As a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Wall Street’s oldest law firm, Todd Blanche had represented people close to President Trump over the years. But in 2023, when Mr. Trump was facing multiple criminal investigations and Mr. Blanche wanted to represent him, most of the firm’s leadership balked at the idea, according to people…
In his attacks on law firms, universities and other American institutions, President Trump is relying on an illusion. The illusion is that the institutions are powerless to fight back and that they face a choice between principle and survival. These institutions do not have to capitulate to Mr. Trump. They have a realistic path to…
It is a cornerstone of American democracy, enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution: People have the right to challenge the actions of their leaders. Countless citizens, companies and others have exercised that right by filing lawsuits against the U.S. government. This has been happening for more than 200 years. But the barrage of…
The Skadden Arps deal suggests negotiating may be getting more costly. Paul Weiss said it would provide $40 million in pro bono work, while the Skadden Arps agreement more than doubled that amount. The deals have also been met with scathing criticism by those in the legal community who see them as unnecessary capitulation in…
The nation’s legal profession is being split between those that want to fight back against President Trump’s attacks on the industry and those that prefer to engage in the art of the deal. Two big firms sued the Trump administration on Friday, seeking to stop executive orders that could impair their ability to represent clients….
The elite law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has had discussions with President Trump’s advisers about a deal to avert the type of executive order that the White House has been imposing on many of its competitors, according to five people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly about…
President Trump’s executive order attacking Paul Weiss and severely restricting that law firm’s ability to represent its clients was widely seen by lawyers as a dangerous affront to the nation’s legal system. To rivals of Paul Weiss, it was an opportunity. Within days of Mr. Trump’s March 14 order, some of the biggest competitors were…
Last week, a federal judge in Washington ruled that a subsequent executive order Mr. Trump signed targeting the law firm Perkins Coie, which is also aligned with Democrats, was likely unconstitutional and issued a restraining order halting it. But two days later, Mr. Trump signed a nearly identical executive order against Paul, Weiss. Mr. Trump…
In the process of attacking big law firms this week, the Trump administration hinted at another potential target: a decades-old nonprofit that helps students land jobs on Wall Street. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sent letters to 20 law firms on Monday demanding information on their diversity, equity and inclusion, or D.E.I., efforts. All of…
Some lawyers said the deal was driven by profit. Others said it was enabling autocracy. One said the move prompted her to quit her legal job in disgust. All over the legal world, lawyers on Friday were talking about the deal that Paul Weiss, one of the nation’s most prominent law firms, made with President…