Wave of Federal Judges Ditch Bench for Lucrative Big Law Jobs

George Hazel and Gregg Costa had yet to turn 40 when former President Barack Obama nominated the lawyers to become federal judges.

The appointments—Hazel to a federal court in Maryland and Costa in Texas—were part of an emerging trend, as the Obama administration looked to tap younger judges for lifetime roles that could secure their seats for a generation. Roughly a decade later, Hazel and Costa opted for another path: they recently left their roles for lucrative partnerships at elite law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.

Hazel, now a 47-year-old father of two, said he was ready for another act ...