UH Law Center alumna Monica White ’12
Jan. 20, 2022 – University of Houston Law Center alumna Monica White ’12 was recently promoted to partner in the Houston office of Latham & Watkins, recognized for diligence and transparency in client relations.
“Knowing that all those late nights and sacrifices had paid off is kind of surreal,” White said. “It feels amazing, and having people celebrate with you is a good energy, making me feel very optimistic about this next chapter in my career.”
White notes that as a partner, the dynamic within the firm has shifted. She now plays a pivotal role, directly interfacing with clients to discuss problems, present ideas and creatively configure the best possible solutions to issues at hand.
“The independence that I have to make executive decisions based on my experience at this practice makes it feel like this practice is my own,” White said. “I am not longer an associate that wants to run things by the partners but instead a partner that associates turn to.”
White handles corporate transactions, specifically complex liability management transactions, advising clients on capital markets transactions in the energy industry and working with companies to develop innovative strategies and solutions to maneuver economic cycles and market uncertainty in corporate governance.
“I pride myself in being a listening ear to my clients, listening to what their business needs are and understanding their businesses,” White said. “I try not to just go in for the obvious legal answer but to teach them how to navigate different market cycles or explain how to structure a deal.”
Currently focused primarily on the energy industry, White plans to expand the breadth of her practice, moving from energy-specific deals to diversify to include a variety of industries such as working on capital market transactions to serving clients in health care, technology and business.
“The differences in language between the industries is between night and day, and it has been fascinating,” White stated. “In 5 – 10 years, I want my practice to have expanded and be very diverse, still in energy, but adding in different industries.”
After graduating in 2012, White began her legal career as an associate for Baker Botts, advancing to Latham & Watkins in 2017. Named by Super Lawyers as a Texas Rising Star multiple times, White actively promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in law by serving on various committees and speaking out at schools, industry conferences and summits.
White grew up immersed in law, with her parents, Joseph and Myra White, working as counsel at Exxon Mobil Corporation, and her sister, Lauren Yvonne White, graduating from the Law Center in 2011.
