A&O Shearman Will Do $125 Million In Free Legal Work For Trump, But They Draw The Line At Trade Deals!

Biglaw’s defining moment is here. The institution — and the rule of law — is under attack. Donald Trump is using Executive Orders (or the mere threat of them) targeting specific firms that displease him to try to break major law firms and have them bend a knee to Trump or extract a tremendous financial penalty. And a BUNCH of major law firms have folded, promising up to $125 million in pro bono payola to Trump.

This ahem, “pro bono” work could include lots of questionable legal positions. Biglaw attorneys could be (will be) on the hook for — the rendition of innocent people to horrific conditions in El Salvador, revocation of birthright citizenship, negotiation of coal leases… the list goes on. And Trump has specifically said he’ll tap the Biglaw firms that have pledged legal services for trade deals, “I think we’re going to try to use these very prestigious firms to help us with trade,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting last week. “We have a lot of countries, but we want to make deals that are proper for the United States.”

Oooo… Tariffs? That is apparently a bridge too far for A&O Shearman. The firm promised $125 million in pro bono payola to avoid getting on the bad side of the Trump administration. But according to reporting by Bloomberg Law, in a recent internal meeting, firm leaders assured associates they won’t be working on trade deals.

Global law firm A&O Shearman will not work directly for the US government or handle trade agreements as part of its deal with the Trump administration to commit $125 million in free services, the firm’s leaders said Wednesday in an internal meeting.

The Trump deal does not encompass trade or other government work, Senior Partner Khalid Garousha, Managing Partner Hervé Ekué, and US Chair Adam Hakki said during a town hall meeting with A&O Shearman associates, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The firm’s leaders held a pair of meetings to address junior lawyers’ concerns about the agreement with Trump, in which the firm pledged free legal work to causes backed by the White House. They said there’s no deadline for the firm to make good on that promise, suggesting the work may extend beyond Trump’s remaining time in office and will be difficult to quantify.

Of course, it remains to be seen if this line in the sand will hold. The Biglaw firms that have capitulated to Trump have already shown their belly to a bully. A strong man is unlikely to stop pushing just because a party that has already proven cowardly wants them to stop. That’s not what Vader did to Lando. Do we really think Trump won’t “assign” A&O Shearman tariff work just because they don’t want to do it? And what happens then? Trump still has the threat of the (likely unconstitutional) Executive Order that extracts a financial penalty he will happily whip out if a firm defies him.

A&O already caved once. Trump is betting they will again.

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.

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