Latham & Watkins’ Boston Office Wins Several 2023 New England Legal Awards

Latham’s Boston office has earned recognition across several categories in Law.com’s inaugural New England Legal Awards, which celebrate professional excellence in law and community impact in Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The firm and its lawyers have been named winners in four categories and named as a finalist for New England General Litigation Department of the Year, to be presented at a ceremony in September.

Latham and three lawyers based in the firm’s Boston office have been recognized as winners in the following categories:

• New England Business Litigation Department of the Year for having delivered one of our Boston Litigation & Trial Department's most spectacular years to date, scoring high-profile and precedent-setting victories on behalf of some of the world's most recognizable brands in disputes stretching across industries, geographies, practice areas, and specialties. Recent successes include wins on for clients including Mallinckrodt, Lands' End, and Boston's largest public company General Electric.

• Boston Litigation & Trial partner BJ Trach as a Distinguished Leader for representing institutional and individual clients in complex criminal and civil litigation, including white collar matters, government investigations, and complex commercial litigation. Trach leverages his stature in the market to increase diversity in the profession, promote high ethical standards, and give back to the Boston community. He recently completed a four-year term on Latham's Executive Committee, where he was liaison to the firm's Diversity Leadership Committee, which he previously led as Global Chair. Trach is a lifetime member of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, where he's served on the board and as a mentor, and is a founder and board member of the New Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit that provides grants and thought leadership to organizations working to improve black and brown communities in Massachusetts.

• Boston partner and Global Vice Chair of the Private Equity & Investment Funds Practice Kristen Grannis as a New Leader in Law for quickly building a reputation as a top private equity and M&A lawyer in New England and beyond and a leader among her peers. Over the course of her career she has defined herself as a prominent practitioner in the middle-market private equity space, advising on both M&A and structured preferred investments specifically in the life sciences and technology sectors. In addition to her legal work, Kristen serves as a member of Latham & Watkins’ Women Enriching Business Global Steering Committee and supports several trade organizations that promote women’s advancement in the private equity space.

• Boston associate Kiara Vaughn for Social Impact by an Individual for her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion and her deep commitment to pro bono. In recognition of her contributions to Latham’s pro bono program, including devoting hundreds of hours to pro bono matters, Kiara was named to the Pro Bono Committee as a junior associate, and has helped to guide the firm’s pro bono strategy. During her time at Latham, Kiara also founded a chapter of Multicultural Promotion & Attainment Coalition, an associate-driven, grassroots initiative at the firm that strengthens the culture of inclusion by supporting the recruitment, retention, and promotion of attorneys from a diversity of backgrounds. Kiara serves as the local leader of the Back Lawyers Group (BLG) and as co-chair of the BLG’s Global Retreat Committee.

The full slate of New England Legal Awards will be presented at an event in Boston on September 21.