Paul Weiss Litigation Partner Gonzalez Defects to Paul Hastings

Paul Hastings is hiring litigation partner Roberto Gonzalez, a former Paul Weiss partner based in Washington who spent his early career in high-level government roles.

Gonzalez’s departure furthers the defections from Paul Weiss’ litigation department, which last month saw Kannon Shanmugam and Masha Hansford leave to launch Davis Polk’s Supreme Court and appellate practice. Anish Desai, a prominent intellectual property partner, departed for Dechert in March.

Gonzalez had served as co-chair of Paul Weiss’ economic sanctions and anti-money laundering practice group.

Roberto Gonzalez

Paul Hastings

He has represented major banks, fintechs, investment companies and technology companies across a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues, Paul Hastings said in a release. His clients include Amazon, BlackRock, Block, Capital One, Citi, Equifax, GE, Google, JPMorgan, and others, the firm said.

Gonzalez’s practice representing banks and financial institutions fits squarely with Paul Hastings’ existing client base, said Frank Lopez, Paul Hastings’ chair.

“Our DNA is really hard-wired in financial services,” Lopez said. “So that, aside from the fact that he’s a premier talent, makes Roberto someone who will fit very well with our client base.”

Sherrese Smith, the firm’s managing partner, said the litigation department aims to be a “destination practice” for clients facing major disputes and regulatory challenges.

Gonzalez “can provide that intellectual capital around what the regulators are going to do and he can make decisions based on real-world experience,” Smith said.

A former clerk to US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, Gonzalez worked in the White House Counsel’s Office during the Obama administration and also at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

His last job in government was Deputy General Counsel of the Treasury Department, supervising lawyers involved in sanctions, anti-money laundering, cybersecurity, and ethics and employment matters, according to his law firm bio.

“Paul Hastings has an impressive team, strong momentum and a collaborative culture that greatly appeals to me,” Gonzalez said in a release.

Paul Hastings has been growing its litigation group in recent years, seeing one of the largest growth rates in headcount, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis last year.

The hiring spree has continued this year. The firm brought on John Buretta, a top trial lawyer in New York, from Cravath Swaine & Moore in January. Two A&O Shearman securities litigators, Daniel Laguardia and Patrick Hein, joined in San Francisco and New York in March. And it hired former King & Spalding litigator Craig Stanfield in Houston in April.

Paul Hastings last year hired former Paul Weiss litigator Josh Soven.

The Paul Weiss litigation department saw a series of defections last year following the firm’s deal with the Trump administration.

The firm is now run by corporate partner Scott Barshay, who took over from longtime chair Brad Karp earlier this year. The market has been keen for insights into Barshay’s impact on the firm’s litigation group.