Latham & Watkins, a top-rank law firm, has announced that the two highest-ranking former United States Department of the Interior officials are joining the firm. Bruce Babbitt, former Secretary of the Interior, and David J. Hayes, former Deputy Secretary of the Interior, are joining the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Secretary Babbitt joins the firm as counsel. Deputy Secretary Hayes is returning to Latham & Watkins as a partner. Hayes was previously a partner with Latham & Watkins from 1990 until he entered the Clinton Administration in March 1997. Both Babbitt and Hayes will focus on environmental and natural resources matters, which extends Latham & Watkins' domestic and international expertise in these fields.