Latham & Watkins Names Lisa Watts as the Firm’s New Vice Chair

Latham & Watkins is replacing the first woman to serve as vice chair with another woman—Lisa Watts, a New York partner and 22-year firm veteran.

She takes the place of Ora Fisher, who is retiring later this year after nearly 30 years at the firm.

Watts, a tax lawyer, will work with Chicago partner Brad Kotler, the other vice chair, to help set strategy and priorities. The firm “is in a great spot and has the right resources” to deal with major client needs such as restructuring and private capital markets, she said in an interview.

The move, effective immediately, comes as Latham and its rivals ramp up staff to prepare for what they see as growing regulatory actions under President Biden. Latham on March 1 announced the hire of Ian Conner, a former director of the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust arm.

The coming year is also important for the firm’s internal workings, as the law firm industry faces decisions on how to structure office operations when pandemic restrictions begin to roll back.

“Everyone in the firm has done an amazing job of mentoring, training and client relations,” Watts said. “We were able to continue our work as a team globally, and also maintain our culture of willingness to step up for each other, whether it’s jumping on a call or something else.”

Watts will continue her role since 2018 of serving on the Latham’s executive committee, which decides firm policies, including diversity practices. “We are very focused on recruiting and retention of underrepresented groups,” she said.

During the runup to her election as vice chair, Watts headed the firm’s training and career enhancement committee, and she was co-chair of Latham’s women enriching business committee. Both panels were involved in the firm’s diversity efforts.

“Our numbers are good,” she said. The firm in 2020 had its most diverse class of summer associates, and four of the nine executive committee members are diverse. “But we are not where we want to be.”