Goodwin Partner Rallying Big Law Against Trump Exits Firm (1)

A Goodwin Procter partner who helped organize lawyers to oppose President Donald Trump’s attacks on law firms left to co-lead King & Spalding’s intellectual property team.

Neel Chatterjee, a Silicon Valley-based intellectual property lawyer and former member of Goodwin’s executive committee, is leaving after more than eight years at the firm, according to an announcement by King & Spalding Monday. He has advised tech giants like Microsoft’s LinkedIn and Meta Platforms Inc., defending Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the case brought by the Winklevoss twins that inspired Academy Award-winning film “The Social Network.”

“Trials are a well-known strength for King & Spalding, and Neel’s incredible trial track record builds on that while also bringing the proven leadership and mentoring skills we deeply value,” Damien Marshall, co-leader of the King & Spalding business litigation practice group, said in a prepared statement Monday.

Chatterjee helped organize a group of Big Law partners that filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Susman Godfrey’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s executive order targeting the law firm. The April 28 amicus brief drew support from more than 700 law firm partners, with a few more than 100 signing their names.

“Orders like this tell the entire profession that taking on cases and clients that are out of favor with the current administration may result in severe retaliation,” Chatterjee and the other partners said in the amicus filing. The brief’s public supporters hailed from firms that hadn’t publicly voiced opposition to Trump’s actions, like Littler Mendelson, Dorsey & Whitney, and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft.

In a prepared statement, Goodwin said the firm appreciated Chatterjee’s contributions and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

The Boston-founded firm, known for providing deal and trial support to tech and life sciences companies, reported $2.4 billion in revenue last year, according to data provided by the American Lawyer. Atlanta-founded King & Spalding has frequently hired high-profile government lawyers from both parties, including Sally Yates and Rod Rostenstein. It reported $2.3 billion in revenue last year, according to the American Lawyer’s data.

Goodwin cut ties with prominent legal industry diversity programs in response to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission inquiry into its hiring practices. It also provided at least some general information in response to detailed requests for applicant and hiring data.

At least six of the 19 other firms facing EEOC questions struck deals with the White House to resolve the probes in exchange for providing hundreds of millions of dollars in free legal services.

Chatterjee joined Goodwin from Orrick in 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. His clients have included Anthony Levandowski, a senior engineer for Google’s self-driving car venture Waymo who was at the center of the company’s trade secrets theft suit against Uber Technologies Inc.

Chatterjee has also used his litigation practice to advocate for causes opposed by Trump and conservatives. He helped a same-sex couple in California sue an adoption website for discrimination and is currently representing university professors challenging President Trump’s executive order that sought to dismantle birthright citizenship.

“King & Spalding is unique because of its elite trial practice and incredible platform,” Chatterjee said of his new firm in a prepared statement. “I am excited to build something great while working to change the world one lawsuit at a time for some of the world’s greatest technology companies and most innovative entrepreneurs.”