Five more law firms have struck deals with President Donald Trump to avoid punitive executive orders against them, ramping up a concerning trend of firms caving to the president’s will.
The deals, which Trump shared on social media Thursday, are similar to ones other law firms have agreed to in recent months and require them to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in free legal services to causes supported by Trump, including the assistance of veterans and law enforcement, ensuring fairness in the justice system and combating antisemitism.
The deal struck with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft requires the firm to provide $100 million to those pro bono legal services. A joint deal struck with four law firms ― Kirkland & Ellis, A&O Shearman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Latham & Watkins ― mandates $500 million total in free legal work from their staffs.
The firms also agreed not to “engage in illegal DEI discrimination and preferences,” Trump said, referring to the diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices he and other Republicans have railed against in recent months.
The flurry of deals comes a day after Trump dropped an executive order targeting the law firm Susman Godfrey, which is representing Dominion Voting Systems in defamation cases against former Trump officials who claimed the election was rigged against him. Like other executive orders he’s issued against law firms Trump feels have wronged him, the action suspends all Susman Godfrey lawyers’ security clearances, restricts their access to government buildings and threatens to cancel their clients’ federal contracts.
The firm said it will push back on Trump’s punishment.
“Anyone who knows Susman Godfrey knows we believe in the rule of law, and we take seriously our duty to uphold it,” a company statement said. “This principle guides us now. There is no question that we will fight this unconstitutional order.”
