One of the law firms that President Donald Trump targeted has bent the knee and agreed to his terms.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP indicated that it will provide about $100 million in pro bono legal work to push causes that the Trump administration supports, according to a recent post from the president on Truth Social.
The causes that the law firm will support include “Assisting Veterans and other Public Servants, including members of the Military, Law Enforcement, First Responders, and Federal, State, and Local Government Officials; ensuring fairness in our Justice System; and combatting Antisemitism,” the president explained.
Skadden will change its pro bono policy so that all pro bono moving forward will be done in the Firm name. A pro bono Committee will be constituted to ensure that pro bono matters are consistent with the objectives of the program, and that pro bono activities represent the full political spectrum.
The Skadden Foundation will also “commit to the mission of providing pro bono Legal Services to a wide variety of deserving organizations and individuals.”
Moreover, the firm will eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, commit to “merit-based hiring, promotion, and retention,” and refrain from engaging in “illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.”
Additionally, Skadden “will not deny representation to clients, such as members of politically disenfranchised groups, who have not historically received legal representation from major National Law Firms.”
This development comes after President Trump issued a series of executive orders against various law firms that have participated in legal action against him during and after his first term in office.
From Politico:
When Trump first took office in 2017, attorneys at Big Law firms lent thousands of pro-bono hours to legal efforts to stymie the administration’s most controversial policies, including the travel ban that restricted entry to the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries.
After his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump became even more anathema to major firms; several of his criminal defense lawyers had to leave their firms in order to take him on as a client.
The president issued an executive order against the Paul Weiss law firm because Mark Pomerantz, who was employed with the firm, investigated Trump in the “Hush Money” case when he served in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The order suspended the firm’s security clearances while limiting their access to government buildings.
It also barred the firm from government contracts. He issued other orders against other firms, such as Perkins Coie, which participated in the Russia collusion hoax, and employees at Covington & Burling, who provided free legal services to special counsel Jack Smith.
However, not all of the firms are giving in to Trump. At least two have decided to take the matter to court.
Earlier Friday, major law firms Jenner & Block and WilmerHale filed two lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive orders cutting those firms off from government contracts, suspending security clearances held by lawyers at the firm and restricting firm employees from entering government buildings.
A federal judge earlier this month blocked the administration from enforcing the order aimed at punishing Perkins Coie. She argued that the “retaliatory animus” is “clear on its face” and violates constitutional protections against “viewpoint discrimination.”
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