They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 - Britt Lovejoy of Latham & Watkins

Britt Lovejoy

Age: 39

Law Firm: Latham & Watkins

Practice Area: Intellectual Property

Title: Partner

Location: San Francisco

Law School: University of California, Berkeley School of Law

Please describe two of your most substantial, recent wins in practice.

A major career win was securing a $30 million jury verdict for Oracle after a three-week trial on claims that HPE infringed Oracle’s copyrights in its operating system software. That case made me a copyright lawyer and also confirmed for me that I wanted to spend my career representing technology companies.

Among other trial responsibilities, I examined our lead technical expert on infringement as well as our industry expert. Both examinations challenged me to present complex technical information to our jurors while ensuring that the presentation complemented rather than buried our trial narrative.

I count as another “win” our copyright group’s leadership in the AI space. We are counsel of record in more AI litigations than any other law firm. I represent DeviantArt in the first-filed case challenging generative AI, defending DeviantArt’s implementation of an open-source image-generative AI tool. I also defend music-generative AI companies Suno and Udio against copyright claims brought by the major record labels. Those cases couldn’t be more in my wheelhouse. They not only involve cutting-edge technology, but demand expertise in the music industry and economics, topics about which I’ve developed a sophisticated understanding through my frequent representation of music streaming services in royalty rate-setting cases.

What is the most important lesson you learned as a first-year attorney and how does it inform your practice today?

The most important lesson I learned as a first-year associate is one that I didn’t actually come to appreciate the importance of until I started to lead large litigation teams. When I was a summer associate at Latham, a group of partners and associates gathered in a large conference room to discuss an extremely high-profile complaint that had been filed the night before against one of the firm’s biggest clients.

I will never forget when the then-junior partner who was leading the meeting—Sadik Huseny, a now prominent antitrust litigator known for his success in groundbreaking cases—looked around the room, including at us, summer associates and asked: “So, what do you guys think?”

I remember being so moved by the fact that Sadik showed interest in what I thought, despite my relative inexperience. I felt respected and valued. And from that moment on, I committed to working incredibly hard on that litigation, because I felt like my contributions actually mattered.

Reflecting on it now, what Sadik taught me that day is what real leadership looks like. It’s more than motivating people, it’s inspiring people to feel connected to the work they do. That’s the lesson I learned that day, and one I carry with me now that I’m the junior partner leading the meeting.

How do you define success in your practice?

I define success in my practice as ensuring my clients feel they have a trusted adviser who can help them solve whatever legal problem may be on their desk that day. When I get to the point in a relationship where a client’s calling my cell phone ad hoc to ask for advice, I know I’ve built that trust.

Along the same lines, while I love a big litigation win, I know that part of building client trust is helping guide your client to the outcome that’s the right one for their business. Going to trial is like going to the Super Bowl for lawyers—there’s seriously no bigger thrill.

But sometimes that’s not the right path forward. I therefore work hard from the start of an engagement to understand and evaluate my client’s business interests from every angle. Sometimes the solution involves preparing my client for a hard-fought legal battle; sometimes it involves thinking creatively about potential dealmaking opportunities.

What are you most proud of as a lawyer?

I am proudest that I have grown my career at a place with such a remarkable culture, and I have been able to embody that culture and pass it along to more junior colleagues. We provide clients the strongest advocacy we possibly can, often in very high stress situations, but at Latham we try to do that with utmost collegiality.

Our teams extend beyond a case, or an office, or a practice. Our copyright practice in particular is incredibly close knit—both among the partnership, and the group as a whole. I’m proud to have established a career at a place full of the best and brightest—but also the kindest.

Who is your greatest mentor in the law and what have they taught you?

Latham offers no shortage of mentorship opportunities—and I’ve been so privileged to work with and learn from so many talented litigators, it is so difficult to choose!

Early in my career, Sadik Huseny taught me how to be a lawyer—and from the ground up. He typifies excellent lawyering and taught me that dogged advocacy in high-profile, bet-the-company type litigations means committing yourself to turning over every stone. Sadik was also an incredible model for how to run a team—again, by inspiring each person to contribute to their fullest and making clear that every idea is respected.

I also credit my copyright partners, Andy Gass, Joe Wetzel, Sy Damle, and Alli Stillman, for training me on the substance of copyright law. I was so fortunate to have such a diverse and well-rounded team of copyright litigators to show me the ropes—their knowledge base covers the full gamut from music, to art, to high-tech software. And they each bring unique strengths to our practice. I cut my teeth in the firm’s Antitrust & Competition practice group, and they were all incredibly patient and encouraging as I expanded my practice into copyright.

Tell us your two favorite songs on your summer music playlist.

This is a deep cut but when I was a kid my mom would play the Rickie Lee Jones album “Flying Cowboys” and song “The Horses” on repeat in our backyard all summer. It’s now synonymous with summer for me, and I’ve been playing it for my own daughter. “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny is also a jam.

Britt Lovejoy of Latham & Watkins and her daughter in “Music City,” Nashville.

Photo Illustration: Jonathan Hurtarte/Bloomberg Law; Photo courtesy of Britt Lovejoy