Alumni Spotlight: Alexandra Clark ’21L Alexandra Clark is an associate in the antitrust and competition practice at Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.

Alexandra Clark ’21L

Alexandra Clark ‘21L is a fifth-year associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins LLP.  Alexandra is a member of the firm’s antitrust & competition practice group, with a focus on practicing before the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice through the merger review process and high-stakes antitrust litigation. 

Alexandra graduated magna cum laude from W&L Law and, during her time in Lexington, she served as Executive Editor for the Washington and Lee Law Review, a Burks Scholar (teaching fellow for 1L legal writing), a Kirgis Fellow (mentor for 1Ls), and a Law Ambassador (helping law admissions recruit incoming 1Ls).  Following law school, Alexandra clerked for the Honorable Michael F. Urbanski of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.  She graduated from Davidson College in 2015.

Discuss your career path and how it led you to Latham & Watkins LLP?

My path to Latham started before W&L. For my first job out of college, I wanted to gain work experience in a legal setting, so I joined the Federal Trade Commission as a paralegal. (The FTC has a fantastic paralegal program that focuses on developing recent grads as they begin their career in law, government, or public service—I highly recommend it!) I supported attorneys in the Bureau of Competition, the FTC’s antitrust enforcement division. I loved the work and knew I wanted to return to DC to practice antitrust after law school. I chose W&L Law as the place that I knew could get me there.

At W&L Law, I applied to DC’s handful of elite antitrust practices, with Latham as my top choice.  Once I applied, I reached out to a W&L Law alum who was an associate in Latham’s antitrust practice group. Because of our common W&L Law ties, he agreed to meet over coffee, and, within just a few minutes of chatting, offered to help get my foot in the door because he wanted more W&L Law grads at Latham. Within a few months, I accepted my offer to join Latham as a summer associate, and I attribute so much of that to the fact that a W&L Law alum was willing to put in a good word for me because I attended W&L.

What sort of legal issues do you handle on a day-to-day basis?

I will happily make a pitch for antitrust law—which involves some of the most fast-changing, headline-making issues in the law today (I’m biased). Going back to my pre-law school FTC roots, the focus of my practice is assisting clients through the antitrust regulatory review process with the FTC and Department of Justice, which have a statutory, 30-day (or more) window to review large mergers and acquisitions before they are able to close. This involves preparing advocacy to the agencies on the pro-competitive rationale of the transaction and gaining a deep understanding of the relevant industry to present the case to the regulators.

What do you like about your current job?

My favorite parts of my job are the dynamic, fast-moving work and the people I get to do it with. I hardly ever know what each day will bring, but I know it will be fun and that I’ll learn from some of the most impressive, hard-working attorneys in DC.

What are some practices you have in your daily life as an attorney to maintain wellness?

I’ll start with an “at work” wellness practice, if that counts. One of the most impactful practices for me is going into the office. While a perk of our profession is the flexibility of remote work, I find that some of my favorite parts of my workday are interacting with colleagues in the café or in the hallways.  Whether it’s for a pep talk during a busy week or hearing about an interesting matter they are working on, the opportunities for collegiality, community, and mentorship that I get in the office just doesn’t happen on Teams. In terms of wellness outside of work, I cannot recommend enough coming home at the end of the day to a golden retriever!

Looking back, what do you think is the most formative experience you had in law school?

Attending W&L Law means that you have your pick of a variety of experiences to shape your post-law school career. In my case, I benefitted from a school-facilitated, year-long internship with Judge Urbanski of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke. The opportunity to learn from Judge Urbanski and his clerks over the course of my 3L year was invaluable. My legal reasoning improved as I discussed motions and cases with them, and the exposure to the courtroom fueled my excitement for a career in litigation. A few years after graduation, I was fortunate to continue that fantastic experience by returning to Judge Urbanski’s chambers as a clerk.

Which W&L classes and/or experiences do you think were most helpful in preparing you for this job?

I could give a million answers here but will focus on one. W&L Law’s 1L legal writing program is top notch. Legal writing is the inescapable foundation of our profession, and I am constantly working to sharpen my writing and convey my message effectively and efficiently.  W&L Law’s commitment to instilling these skills early in our legal career through a year-long writing program makes all the difference (shoutout to Professor Weiss!).

What advice do you have for prospective law students?

Enjoy it!  You’ve worked hard to get here, and it’s an exciting first step of your legal career. Take the time to get to know the law school community and explore the many tools that W&L gives you to succeed. With the friends you’ll meet and the dedicated faculty you’ll learn from, you are in for a fantastic three years.

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