Retirement lasted 24 hours for now-former Senior Judge Christopher F. Droney of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He's now coming full circle in his decadeslong legal career.

Droney, 65, rejoined Day Pitney, the successor firm to the one where his private practice career began 41 years ago, in its Hartford office as a partner in the litigation department and member of the appellate practice group.

The move was announced in a Jan. 2 release by Day Pitney.

"There are still people there I worked with in 1979 and there are new faces as well," Droney said in a phone interview on Jan. 3. "It feels so good to be back here. It really feels like family."

Before his appointment to the Second Circuit, Droney was a federal trial judge in Connecticut and the district's U.S. attorney before that.

He is the second Connecticut-based former jurist to join Day Pitney within the past two years. In 2018, Chase T. Rogers, retired chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, also joined the Hartford office, in the same capacity as Droney.

Droney said he will focus on complex litigation at state and federal levels, as well as represent clients in matters involving governmental and internal investigations, and white-collar defense.

"I have a great variety of legal experience," Droney said. "Given all the different positions and experiences I have had over all these years, I want to continue to help the work of other attorneys and partners at the firm and the clients."

During Droney's time on the federal appellate and trial bench, he presided over numerous trials and appeals, and authored opinions on employment matters, constitutional issues, intellectual property, breach of contract, antitrust, insurance, criminal law and procedure and securities litigation, among other areas.

One thing Droney was certain of was that retiring from the bench didn't mean retiring from the law for good. He attained senior status as an Article III judge in June 2019, and retired on Dec. 31, 2019. His first day at Day Pitney was Jan. 2, and he was still going through orientation as of his Jan. 3 interview.

"I knew I had a lot of energy left and I wanted to continue working in the law," Droney said. "I knew I wanted to do something else after retiring from the bench, and I would never really stay retired."

"It seems kind of corny, but as soon as I entered law school I knew this is what I wanted to do with my career," he said. "I never had second thoughts at all. I was doing exactly what I wanted to do."

Day Pitney managing partner Tom Goldberg pointed to Droney's extensive knowledge of the courts as both a former judge and former U.S. attorney.

"We are thrilled to welcome back Judge Droney to Day Pitney. [His] unique combination of experience as a trial and appellate jurist for more than two decades and as a former U.S. Attorney will significantly benefit our clients and enhance our deep team of talented lawyers," Goldberg said in a statement.

After earning his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1979, Droney began work at Day Pitney—known then as Day Berry & Howard—as an associate in the fall of that year, where he stayed for three years as a litigation attorney.

Since his departure in 1982, the firm merged with New Jersey-based Pitney Hardin in 2007 to become Day Pitney.

The firm is known for corporate, litigation and individual client services, and currently has more than 300 attorneys in 13 offices, according to its website.

While Day Pitney expanded over the years, Droney's star also rose.

He was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by then-President Obama on Dec. 1, 2011, and served for eight years. He was a member of the Committee for the Administration of the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts of the U.S. Judicial Conference and a member of the board of directors of the Federal Judges Association.

Before his rise to the Second Circuit, Droney served as a U.S. district judge for the District of Connecticut for 14 years, and was the U.S. attorney for Connecticut from 1993 to 1997.

As U.S. attorney, Droney supervised numerous criminal investigations, including grand jury matters. He was also a member of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys, and chairman of the Civil Issues Subcommittee of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee, according to his bio.

Droney also served as mayor of West Hartford from 1985 to 1989, and was deputy mayor for two years before that.

"I liked what I was doing. It was a volunteer position," Droney recalled of his stint in political office. "We had our second baby when I was mayor and I just couldn't do it all. I just couldn't be mayor, father, husband and lawyer at the same time. There weren't enough hours in the day. I thought it was a good idea to focus on my family and legal career."