Image via REBusinessOnline
Latham & Watkins: Geographic Expansion
Law firm signed 131,000 SF office lease expansion in Midtown Manhattan, increasing total occupancy to 251,000 SF at 1285 Avenue of the Americas on an 11-year term
Source: REBusinessOnline
The leadership read
Market entry of this kind typically deepens demand for legal leadership bench strength in the region over the following 12–18 months.
Market context: Backdrop: a 113.4 (Hot) Talent Market Index (up 13.7 on the month) with Americas activity easing (-3pts).
Latham & Watkins: 2 signals in the last 90 days — in line with the Legal median of 2 across 3 tracked companies; 0.1% of MitchelLake's Americas signal flow; 2 tracked across 47 days.
Market entry — the MitchelLake playbook
When a company expands into a new market, the first leadership hires decide whether it lands. A selection of market entries we've run:
Market entry · Oceania
Square
Executive Search Fintech
Market entry
Dropbox
Executive Search for SaaS
Market entry · Asia
Deliveroo
Executive Search in ASEAN
Market entry · Oceania
SurveyMonkey
Managing Director APAC (first hire in region) / Country Manager
Market entry · Asia
LivePerson
Director ASEAN (first hire in region); also Head of Presales APAC
Market entry · Oceania
Etsy
Managing Director, Australia + Asia (MD APAC)
MitchelLake in this thematic
Our work · 2022
Head of eCommerce and Consumer Experience (CX) / GM North America
LittleOak
Americas · Ecommerce · cross-border · ecommerce-growth
Our work · 2019
VP of Sales, Americas
Longtail UX
Americas · MarTech/SEO/SEM · first us hire · cross border
Our work · 2019
VP Sales (US) / CEO
Multiple (Longtail UX, Genbook)
Americas · Technology/SaaS · founder-transition · international-expansion
Also at Latham & Watkins →
More signals across Legal
Strategic Hiring · EMEA
DLA Piper →DLA Piper appointed Jennifer McCarthy as Senior Consultant in Corporate Insurance practice in Ireland, focusing on insurance regulatory and transaction matters.
Restructuring · Oceania
Pinsent Masons →Junior lawyer at Pinsent Masons used AI to draft misleading emails for High Court case; firm referred itself to Solicitors' Regulation Authority - signals need for comprehensive AI governance, training protocols, and potential organizational restructuring around technology oversight
Geographic Expansion · Americas
Fasanara Capital →Fasanara Capital opened its first U.S. office in New York at Rockefeller Centre, marking a major milestone in international expansion following the firm's 15th anniversary.
Geographic Expansion · Americas
Digital Asset →Fintech firm Digital Asset has signed a 19,000-square-foot lease at 4 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan for 10 years, returning to the same building it occupied from 2018–2025 after a brief relocation to 107 Greenwich Street in March 2025.
Geographic Expansion · Americas
EOS Investors LLC →EOS Investors acquired The Press Hotel in Portland, ME, expanding its New England portfolio to 16 hotels, with 11 specifically in Maine. This represents continued geographic consolidation in the Northeast hospitality market.
Geographic Expansion · Americas
Playtomic →Playtomic is expanding aggressively into the United States market following a €65 million funding round in March 2025. The company has already activated 50+ US clubs and is positioning the US as a major growth market, tagged as a 'Diamond in the Rough' with early adoption and significant runway.
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