Trial lawyer Craig Stanfield has left King & Spalding to join Paul Hastings, the firm officially announced Wednesday morning.
In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Stanfield said that closely watching Paul Hastings’ moves over the past year or two fostered his interest in the firm.
“I wanted to see their strategy, and it seemed to me they had a pretty well-defined strategy for building, bringing on teams in Dallas and Houston,” he said. “That was very attractive to me. This is a really strategic and ambitious firm, and they have a Texas strategy that is working.”
His first official day was Saturday, he said.
“I woke up Saturday morning, had my cup of coffee and immediately started doing the electronic onboarding and hit the ground running,” he said. “It’s been really nice. I’ve been extremely impressed with the professionalism from every single person.”
Stanfield, who represents companies in the manufacturing, automotive, energy, aviation, financial services, computer software and chemical industries, had been a partner at King & Spalding since January 2018. His clients include Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Daikin North America, Integrity Marketing, International Paper, Shell Oil, Sunny Sky Products, Tenaska Power Services and Third Coast.
The response from clients, both those who had a prior relationship with Paul Hastings and those who only knew of the firm’s reputation, has been “excellent,” Stanfield said.
“Really, across the board, I’ve been really pleased with the response from clients,” he said. “It’s nice when the feedback is immediate and they’re saying ‘that’s a really great firm, that’s a really great move.’”
Paul Genender, chair of the firm’s Texas commercial litigation practice, called Stanfield “a skilled trial lawyer with a proven track record and local client following” in a statement.
“His addition strengthens our litigation offerings in Houston and Texas,” he said. “We are all excited to work with him as we build an elite Texas litigation practice.”
Firm Chair Frank Lopez said in a news release that hiring Stanfield shows Paul Hastings’ “continued commitment to the strategic expansion of our Texas offerings, including our premier litigation platform.”
“Given his experience as a first-chair trial lawyer in high-profile cases, he is well-positioned to significantly enhance our ability to take complex matters through trial as we continue to gain market share at the top of the market locally and globally,” Lopez said.
Stanfield earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and international studies from Texas A&M University in 2001 and is a 2005 graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law. Prior to joining King & Spalding, Stanfield worked as a briefing attorney for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston and as an associate and later partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
He told The Lawbook that during law school, which included an internship with then-Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, and during his time as a briefing attorney at the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, he believed he wanted to be an appellate lawyer.
But in his first six months at Morgan Lewis he handled two federal trials, one as a second-chair attorney and one as a briefing lawyer.
“After those experiences, I thought I really enjoyed trial work,” he said. “It really became apparent to me that’s really where I thought I could best serve my clients. I’ve argued a few appeals, even in the last 12 months, and had a lot of fun doing that. But nothing beats the pure exhilaration of a trial.”
One trial he’s particularly proud of ended in a complete defense win — upheld on appeal — in a civil lawsuit Harris County brought against his client, International Paper, and two other defendants, Waste Management and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp.
The county was seeking $1.6 billion in civil penalties against each defendant for allegedly knowingly dumping tons of sludge laced with dioxin into three pits near the San Jacinto River in 1965.
“There were a lot of novel issues, and the stakes were enormous, at least on paper,” he said. Over the past year Paul Hastings has tripled its headcount of lawyers in Texas and has plans to move into new offices in Houston and Dallas. In March 2024, the firm brought on an eight-partner, 25-lawyer finance team from Vinson & Elkins’ offices in Houston and Dallas, which it has touted as the largest single practice group move in Texas history.