Culture and Finding your Community at Latham

Being assigned a trainee buddy helped me feel welcomed from the outset. Because my buddy had recently joined the firm as a trainee solicitor, the programme felt far more approachable and less intimidating. Given our shared interests, it was clear the Graduate Recruitment team had put real thought into pairing each first-year scheme participant with a trainee they could relate to. Our pairing quickly became a mentor-type relationship and gave me someone to turn to with questions about the programme, commercial law, and life at the firm.

As a student of mixed heritage, with both White British and Black African roots, I found a discussion with some of the firm’s Black partners particularly meaningful. They took time out of their busy schedules to speak openly about their journeys into law, the challenges they had faced, and the lessons they had learned. Seeing people who had reached the highest levels of the profession while overcoming some of the same structural barriers that persist in prestigious industries such as corporate law made this conversation especially impactful. It was inspiring and reassuring, and it showed me what is possible with determination, hard work, and the right support network.

The programme offered many opportunities to build connections with trainees, associates, and other members of the firm. One highlight was a lunch my supervisor organised with two associates and their first-year schemers. In that relaxed setting, we could talk honestly about how the scheme was going, learn about different practice areas, and ask about trainee life, secondments, and career progression. Such conversations helped me get to know people beyond their job titles and made the firm feel far smaller and more personal than I had expected.

That said, my strongest relationships were with my fellow first-year schemers. Over time, we became each other’s biggest source of support, sharing advice, encouraging one another, and celebrating each other’s successes. This was especially true during the Vacation Scheme Assessment Centre, a naturally high-pressure experience. Rather than viewing each other as competitors, we supported one another through it, and many of us keep in touch, sharing opportunities and encouragement. It taught me that, although many people see commercial law as highly competitive, a strong network is invaluable. These friendships have been among the most rewarding outcomes of the programme.

Meeting people from a wide range of backgrounds shaped my understanding of the firm’s culture. Throughout the programme, I met students from different universities, people who had studied non-law subjects, and individuals from many countries. Hearing about their different routes into commercial law challenged many of my assumptions about the profession.

As someone from a state school and non-Oxbridge background, with no prior connections to the legal profession, I viewed Big Law as difficult to access unless you knew the right people or came from a particular background. The programme broke down that perception. Meeting talented individuals with such varied experiences showed me that there is no single path into the profession, and that qualities such as curiosity, resilience, and potential matter far more than fitting a particular mould.

Most importantly, these conversations showed me that Latham is a place where people genuinely invest in one another. Whether it was trainees giving up their time to answer questions, partners sharing their personal experiences, or fellow schemers supporting each other through major milestones, there was a real sense of community throughout the programme — a feeling of belonging that stayed with me long after the scheme ended.