"Since the start of the Trump II reign, and the attack on the rule of law that coincided with that, it's been clear that Biglaw wasn't going to be our savior. When d irectly confronted with unconstitutional Executive Orders targeting firms on Trump's list for retribution, more than twice as many major law firm were willing to promise the president nearly a billion dollars in pro bono payola for conservative causes or clients as were willing to fight the EOs in court."
"Part of Biglaw's reticence to stand up for the rule of law is the tension between corporate lawyers and litigators. Corporate types want to stay on the good side of the administration to grease the wheels for deals. Conversely, litigators worried they were signaling that if a firm won't stand up to the bullying of the Trump administration for themselves, they wouldn't be able to do it for clients."
"Whether it's the high-profile ( and growing) Dunn Isaacson created by former Paul Weiss partners (the first firm to fold to Donald Trump's pressure), the Abbe Lowell boutique - staffed with lawyers who left their capitulating Biglaw firm, Paul Clement's boutique coming out swinging against the Trump administration and defending Biglaw against the EOs, or Roberta Kaplan's boutique getting more talent, these small but mighty firms are poised to take on some of the biggest cases."
Major law firms often avoided directly challenging politically charged government actions and instead pledged pro bono support to preserve relationships, revealing reluctance to confront the administration. Internal tensions between corporate lawyers seeking administrative access and litigators concerned about credibility hindered unified firm responses. Litigation boutiques are emerging as alternatives that lack those structural conflicts and can focus on high‑stakes government disputes. Boutiques formed by former Biglaw partners are attracting talent, taking on consequential cases, and offering agility and willingness to litigate politically sensitive matters. Clients increasingly trust boutiques to handle their most consequential litigation against government actors.
Read at Above the Law
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]