King & Spalding is having quite a bit of success when it comes to recruiting out of the Solicitor General's Office.
In November, the firm landed former SG Paul Clement to oversee the expansion of the firm's appellate practice. And today, King & Spalding announced that it had added Daryl Joseffer, who served as deputy principal solicitor general under former Solicitor General Gregory Garre, as a partner in its appellate practice.
Joseffer, 38, worked in the Solicitor General's Office for about four and a half years, first as an assistant solicitor general and then in the political position of the SG's principal deputy. During his time in the SG's office, he argued 11 cases in front of the high court, including Microsoft v. AT&T; Merck KGaA v. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd.; Warner-Lambert Co. v. Kent; Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper, Inc.; and BP America v. Burton. His term expired in January.
Joseffer says he enjoyed his time in the SG’s office, but now that he has had about five months off to hang out with his 3-year-old daughter and his 6-week-old son, he is looking forward to working with Clement to build the firm’s practice. For him, the idea of working with Clement was the primary reason he opted to join King & Spalding.
“I’m pretty impressed with how much Paul has been able to build in the few months since he was working here while I was at home playing with my kids,” Joseffer says.
Since November, the practice has grown to include four partners; two associates, one who clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and one who clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; and another associate who will be joining the practice once her clerkship with Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit finishes in the fall.
The firm has also been retained in two cases going before the Supreme Court next term. The firm will argue on behalf of the civil rights petitioners in Kenny A. v Purdue and Pottawattamie County v. Harrington. Joseffer will not be arguing them though, as he is barred from appearing in cases involving the Solicitor General’s Office for at least a year.
Joseffer, a Harvard law graduate, also served as a clerk for Judge Jerry Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which he says provided him with a rather well-rounded introduction to what it means to be a clerk for a court that sits in New Orleans.
“Not only was Judge Smith the best boss you could ever ask for, but we used to get these fat per diems to go down to New Orleans from Houston. Let’s just say the clerks on the 5th Circuit ate like kings,” Joseffer says. “And it was on the government’s dime too,” he adds, laughing.
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