About Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins is a global law firm consistently ranked among the top firms in the world. The success of our firm is largely determined by our commitment to hire and develop the very best and brightest, creating a team that provides our clients with the highest quality of work and service. We are driven by our core values: respect, innovation, and collaboration.

About the Role

The Applied Machine Learning Researcher is an integral part of Latham’s Technology & Information Services team and will be responsible for researching and evaluating advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) techniques to enhance our legal operations, while designing and executing experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of AI/ML solutions. This role will be located in either our Los Angeles, Orange County, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, San Diego or New York office. Please note that this role may be eligible for a flexible working schedule that allows for a hybrid and in-office presence. 

Responsibilities & Qualifications

Other key responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the ideation, research, and development of solutions, while collaborating with ML Engineers to transition prototypes into production
• Developing proof-of-concepts in accordance with established deliverable schedules and firm procedures
• Working with ML and data engineers to design, build, and maintain datasets for training and evaluating AI/ML algorithms, tools, and products
• Staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technologies to keep our AI systems at the forefront of technological advancements
• Preparing technical documentation and findings to share with the technical team and stakeholders

We’d love to hear from you if you:

• Demonstrate the ability to design and execute research plans
• Exhibit the ability to distill complex research into actionable strategies and recommendations to drive innovation and operational effectiveness
• Display proficiency with Python, including experience with libraries and frameworks relevant to AI application development (e.g., LangChain, Streamlit, LlamaIndex, Sematic Kernel, guidance-ai, GraphRAG, Haystack, Guardrails, etc.)

And have:

• A Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Mathematics, or a related field
• A minimum of three (3) years of relevant Python experience
• A strong academic publishing track record, preferably

Benefits & Additional Information

Successful candidates will not only be provided with an outstanding career opportunity and welcoming environment, but will also be provided with a generous total compensation package with bonuses awarded in recognition of both individual and firm performance. Eligible employees can participate in Latham’s comprehensive benefit program which includes:

• Healthcare, life and disability insurance
• A generous 401k plan
• At least 11 paid holidays per year, and a PTO program that accrues 23 days during the first year of employment and grows with tenure
• Well-being programs (e.g. mental health services, mindfulness and resiliency, medical resources, well-being events, and more)
• Professional Development programs
• Employee discounts
• And more!

Additionally, we have a range of diversity programming including Global Affinity Groups. These groups provide a firmwide platform to share experiences and advice as well as an opportunity to participate in a supportive network with common interests to help make life at the firm even better.

Please click here to view the full job description for this role.

Latham & Watkins is committed to diversity, equal opportunity, sustainability, and pro bono legal services. We draw from a remarkable wealth of talent to create one of the world's leading law firms, and advance these commitments through the work of our Global Citizenship department. Our lawyers, paralegals, and professional staff worldwide comprise a rich mixture of different races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations, cultures, and primary languages. Our diversity makes us who we are.

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 below to review the Ordinance.

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