Former Ninth Circuit Judge Paul Watford Joins Wilson Sonsini as a Partner

Watford Joins Wilson Sonsini’s Litigation Department After Serving as a Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for 11 Years

Wilson Sonsini Has Added 11 Litigation Partners in California Since March 2020

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Judge Paul J. Watford has joined the firm as a partner in the litigation department after serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for 11 years. He will be based in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office.

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Judge Paul J. Watford, Partner, Wilson Sonsini (Photo: Business Wire)

Judge Watford, who was appointed to the Ninth Circuit by former President Barack Obama in 2012, resigned from the court on May 31, 2023. Throughout his legal career, especially during his tenure as a jurist, he has drawn praise from the legal community for his even-handed discernment, broad knowledge of the law, and keen writing abilities. In 2016, several news outlets mentioned Judge Watford among the top prospective nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge Watford authored several prominent decisions during his time as a Ninth Circuit judge. For example, he wrote the majority opinion in City of Los Angeles v. Patel, an en banc decision in which the Ninth Circuit ruled that a Los Angeles ordinance allowing law enforcement officials to inspect hotel and motel registries without obtaining the owner’s consent or a search warrant violated the Fourth Amendment. The decision was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge Watford was a U.S Supreme Court law clerk for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, after previously clerking on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“The addition of someone with Judge Watford’s stature is another substantial step forward for our firm’s litigation department and our ongoing expansion in Los Angeles,” said Doug Clark, managing partner of Wilson Sonsini. “Paul has garnered respect throughout the legal community over the course of his exceptional career, and we know our clients will benefit from his intellect and advice. We’re very pleased to welcome him to our firm.”

With more than 200 litigators, the firm’s litigation department has grown significantly in recent years, particularly in California. In March 2020, Wilson Sonsini added Victor Jih in the Los Angeles office. In 2021, the firm added Amy Candido in June, and Jordan Jaffe in October, both in San Francisco. Then, in November 2021, Wilson Sonsini brought aboard five accomplished litigation partners in Los Angeles with substantial experience with high-stakes trials, investigations, and appeals: Luis Li, Matthew Macdonald, Fred Rowley, Eric Tuttle (based in Los Angeles and Seattle), and Mark Yohalem. In 2022, the firm added Melissa Mills and Chris Chiou in Los Angeles.

“Judge Watford is a singular talent and his arrival is a reflection of Wilson Sonsini’s industry-leading and world-class litigation department—one that represents the many technology and life sciences innovators who’ve entrusted our firm’s talented team of litigators with their most complex and important legal disputes, including bet-the-company lawsuits,” said Caz Hashemi, a Wilson Sonsini partner who heads the firm’s litigation department.

Wilson Sonsini’s litigators represent clients involved in high-profile controversies, including cases such as Twitter’s dispute with Elon Musk and Vanessa Bryant’s trial against Los Angeles County. In the past year, Wilson Sonsini has tried cases in a number of jurisdictions, and represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court and appellate courts across the country.

“As one of many who’ve had the pleasure of working with Paul, I can attest to his immense talent and his many valuable contributions to the legal profession,” said Luis Li, a litigation partner in Wilson Sonsini’s Los Angeles office. “His addition is an exciting development, not only for me, but also for colleagues and clients who I know will enjoy working with him as much as I have.”

Prior to his appointment to the Ninth Circuit, Judge Watford was a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles, where he focused on trial and appellate litigation. He also previously taught judicial opinion writing as a lecturer at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.

“Throughout my time serving as a Ninth Circuit judge, I had the opportunity to work with amazing people in a collegial and professionally rewarding environment, and to be directly involved in the disposition of interesting and important matters,” said Judge Watford. “In joining Wilson Sonsini, I will be able to continue working with talented lawyers and professionals in a collaborative culture that places high value on diversity and teamwork. I look forward to taking on challenging and engaging matters for the firm’s clients, which include many of the world’s most innovative and dynamic companies.”

Judge Watford earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has more than 950 attorneys and 19 offices in 17 technology, business, and regulatory markets across the United States, China, and Europe. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

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