backA King & Spalding team of Neel Chatterjee, Monte Cooper and Paul Watford have been awarded the Daily Journal’s 2026 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award for their pro bono work on behalf of low-income individuals in the landmark case City of Gilroy v. Superior Court.
Working pro bono with the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and Disability Rights Advocates, the King & Spalding team secured a precedent-setting decision from The Supreme Court of California ensuring state and local agencies are held accountable when they improperly withhold public records essential to governmental accountability.
Awarded annually, the CLAY Awards celebrate California attorneys whose work over the past year has exemplified excellence, leadership, and results of statewide or national importance.
King & Spalding served as co-counsel to The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley alongside Disability Rights Advocates and Goodwin Procter. K&S Partner Neel Chatterjee, who was a longtime member of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley Board of Directors, argued the case before the Supreme Court of California. Supporting him on the K&S team were Paul Watford, Monte Cooper and Lee Yeakel.