Trump announces deals with more law firms for a combined $600 million
President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he had reached agreements with five more law firms pledging to provide a combined $600 million in legal services for causes he supports, the latest deals firms have struck with him in apparent bids to avoid punishment.
Since February, Trump has issued several executive orders sanctioning prominent law firms with ties to his political adversaries or that had opposed his policies, seeking to strip them of government contracts and block them from federal buildings. Three firms targeted by Trump have sued to fight back, while several others made deals with Trump that some framed as necessary to keep their businesses afloat.
Trump’s punishments and the deals firms have made with him have rattled the legal community, with attorneys fearing that his crackdown will imperil what causes and cases firms are willing to take up. The latest deals on Friday marked an increase in the pledges and pushed the combined amount to nearly $1 billion across nine law firms.
In a series of social media posts on Friday, Trump said he had reached a deal with four firms — all of them among the country’s wealthiest — to provide $125 million each in pro bono and other free legal work for causes he supports, including aiding veterans, fighting antisemitism and “ensuring fairness in our justice system.”
The price has gone up as more firms have struck deals with Trump. The first firm to strike a deal, Paul Weiss, promised $40 million in pro bono services, while the next three pledged $100 million each.
Trump identified four firms participating in one agreement as Kirkland & Ellis; A&O Shearman; Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett; and Latham & Watkins.
Kirkland and Latham, as the firms are known, are the two biggest law firms in the country as measured by revenue. The firms either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to comment.
Trump’s posting included a statement attributed to leaders of the four firms, in which they said they “resolved this matter while upholding long-held principles important to each of our firms.”
“We look forward to a continued constructive and productive relationship with President Trump and his team,” the statement said.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the terms of the deal Trump announced in his posts are accurate.
In a message sent to employees on Friday, Kirkland’s executive committee said it had reached an agreement “to continue to provide substantial pro bono services on a nonpartisan basis and operate with the merit-based philosophy that is and has always been the essence of Kirkland & Ellis.” The message also said that the firm would decide what cases to take up, including on pro bono matters.
Trump has boasted about the deals that firms have struck with him, and this week he twice floated the idea of putting these attorneys to work negotiating trade deals.
Three firms he targeted with sanctions — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — all filed lawsuits to challenge his orders. All three won at least temporarily relief in court, with judges blocking most of Trump’s punishments.
The firms have asked judges to block his executive orders permanently. The Trump administration has instead asked for the cases to be dismissed, saying his orders are lawful.
Trump also on Friday announced a deal with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, saying that the law firm promised at least $100 million in pro bono legal services. The firm did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Trump’s post included a statement from Patrick Quinn, the managing partner of Cadwalader, which said that “the substance of our agreement is consistent with the principles that have guided” the firm for more than 200 years.
“The firm looks forward to having a productive relationship with President Trump and his administration,” the statement said. “We firmly believe that this outcome is in the best interests of our clients, our people, and our firm.”
Trump’s posting did not mention that Cadwalader is where his former criminal defense attorney, Todd Blanche, worked as a partner. Blanche resigned from Cadwalader to represent Trump against multiple indictments between his two presidential terms. Trump tapped Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general, the second-highest ranking official in the Justice Department.
In statements about the deals, Trump said the firms had vowed “their strong commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.” Trump also said some of the firms would no longer face federal scrutiny over diversity practices.
Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sent letters to 20 law firms requesting information from them about their diversity practices, something the Trump administration has targeted across the government, in education and within the private sector.
The four firms Trump announced together all received such letters, and he said they have been withdrawn. Cadwalader did not receive such a letter.