Latham Extends Up-and-Comer Hiring with Hueston Hennigan Partner

Latham & Watkins has hired Steven Feldman as a litigation partner in its Los Angeles and New York offices, bringing on board an up-and-coming partner from elite litigation boutique Hueston Hennigan.

Feldman has represented high-profile clients including Amgen Inc., T-Mobile US Inc., Peloton Interactive Inc., and Alec Baldwin. He was part of a Hueston Hennigan team that in 2019 secured a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court victory for client Nutraceutical Corp. in a case concerning deadlines in class-action appeals.

For Latham, Feldman’s hire marks a streak of recruiting young, promising partners from well-known practice groups and law firms. The firm in October hired Frank Saviano, a young partner from Proskauer’s high-profile sports practice.

Industry-watchers have predicted that wealthy Big Law firms would look to make aggressive hires in 2021 following a year that saw the biggest firms outperform their smaller peers. For smaller firms, the next generation of talent can be particularly hard to defend when targeted by large, deep-pocketed firms.

Latham & Watkins is the second-largest firm by revenue in the U.S., and its partners earned on average nearly $3.8 million in 2019, according to AmLaw data.

Feldman, 38, made partner at Hueston Hennigan in 2018 and has earned industry awards recognizing partners under the age of 40.

He previously worked at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City and was an associate at Irell & Manella. He clerked for Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen both in the Central District of California and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Sean Berkowitz, global chair of Latham’s complex commercial litigation practice, said in a statement that Feldman is “one of the most impressive next generation litigators in the field.” He noted that Feldman has handled disputes including art fraud, false advertising, patent and trademark infringement, and breach of contract.