Latham Named Most Innovative Law Firm in North America for Business of Law

Latham & Watkins garnered a series of accolades in the Financial Times’ 2019 North American Innovative Lawyers report, the cumulative result of which earned Latham the award for Most Innovative Law Firm for the Business of Law. The firm also placed among the top five firms in the overall Most Innovative Law Firm index, as it did in 2018.

San Francisco antitrust partner Karen Silverman was featured in the report as a Top 10 Innovative Individual for her groundbreaking work on the legal and business implications of artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies. In her published profile, the FT noted that “staying ahead of a fast-moving and dynamic field is Karen Silverman’s specialty.”

The annual Innovative Lawyers report assesses and ranks law firm initiatives and client work on the basis of originality, leadership, and impact.

This year, Latham was:

• Highly Commended for working with the blockchain technology company ConsenSys to develop the Automated Convertible Note, a free tool that “makes offering digital tokens easier and more affordable while ensuring a range of regulatory requirements are met.” The collaboration was honored in the Business of Law — New Products and Services category.
• Highly Commended for its Women’s Leadership and Diversity Leadership Academies, which “are an effective part of Latham & Watkins’ strategy to recruit, retain and promote a diverse work force.” The programs were honored in the Business of Law — Diversity and Inclusion category.
• Highly Commended for CareConnect, "a comprehensive employee support service that integrates counseling, coaching, firm resources, and work/life assistance, which Latham & Watkins developed in collaboration with mental health provider Baltimore-based BHS.” The in-house services were honored in the Business of Law — Talent, Strategy and Changing Behaviours category.
• Highly Commended in the Rule of Law and Access to Justice category for a landmark pro bono case that successfully challenged the system of cash bail in San Francisco for violating the constitutional rights of the poor. Latham partner Sadik Huseny was individually commended for the case work, which he led with fellow San Francisco partner Robert E. Sims — who was recently awarded the firm’s 2019 Robert M. Dell Prize for Extraordinary Pro Bono Service for this and other notable efforts.
• Commended in the Legal Expertise — Litigation and Disputes category for securing a company-saving trial result for breast-cancer treatment developer Puma Biotechnology, marking the first federal securities class action to reach a verdict in nearly a decade. The trial result preserved the company’s ability to deliver life-saving cancer treatments to patients who would otherwise be out of options under the standard of care before Puma.
• Commended in the Legal Expertise — New Markets and Capital category for guiding Parsons Corporation, an employee-owned technology company, through its May 2019 initial public offering. The work helped to ensure “the company was attractive to new investors while preserving the culture of employee ownership.”