King & Spalding

Partner

Paul Watford is a partner in the Los Angeles office, where he is a member of the firm’s business litigation practice and appellate, constitutional and administrative law group.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Watford served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for 11 years. During his tenure on the court, he authored published opinions addressing numerous areas of federal and state law, including arbitration, bankruptcy, class actions, constitutional, copyright, environmental, immigration, labor and employment, securities, and tax. In one of Paul’s more notable rulings, he authored the Ninth Circuit’s en banc decision in City of Los Angeles v. Patel (2013), a case in which the court struck down, 7-4, a Los Angeles city ordinance authorizing police to conduct surprise inspections of hotel and motel guest registries without obtaining the owners’ consent or a search warrant. The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Ninth Circuit’s decision invalidating the ordinance in a 5-4 vote.