3 More Major Biglaw Firms Are Looking To Bow To Trump
Latham, A&O Shearman, and Simpson Thacher are all reportedly looking to make a deal. The post 3 More Major Biglaw Firms Are Looking To Bow To Trump appeared first on Above the Law.
The Trump administration boasted that they’re about to have a $1 billion war chest in pro bono payola (that Donald Trump, at least, believes can be used for legal costs at his sole discretion). But only $340 million in deals has been announced thus far. Kirkland is reportedly in talks to join the ranks of Biglaw firms surrendering to Trump, but where would the rest of the payments come from?
Well, it seems three more firms are in talks to bend a knee to the administration. According to a report from Law.com, Latham & Watkins, A&O Shearman, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett are the firms looking into settling “grievances” with the Trump administration in exchange for their principles. The cost may be going up though — in a press conference on Thursday, Donald Trump said the firms currently negotiating deals will pay $125 million in pro bono payola — up from the $100 million Skadden, Milbank, and Willkie are paying and significantly more than the $40 million Paul Weiss (the first firm to fall) is paying. Hope the associates at those firms like negotiating loser trade deals.
In addition to avoiding the financial fallout of a potential Executive Order targeting the firms, the new deals are also reportedly to resolve the EEOC investigation Trump ordered on their firms.
In the face of this cowardice, it bears repeating that every federal judge (both Republican- and Democrat-appointed) has said the Executive Orders are likely unconstitutional. And the reputational harm for the firms that are selling out the rule of law continues.
Track how Biglaw is responding to the attack on the industry here.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
The post 3 More Major Biglaw Firms Are Looking To Bow To Trump appeared first on Above the Law.
