Latham Sweeps a Range of Honors in 2025 California Legal Awards

Latham & Watkins once again demonstrated impressive leadership in the California legal industry, securing recognitions in 10 award categories in the 2025 California Legal Awards — more than any other law firm. According to Law.com, the awards “celebrate the achievements of lawyers and companies leading technology, innovation and the profession as a whole.”

The following California-based Latham partners won awards for their outstanding achievements:

• Distinguished Leader: Charles Ruck — Global Chair of Latham’s Corporate Department was recognized for his pivotal role in establishing the firm as a global transactional powerhouse.
• Women Leaders in Tech Law: Michele Johnson — Global Chair of Latham’s Litigation & Trial Department was honored for representing market-leading technology companies and executives in high-profile disputes in cutting-edge areas of the law and public policy.
• Women Leaders in Tech Law: Sarah Ray — Co-Chair of Latham’s Bay Area Litigation & Trial Department was awarded for her groundbreaking work on several of the most-watched digital payments, search, and cloud cases.

Seven partners and the firm’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) are finalists for the following awards to be announced at a June 25 ceremony:

• Dealmakers of the Year: Sarah Axtell, Rick Kline, and Tony Richmond — The trio of Bay Area partners led the firm’s representation of Reddit in its landmark US$748 million IPO in March 2024.
• IP Lawyer of the Year: Andy Gass — A Bay Area partner in the Litigation & Trial Department, he has shaped complex laws in the digital music industry and is a nationally recognized thought leader on emerging issues in copyright law, artificial intelligence, and the intersection between the two.
• Mentorship Award: Colleen Smith — A San Diego partner in the Litigation & Trial Department, she embodies the firm’s commitment to fostering growth and excellence among all Latham lawyers.
• Real Estate Lawyer of the Year: Hilary Strong — An Orange County corporate partner, she advises market-leading REITs and investors on their most vital real estate transactions.
• Vanguard Award: Michael Rubin and Rene Mendoza — Rubin, a Bay Area partner in the Litigation & Trial Department who chairs the firm’s Artificial Intelligence Practice, and CTO Mendoza spearheaded the firm’s AI Academy, a skills-based technology training program for junior and midlevel associates focused on AI’s impact on the legal practice and client service.

Latham is also a finalist in two firm categories:

• Law Firm of the Year, which Latham won last year, honoring the overall top performance across the award categories.
• Tech Industry Litigation Department of the Year, marking the firm’s third year in a row as a finalist. The award, which Latham won in 2023, recognizes outstanding and precedent-setting courtroom victories for technology companies across geographies, practice areas, and specialties.