Lee Yeakel joined King & Spalding as senior counsel after 20 years on the bench as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. Lee offers clients a unique perspective across the arc of the dispute process as he is the only former Judge from the Western District of Texas ever to rejoin private practice. As federal judge, Lee presided over scores of critical and unprecedented civil and criminal matters involving the finance, technology, education, public health and many other sectors. A stalwart of the Austin community, Lee has devoted his 50-year legal career to the city and brings invaluable strategic insight from both sides of the aisle to assist clients with their most complex litigation needs.
Lee Yeakel was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, in July 2003. From 1998 until his confirmation as federal judge, Lee was Chief Justice and Justice of the Texas Third Court of Appeals. Lee was a trial lawyer in private practice with several Austin firms for 28 years prior to his judicial appointments. Not only has Lee witnessed first-hand the evolution of the legal sector in the city, but he has also played a pivotal role in shaping it.
Lee’s unparalleled legacy of service has been widely recognized over the years. In 2023, he was the recipient of the Distinguished Lawyer Award from the Austin Bar Foundation, and in 2020, the Texas Bar Foundation named him an Outstanding 50-Year Lawyer to name but a few recent accolades. He is a member of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court and the Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, which is named in his honor, and has served as president of both Inns. He was also a member of the board of trustees of the American Inns of Court Foundation.
In the international arena, Lee was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters and was a signatory of that treaty on behalf of the United States.
Committed to the next generation of lawyers, Lee is a frequent speaker at professional development courses and legal conferences. He has also served as president of the Rotary Club of Austin as well as The Headliners Club of Austin.
Lee is a former U.S. Marine.
