Associate - Corporate- Real Estate (Data Center)

About Latham & Watkins

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

About the Practice Group

Latham’s Real Estate Practice advises a full spectrum of market participants—including private equity funds, institutional investors, developers, and financial institutions—on complex, high value real estate transactions across asset classes and jurisdictions. Data center transactions are a key and rapidly growing component of our practice, and the team has significant experience advising clients in the data center and digital infrastructure space, including hyperscale and colocation leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, developments, platform investments, joint ventures, and related financings. Our teams work seamlessly across offices and disciplines to execute sophisticated transactions at the intersection of real estate, infrastructure, and technology.

About the Role

The Real Estate Practice is seeking highly qualified associates to support partners and deal teams on complex data center and digital infrastructure transactions. This role will primarily support data center-related transactions, with opportunities to assist on other real estate matters as well. The position is designed for candidates with meaningful experience in real estate transactions who are interested in a predominantly deal focused practice involving large-scale developments, leasing arrangements, joint ventures, and financings. Associates will contribute to the execution of sophisticated transactions and collaborate across practices, including corporate, finance, tax, and energy and infrastructure to support efficient deal execution. Associates will draft, review, and negotiate transactional documents, including purchase and sale agreements, leases, joint venture agreements, development agreements, and financing documents, and will support acquisitions, dispositions, and development of data center assets and platforms. The role includes assisting with commercial leasing matters, including colocation and hyperscale lease arrangements, managing and coordinating due diligence processes such as title, survey, and project-level diligence, and working closely with cross practice teams on financing, M&A, and tax aspects of transactions. Associates will also support deal structuring and execution across domestic and cross-border matters. Qualifications Candidates should have at least three years of experience in commercial real estate transactions at a top law firm or in-house legal department, with strong exposure to acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, development projects, and/or real estate financings. Experience with data center leasing, ground leases, build-to-suit transactions, or other large-scale commercial leasing is highly preferred. Ideal candidates will demonstrate the ability to draft and negotiate principal transaction documents and manage due diligence processes, and should be comfortable working across practice areas, including corporate, finance, and tax. Candidates should also possess strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, along with a commercial mindset and an interest in the evolving digital infrastructure and real estate landscape. We welcome exceptional candidates from firms of all sizes who have developed sophisticated skill sets in relevant practice areas.

Main Contact Details

If you have any questions about the application, please contact: Lateral Recruiting — Corporate [email protected]

Additional Information

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. 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. Please click here to review your rights under U.S. employment laws. 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. 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). Please click the link above to review the Ordinance. San Francisco: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Please click the link above to review the Ordinance. Massachusetts: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. An employer that violates this law may be subject to fines and/or a private right of action for $500 in statutory damages “for each such violation,” among other things.

Pay Range

Associate Base Salary

Discretionary bonuses may be available depending on application circumstances and position.

Class of US Payroll 2026$225,000 2025$225,000 2024$235,000 2023$260,000 2022$310,000 2021$365,000 2020$390,000 2019

$420,000

2018$435,000