house legal departments or at boutique or mid-sized firms who are eager to transition to a global platform and take their careers to the next level. The practice spans the full spectrum of complex real estate transactions, including joint ventures, development projects, acquisitions, dispositions, real estate M&A, financings, and commercial leasing. Candidates need not have experience across all of these areas; we encourage applications from attorneys with meaningful experience in one or more of these disciplines.

Ideal candidates will be hard-working professionals with strong drafting, analytical, and organizational abilities who thrive in a collaborative environment and are eager to contribute as valued team players. If you are ready to advance your career with a market-leading practice and contribute to transformative real estate transactions on a global scale, we invite you to apply.

Application Process

If you have any questions about the application, please contact:

Lateral Recruiting — Corporate LateralRecruiting.Corporate@LW.com

Well-being and Culture

Investing in the well-being of our lawyers and staff is among the firm's highest priorities. Through our "LiveWell Latham" program, we offer best-in-class benefits and comprehensive resources designed to support you and your loved ones through all life's moments — from building a family and taking care of loved ones, to managing your health and saving for the future.

Equal Opportunity and Legal Notices

Latham & Watkins is an equal opportunity employer. The Firm prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status (including veterans of the Vietnam era), gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic or condition protected by applicable statute.

We periodically provide demographic data to legal publications, bar associations, civic and community organizations, and in some instances, to local, state, and federal government agencies as required by law or contract. So that the firm can provide this information accurately, we request that you consider self-identifying.

In accordance with Latham & Watkins policies, associates in this role must protect and maintain any highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial and/or proprietary information that Latham & Watkins retains either as part of the legal services the Firm provides to clients or for internal purposes.

Fair Chance Hiring Ordinances

• Los Angeles: Latham & Watkins LLP will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO).
• San Francisco: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
• Massachusetts: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.