by
Bill
Clark/Getty
Images)
Back
in
2023,
when
Judge
Paul
Watford
of
the
Ninth
Circuit
announced
that
he
would
be resigning
from
the
bench to
return
to
private
practice,
the
legal
world
wondered
where
he
would
land.
As
it
turns
out,
Watford
chose
to
join
Wilson
Sonsini
as
a
litigation
partner,
where
he’d
focus
on
appellate
and
complex
commercial
disputes.
Now,
just
two
years
later,
the
former
appellate
judge
is
on
the
move
again,
and
this
time,
he’s
headed
to
an
even
more
prestigious
firm.
Earlier
this
week,
Watford
joined
King
&
Spalding
—
a
firm
that
brought
in
$2,137,941,000
gross
revenue
in
2023,
putting
it
at
No.
17
on
the
most
recent
Am
Law
100
—
where
he’ll
work
as
a
business
litigation
partner.
The
Recorder
has
additional
details
on
Watford’s
move:
Watford,
who
described
himself
as
a
litigation
generalist,
said
he
hoped
to
have
a
mix
of
75%
trial
court
work
and
25%
appellate
work.
He
said
his
practice
is
national
in
scope
and
that
“several”
of
his
clients—operating
in
the
technology
and
life
sciences
spaces—are
moving
with
him
to
the
new
firm,
Watford
said.He
said
the
firm’s
collaborative
spirit
and
culture—which
he
discovered
through
previously
meeting
dozens
of
partners—drew
him
to
King
&
Spalding.
Its
L.A.
office
includes
about
75
lawyers.When
he
left
the
federal
bench
in
2023,
he
said
he
interviewed
with
King
&
Spalding
and
“came
close”
to
joining
it
before
deciding
to
join
Wilson
Sonsini.“I
love
the
people,
I
loved
what
they
were
saying
about
the
firm
culture,
about
the
opportunities
to
grow
the
litigation
practice
here
in
Los
Angeles
and
California
in
general,”
Watford
said.
“Everything
about
it
seemed
like
a
perfect
fit
for
what
I
want
to
do.”
Damien
Marshall,
co-leader
of
the
firm’s
business
litigation
practice
group,
said
the
former
judge’s
presence
at
King
&
Spalding
“brings
a
new
dimension
to
the
counsel
we
provide
to
our
clients.”
“I’m
hopeful
that
I
can
contribute
to
the
growth
of
the
practice
here,”
Watford
said
of
his
move
to
the
Top
20
Am
Law
firm.
Congratulations
to
Judge
Paul
Watford
on
landing
at
a
new
law
firm
that
he
loves,
and
congratulations
to
King
&
Spalding
on
adding
a
former
federal
appellate
judge
to
its
roster.
Best
of
luck!
Ex-9th
Circuit
Judge
Paul
Watford
Moves
From
Wilson
Sonsini
to
King
&
Spalding
In
L.A.
[The
Recorder]
Earlier:
From
The
Bench
To
Biglaw:
Judge
Paul
Watford
Lands
At
Top
50
Am
Law
Firm
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.