Ex-Latham partner banks $64m in first three months as Paramount legal chief

Former Latham partner Makan Delrahim joined Paramount Skydance as its chief legal officer in October, and raked in nearly $64 million during his first three months at the company according to a US securities filing.

Delrahim previously provided legal advice to Skydance Media in the lead up to its $8 billion merger last August with Paramount while he was at Latham. He also previously served as assistant attorney general in the US Justice Department’s antitrust division.

Pay breakdown

In 2025, Delrahim earned a prorated base salary of about $845,000, and received a $5 million sign-on cash bonus and stock awards valued at more than $57 million. His compensation totalled nearly $64 million when including miscellaneous other compensation.

The majority of his compensation was in the form of restricted stock units which vest over the course of five years and are subject to his continued employment.

For a point of comparison, Goldman Sachs’ outgoing chief legal officer Kathy Ruemmler - also a former Latham partner - received a pay package worth $25 million in 2025, and is considered in the very top tier of in-house legal compensation in the US.

Merger bonus

In connection with the company’s upcoming merger with Warner Bros, Paramount’s board approved a special compensation plan last week. Named executives will receive a cash bonus and additional RSUs when the deal closes.

Delrahim will receive a $12.5 million cash bonus and an additional $12.5 million in RSUs, vesting quarterly over five years.

The merger is expected to close in Q3 this year, and has seen a host of Big Law heavyweights enlisted, with Cravath and Latham advising Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros turning to Wachtell and Debevoise as lead advisers.