Law Firms Avoid Trump Sanctions With Legal Agreements \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Trump announced deals with five major law firms to provide free legal services. The agreements help firms avoid executive orders targeting discriminatory hiring practices. Firms must abandon DEI practices and pledge neutrality in client selection.
Quick Looks
- Five major law firms agreed to provide $600 million in pro bono services.
- The agreements allow the firms to avoid executive orders and EEOC probes.
- Participating firms include Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, and Cadwalader.
- The deals require firms to disavow illegal DEI hiring practices and ensure political neutrality.
- In return, the EEOC will drop investigations into discriminatory hiring claims.
- Kirkland & Ellis said the deal aligns with its merit-based culture.
- Other targeted firms like WilmerHale and Jenner & Block are fighting the orders in court.
- Trump has issued a series of executive orders pressuring law firms seen as politically adversarial.
- Firms that refuse to settle risk losing security clearances and federal contracts.
- Susman Godfrey sued the Trump administration Friday over alleged retaliation.
Deep Look
In a move that underscores his continued influence over corporate legal culture, President Donald Trump announced Friday that five major law firms have agreed to provide a combined $600 million in pro bono legal services in exchange for avoiding executive sanctions tied to their diversity policies and alleged political bias.
The settlements follow a series of executive orders aimed at reshaping how law firms engage with the federal government, particularly around hiring practices and political affiliations. The White House confirmed that the firms—Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP—will each provide substantial free legal work to causes championed by the administration, including veterans’ services and fighting antisemitism.
Firms Avoid Sweeping Sanctions
The agreements come as the administration has escalated pressure on the legal industry through executive orders threatening firms with the loss of security clearances, restricted federal access, and terminated government contracts. In return for cooperation, the White House has withdrawn Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) inquiries into whether the firms engaged in discriminatory hiring.
Each firm must also disavow the use of “illegal” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria in hiring and client selection. Additionally, they must affirm neutrality toward clients regardless of political ideology.
“This resolution will help us avoid unnecessary litigation and allow us to continue practicing law on a nonpartisan, merit-based basis,” read a statement from Kirkland & Ellis’ executive committee, shared internally with staff and obtained by the Associated Press.
Representatives from the other four firms did not immediately respond to media inquiries.
A Pattern of Pressure and Compliance
The latest deals follow a broader campaign by Trump to reshape civil institutions and punish entities viewed as antagonistic to his administration. Several law firms have already settled, including Paul Weiss, which agreed to provide $40 million in legal services to avoid sanctions, and Skadden, Milbank, and Willkie Farr, which followed suit shortly after.
Some firms, such as WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, and Jenner & Block, have taken a different route, filing lawsuits and winning temporary injunctions against enforcement of Trump’s orders. Many of these firms are associated with lawyers who have either investigated Trump or represented prominent Democrats.
Notably, Covington & Burling, the first law firm to face executive action, employs attorneys linked to Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought federal charges against Trump during the investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Susman Godfrey Sues Over New Order
On Friday night, Susman Godfrey LLP, which secured a $787 million settlement against Fox News for defamation involving Trump’s 2020 election claims, filed suit in federal court to block the latest executive order. The firm’s legal complaint called the move “a grave threat” to legal independence and accused Trump of using presidential authority for personal vendettas.
“The President is abusing the powers of his office to retaliate against organizations and people that he dislikes,” the complaint said.
Implications for the Legal Industry
Trump’s effort to extract pro bono concessions from elite firms marks a new chapter in the intersection of politics and legal practice. Experts warn it sets a troubling precedent, where access to federal opportunities may become contingent on ideological alignment or political neutrality tests.
Legal analysts are also watching closely to see if additional firms will settle or continue fighting the orders in court.
For now, Trump’s team has succeeded in reshaping legal engagement with the federal government, steering firms toward the administration’s preferred causes while rolling back practices it views as politically charged.
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