"You'll recall, early in his second term, Trump launched a war on Biglaw through unconstitutional Executive Orders designed to break major law firms unless they bent the knee. In the face of financial harm, nine major firms (Paul Weiss, Skadden, Kirkland, Latham, Cadwalader, Willkie Farr, Simpson Thacher, Milbank, and A&O Shearman) sought Trump's seal of approval, providing millions in pro bono payola, that is, free legal services on behalf of conservative clients or approved causes in order to avoid Trumpian retribution."
"But what work, exactly, are the firms doing to satisfy the terms of their deals? We've since learned that several of the capitulating firms have taken on a role papering up work for the Commerce Department in a questionably legal arrangement. But how this work squares with the deals the firms signed with Trump remains unclear. Earlier today, nonprofit watchdog American Oversight filed a lawsuit (available below) seeking compliance with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests about the deals."
"As the complaint notes, "Though the scope of the services included in these agreements is unclear, President Trump has suggested these law firms may be working pro bono for the federal government on issues including 'trade deals, immigration enforcement, and . . . defending police officers who are under investigation for misconduct.'" As the complaint says, American Oversight has filed repeated FOIA requests - to both the Commerce Department and DOJ - related to the Biglaw deals, and got bupkus for their efforts."
Unconstitutional Executive Orders pressured major law firms to provide pro bono legal services to avoid political retribution. Nine prominent firms (Paul Weiss, Skadden, Kirkland, Latham, Cadwalader, Willkie Farr, Simpson Thacher, Milbank, and A&O Shearman) agreed to provide millions in free legal work for conservative clients or approved causes. Those agreements have triggered congressional investigations, client concerns, and waves of lawyers leaving the firms to distance themselves. Several firms have performed work for the Commerce Department under arrangements described as questionably legal. Nonprofit watchdog American Oversight sued for compliance with FOIA requests seeking communications and records about the deals, after receiving no substantive records from Commerce and DOJ.
Read at Above the Law
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