Ruben Castillo, the former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, will join Akerman as an equity partner in Chicago once Castillo retires from the federal bench at the end of the month.

The Florida-based law firm announced that Castillo will help train external lawyers and their clients in oral argument by leading its internal moot court panels—formally known as Akerman Bench. In addition to having served on the federal bench since 1994, Castillo has taught trial advocacy at Northwestern University School of Law for more than 20 years.