Skadden Associate Gives Rousing Speech Before Quitting Fraidy-Cat Firm

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a Skadden associate, disgusted at the way their firm groveled to Donald Trump — offering $100 million in pro bono payola to right-wing causes — publicly quits the firm. Familiar? Yeah, well, it’s happened again.

A tipster at the firm shared with Above the Law that the firm was in defense mode, holding meetings with groups of associates to reassure them. But that plan backfired spectacularly.

Skadden NYC litigation practice heads set up meetings [Monday] to discuss the Skadden decision / memo as a temperature check. The first meeting was with first through fourth year associates, where one well respected second year associate gave a speech about how the firm is in the wrong here with its deal with the administration, the room cried, clapped and roared.

I am ready to see the cinematic version of this! The associate, Thomas Sipp, followed up the speech with a departure email, available in full below, which does not disappoint. He hits all the high notes, from the firm cuddling up with authoritarianism:

I believe, as I know many of you do, that what the current presidential administration is doing is wrong. That we are sliding into an autocracy where those in power are above the rule of law. Skadden’s agreement with the Trump administration sent our country deeper down this descent.

To the disappointment Sipp feels towards the firm:

[T]here was a time when I sincerely believed that this place was committed to its true pro bono causes and diversity initiates, even though these thing may to always be lucrative,, because it believed these things would make the world,, and this firm, a better place. Having held itself out as a champion for these values, for this firm to turn its back on them so suddenly and so easily was shameful. I am embarrassed to work here.How can Skadden represent others when it can’t even stand up for itself?

Then the call out to one of the firm’s least defensible and most big brotherian moves in this mess:

It has also become clear to me that the firm no longer tolerates open discourse. Ahead of Friday’s announcement, the firm took preemptive action to silence critics by covertly limiting our access to firmware distribution lists. This was a clear effort to silence criticism of the firm’s decision.

Before ending with this salvo:

Skadden is on the wrong side of history. I could no longer stay knowing that someday I would have to explain why I stayed.

Kudos, man. And I wouldn’t be surprised if more followed suit.

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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