Ken Salazar, who recently stepped down as interior secretary, is joining WilmerHale as a partner, the law firm announced on Thursday.
Mr. Salazar, a Colorado native who was named head of the Interior Department at the start of the Obama administration, will anchor WilmerHale’s planned office in Denver. In his new job, he will advise clients on matters of law, business and public policy.
Before leading the Interior Department, Mr. Salazar represented Colorado in the Senate starting in 2005. He was Colorado’s attorney general before going to Washington. A graduate of Colorado College, Mr. Salazar received his law degree from the University of Michigan.
“I look forward to leading WilmerHale’s entry into the Rocky Mountain region, which is integral to the growing national and global economy,†Mr. Salazar said in a statement.
Mr. Salazar is the latest retired politician to take a senior position at a law firm. Separately on Thursday, Joseph I. Lieberman, the former Connecticut senator and vice presidential nominee, said he had started at the law firm of Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman. Others to follow a similar path include Scott Brown, who joined Nixon Peabody in Boston after losing a Senate race, and Jon Kyl of Arizona, who joined Covington & Burling.
In September, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority announced that its vice chairman, Stephen Luparello, was joining WilmerHale in Washington.
At WilmerHale, Mr. Salazar “adds to the firm’s rich tradition of lawyers who have served at the highest levels of government,†Robert Novick, the law firm’s co-managing partner, said in a statement.
Mr. Salazar, a blunt-spoken rancher, took over the Interior Department when it was riddled with scandal. His greatest setback, the BP oil spill that exposed flaws in the agency, came near the beginning of his tenure.
“I’ve had a glorious and joyful run,†Mr. Salazar told The New York Times in April. “Coming to work, I’ve just been living the dream every day.â€
