Ken Salazar, a former attorney who entered and thrived in politics over the last two decades, is returning to Colorado as a partner for WilmerHale. Salazar has a lengthy and impressive career both in the legal and political fields, and will be anchoring WilmerHale’s newest office in Denver, where he will continue advocating for social and environmental justice.
Salazar began his career as an attorney, and, in 1986 became chief legal counsel to Colorado’s then-governor Roy Romer. Salazar was then appointed to Romer’s cabinet as Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. In 1994, Salazar returned to practicing law, before becoming elected as Colorado Attorney General, a position he held for two terms. In 2002, he ran for Senator, and proved to be controversial within the Democratic Party which helped him get elected.
In 2009, Salazar resigned from his seat as Senator after being selected by Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to take on the role of Secretary of the Interior. He announced his resignations from this position in March, and extended his time with the Department as his successor was nominated and confirmed.
Salazar’s return to Colorado has been met with enthusiasm, and the Denver Post reports that his friends, fans, and political associates will throw him a welcome home party on Friday evening in Denver.
Several law firms approached Salazar about joining, but the former Senator told the Denver Post that he chose WilmerHale because of the quality of its attorneys and the firm’s history of working towards social justice. He will provide legal, strategic, and policy advice to the firm’s clients, utilize his experience in energy, environment, and natural resources, and work on tribal issues.
“For me, to have come from the place that I came from and to have lived this life of dreams, this is now a professional capstone as a lawyer,” said Salazar.
Salazar will begin as a partner at WilmerHale on Monday. Representatives from the firm are currently scouting Denver for locations to build the firm’s newest office. WilmerHale currently has offices in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and abroad.
Update: In addition to its offices mentioned above, WilmerHale also has offices in Palo Alto and Los Angeles.