"After the Notorious Nine Biglaw firms traded their principles to curry favor with the Trump administration, the question on everyone's mind remained: what, exactly, were they going to do for the administration? The firms offered free legal services - in amounts upward of $125 million each - to vaguely defined conservative-friendly causes. Publicly, the firms downplayed the agreements, telling legislators that they would retain ultimate authority over their pro bono representations and, often, pointing to specific, benign causes like "veterans' charities" as examples of the work expected."
"Meanwhile, the administration itself indicated that they felt the work would cover everything from defending police brutality cases to personal legal services for Trump to call upon after leaving office. What were these firms supposed to be doing to fulfill their pro bono payola obligations? We might have a bit more insight into this matter, following an email sent around to Kirkland attorneys seeking volunteers to help out with a new engagement for the conservative think tank The Goldwater Institute. Presumably, if the $125 million bill ever comes due, this is the sort of work the firm will point to."
Nine prominent Biglaw firms offered free legal services, reportedly in amounts upward of $125 million each, to broadly defined conservative causes and the Trump administration. The firms publicly portrayed the arrangements as retaining ultimate authority over pro bono choices and cited benign examples such as veterans' charities. The administration suggested the work could encompass defending police brutality cases and providing post‑office personal legal services for Trump. An internal Kirkland email sought volunteers for an engagement with the Goldwater Institute, indicating the types of matters firms might cite to fulfill their pro bono commitments. The Goldwater Institute maintains a libertarian tilt and pursues regulatory challenges.
Read at Above the Law
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