Lead AI Engineer

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 Lead AI Engineer is an integral part of Latham’s Technology & Information Services team and will be responsible for leading the architecture, design, and development of Machine Learning (ML) and Generative AI (Gen AI) applications tailored to optimize legal and business workflows, while acting as a technical authority, bringing deep industry expertise to guide architectural decisions and implementation and ensure high-quality implementation of AI/ML solutions. This role will be located in either our New York or Los Angeles - GSO 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:

• Designing and architecting full-stack solutions for Machine Learning/GenAI workflows, integrating both frontend and backend components to deliver robust and scalable solutions
• Leading cross-functional initiatives by collaborating with Innovation Attorneys, stakeholders, and the engineering team to define technical requirements and deliver solutions that align with organizational goals and strategies
• Providing technical leadership by mentoring team members, offering expert advice, and establishing engineering best practices
• Working with and making recommendations to leadership regarding the maintenance and enhancement of existing Latham production applications
• Overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of AI/ML applications from conceptualization and design through delivery and ongoing support
• Protecting and maintaining any highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial, and/or proprietary information that Latham & Watkins retains 

We’d love to hear from you if you:

• Possess experience designing and implementing various architectural patterns, including microservices, serverless, and monolithic architectures
• Possess experience with libraries and frameworks commonly used for Gen AI application development including LangChain, LangGraph, Haystack, or Guardrails
• Demonstrate proficiency with API development frameworks (e.g., Django, Flask, FastAPI) and knowledge of web standards relating to API development (e.g., CORS, OpenAPI)
• Possess experience working with production-grade vector databases (e.g., pgvector, Pinecone, or Milvus) for efficient storage and retrieval of embeddings
• Demonstrate proficiency in modern web development frameworks and languages, including React, Typescript, and Node.js, with experience building and maintaining front-end and backend-applications

And have:

• A master’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field, preferably
• A minimum of seven (7) years of industry experience in software development and Machine Learning
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience leading projects and architecting solutions in industry settings
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience working with agile teams
• Experience building and productizing real-world AI models and systems

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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Pay Range

Salary : $170,000 - $180,000