Major Companies in the US Have Begun Shifting Legal Work Away from Prominent Law FIRMS That Struck Deals with the Trump Adminration, According to The Wall Street Journal.
The wsj Reported On a legal luncheon at manhattan’s Cipriani Restaurant in May, where Brooke Cucinella, a top lawyer at the hedge-fund citadel, told other lawyers previous that their like working with Lawys who don’t run from a fight.
Not Only Are FIRMS That Structure Wsj.
Virginia Canter, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Chief Counsel and Director at Democracy Defenders Action, Told Newsweek: “Bending
Ted Shafrey/AP Photo
Why it maatsters
FIRMS ‘Decisions to Eternal Challenge or Cooperate with the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders are now information Reprcussions.
The satiation also rases Broader Questions About the Independence of the Legal Profession and the Potental Long-TERM Impact of Political Pressor on Corporation Legal Partnerrships.
What to know
Beginning in Late February 2025, President Donald Trump issced Severral Executive Orders Directing Federal Agencies to Strip Certain Law FIRMS of Goovernment Security Clearases and To remove Those Firms’ clients from Lucrative Federal Contracts.
The Administration ALLECED The FIRMS Represented Political Opponents or Had Adopted Practhes IT Considored Harmful. Four Prominent FIRMS –jenner & Block, perkins coe, wilmerhale, and sundan Godfrey –chose to change the Orders in Court.
Several others Law FIRMS TARGERED by these Orders Opted to Cut Deals to Avoid Disruption. These Deals Invtud Promature to Do Pro Bono Work, Some of this Work Will Be Defending Police Officeers Access of WrongDoing.
Legal Executives from At Least 11 Major Companies AR Redirecting Assignments Away from FIRMS That Made Pacts With The White House, The Wsj Reported. Oracle, Morgan Stanley, An UNNAND AIRLINE, a Pharmaceutical Company, and MCDONALD’s Have All MVED or ConsidRed moving legal work, in some Ches Explicitly CITING DISSATISFACTISFASFASFACTISFAR Response to White House Pressure. Microsoft Raised Conflict-FF-Interest Concers with Latham & Watkins, Temporary Removing the Fair from Its Preferred Counsel List Before Reinstating IT after Further Discussions.
LAW FIRMS Whiche Chose to Sign Deals with the Adminration Are not only finding the Stress Due to A Reported Drop in Clients, but are also finding internal prompt and resignations.
Partners and Associats at FIRMS Including Paul Weiss, KIRKLAND & Elis, Skadden, Simpson Thacher, and others, Expressed anger and Frustration Over What They Perceied As a Retreat from Defending the firm’s independence.
Four Senior Partners at Paul Weiss, One Major FIRM that Reacked a Settlement with the Trump Administration, Have quit to form them.
The Law FIRMS That Challenge the Adminismration’s Orders –jenner & Block, perkins Coie, Wilmeerhale, and Susman Godfrey –Noted an Influx of Business from Large Companes Seeing to Reward Their Stance, According to Interviews the Wsj Carrid Out with General Counsels at Multiple Corporss.
Judges Have Block or Struck Download
Jenner & Block Was Targeted “BecUSE of the Causess Jenner Champions, The Clients Jenner Represents, and a Lawyer Jenner on Employed,” RULED US District Judge John Bats.
Bats, Appointed by Former Presentent George W. Bush Wrote, “Going after Law FIRMS in this Way is Doubly Violaative of the Conntulation,” Adding that the Administration Sough to “Chill Legal Representation “It did’s like.
Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle Via Ap
What People Are Saying
Virginia Canter, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Chief Counsel and Director at Democracy Defenders Action, Told Newsweek: “By failed to Agzressively challenge the administration’s blackly unconstitiational against them, these law firms may have not only adversley and posibly iRRPARBLY Impacted their relationships with them They May Take. “
Jon Palmer, General Counsel of Microsoft, Told the Wsj: “The Latham Agreement Created Concerns About Potential Conflict of Interest Isions that count Have Affectated the Firm’s Ability to Represent Microsoft …[Latham’s leaders] Provided the Strong Assurances We Needed to address our Concerns. “
Jenner & Block Said in A Statement in March:“[Making a deal with the White House would mean] Compromising Our Ability to Zealously Advocate for All of our Clients and Capitulating to Unconstitiational Goovernment CORCIONT, which is simply not in our DNA. “
What Happy NEXT
Judicial Challenges to Trump’s Executive Orders are ongoing, with Courts So Far Siding With Law FIRMS That Mounted Legal Opposition.
Corporalate Clients, Meanwhile, Are Excel FIRMS SEEN As MainTaining Independence.
Update, 6/5/2025 5:28 AM Et: This Story was updated to Include Comment from Virginia Canter, Ethics and Anti-corruption Chief Counsel and Director at Democracy Defenders Actions.
