About Ethan P.
Ethan P. Davis trained in two of the country’s small but demanding intellectual nurseries. He earned a B.A. from Amherst College in 2005 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2008. Those credentials set the stage for a career that has moved between the federal government and private practice.
He began his post-law school career clerking for Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. That early appellate experience was followed by a series of roles at the Department of Justice. He joined the DOJ as a trial lawyer in 2009 and later rose to leadership positions in the Civil Division and the Consumer Protection Branch. In 2017 he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Branch and in 2020 he was Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division.
Alongside his government service, Davis entered private practice. He became a partner at King & Spalding in 2017. Records show he joined the firm again as a full-time partner in 2020. He has maintained admissions across multiple jurisdictions, holding memberships in the New York, California, and District of Columbia bars and belonging to the bars of several federal appellate courts, including the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits, the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2018 he served a year on the Supreme Court as a law clerk to Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. That post placed him at the center of high-stakes legal argument and helped shape his approach to appellate advocacy. The combination of trial work at DOJ, leadership in consumer protection, and two appellate clerkships gives him a broad view of how cases unfold at different stages and in different forums.
Colleagues describe his work as methodical and direct. He has handled appellate filings, trial-level litigation, and internal policy matters within the Civil Division. His practice spans federal trial and appellate courts and touches on statutory interpretation, regulatory disputes, and complex civil litigation.
He practices out of King & Spalding LLP and is currently admitted to practice in New York, California, and the District of Columbia, as well as before multiple federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. He represents clients in appellate and complex civil litigation, handling matters in federal trial and appellate courts.
