Latham & Watkins, a global law firm consistently ranked among the top firms in the world, is seeking a Conflicts Attorney to join our dynamic team in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Austin, Houston, or Chicago. Please note that this role may be eligible for a flexible working schedule that allows for a hybrid and in-office presence.

About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm consistently ranked among the top firms in the world. The success of our firm is largely determined by our commitment to hire and develop the very best and brightest, creating a team that provides our clients with the highest quality of work and service. We are driven by our core values: respect, innovation, and collaboration.

About the role
As a Conflicts Attorney you will be responsible for resolving professional ethics conflicts and other compliance issues relating to lateral clearances, new business matters, and outside counsel guidelines across Latham’s 30+ offices. You will be supported by a large team of trained Conflicts Assistants and Conflicts Analysts and have the opportunity to collaborate with Office of the General Counsel (OGC) colleagues, the firm’s Ethics Committee Members, other Conflicts team members, and Latham attorneys world-wide.

The first step in analyzing any situation for conflicts issues is the preparation of database reports showing relevant entities, their roles, matter descriptions over the relevant time period and names of relevant attorneys. Before the reports can be substantively analyzed, they must first be organized to allow for efficient review, screened for false hits and, ideally, reviewed preliminarily by a qualified non-lawyer to further eliminate false positives. At Latham we continually invest in a large firm-wide group of well-qualified Conflicts Assistants and Conflicts Analysts who do exactly that, under the supervision of experienced Conflicts Managers. Our system of initial preparation and screening by Conflicts Assistants and Conflicts Analysts allows us to resolve most new matter clearances without further assistance from a Conflicts Attorney. Conflicts Attorneys are also involved lateral attorney clearances, but only if and when conflicts issues are identified by Conflicts Analysts. By moving this preliminary work from the Conflicts Attorneys to our superb team of Conflicts Assistants and Conflicts Analysts, our Conflicts Attorneys are free to tackle the work which requires their experience and expertise.

While you are an experienced conflicts lawyer or have equivalent experience, we take great care during a lengthy orientation period to train new Conflicts Attorneys in using Latham processes, policies and templates in the work. Our orientation includes refreshers on the ethics rules essential to our work (including key jurisdictional differences) and detailed “how to” guides and person-to-person instruction from the Firm’s Global Risk & Compliance Counsel covering the Firm’s model engagement letters, lateral associate and partner clearance processes, special processes for laterals who are former government employees, etc. As a Conflicts Attorney at Latham & Watkins, you will also work to review outside counsel guidelines given to the Firm by current and prospective clients. The orientation program covers these as well, and we will train you in various approaches to use to resolve differences between such guidelines and our own standard policies. You will shadow one or more of our current Conflicts Attorneys so that you can model their approaches to the many tasks you will be learning to accomplish. While the orientation program does wind down, the training never stops. There are regular programs covering relevant topics and a team newsletter to which you may also contribute.

Other key responsibilities include:

• Developing and maintaining knowledge of legal ethics and professional responsibility rules relating to lateral attorney and new matter conflicts of interest as well as relevant Latham procedures, policies, and practices
• Applying that knowledge to advise Ethics Committee Members concerning lateral attorney ethics issues identified by Conflicts Analysts, and resolving new matter conflicts of interest issues
• Reviewing outside counsel guidelines, non-standard engagement letters and RFPs received from clients and work with partners preparing responses to clients that align with firm policies
• Providing advice to Latham’s attorneys and others in connection with engagement letters, conflicts waivers, ethics walls, and firm policies
• Performing legal research and analysis on professional responsibility issues as requested by the Deputy General Counsel, senior OGC attorneys or Ethics Committee Members
• Preparing and delivering trainings for attorneys and staff on topics relevant to conflicts, ethics and professional responsibility
• Conducting audits of partners for compliance with laws, regulations, and firm policies in collaboration with other members of the OGC

About you
We’d love to hear from you if you:

• Enjoy analyzing problems and developing alternative strategies to solve them;
• Have great interpersonal skills and the ability work both independently and in teams, always with an eye on customer service;
• Know how to handle confidential and sensitive information; and
• Manage time well and prioritize effectively

And have:

• A Bachelor’s degree, with a Law degree from an accredited law school required
• An Active bar qualification/membership in California, Illinois, or Texas
• A minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience practicing law and/or working in a conflicts team
• Experience working at a global law firm setting

Compensation & Benefits
Successful candidates will not only be provided with an outstanding career opportunity and welcoming environment, but will also receive a generous and competitive total compensation package. The salary range for this role is $160,000 - $180,000 and represents the firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and location. Discretionary bonuses may be awarded in recognition of individual and firm performance — and profit-sharing partnership contributions to 401(k) accounts may be given based on firm performance.

Latham's comprehensive and best-in-class benefits support employees through every stage of life:

• Healthcare, dental, and vision plans
• Well-being programs (e.g. mental health services, mindfulness and resiliency, medical resources, well-being events, and more)
• Generous 401(k) plan and firm-paid basic life and disability insurance
• Extensive resources for parents and caregivers
• Family building and fertility resources
• And much more!

In addition, employees receive:

• At least 11 paid holidays per year and a PTO program that accrues 23 days during the first year of employment and grows with tenure
• Ongoing professional development and career support, including bespoke training and leadership development programs, firm-paid access to LinkedIn Learning courses, and career coaching.
• Peer networking, mentoring, and professional support through our eight global staff affinity groups.

Additionally, we have a range of diversity programming including Global Affinity Groups. These groups provide a firmwide platform to share experiences and advice as well as an opportunity to participate in a supportive network with common interests to help make life at the firm even better.

Latham & Watkins is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity, equal opportunity and sustainability enables Latham & Watkins to draw from a remarkable wealth of talent to create one of the world's leading law firms.

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). Please click the link below to review the Ordinance.

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