WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a move that underscores his administration's influence, President Donald Trump announced agreements with five law firms on Friday. These deals will spare the firms from potential executive orders while committing them to collectively contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in pro bono legal services to causes championed by the White House.
These resolutions highlight the president's ongoing ability to leverage prominent law firms as they navigate potential sanctions from his administration.
The firms entering into these agreements with the White House include Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; Kirkland & Ellis; Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; and Latham & Watkins.
Over the past two months, a series of executive orders targeting the legal sector has been part of a broader strategy by Trump to reshape aspects of civil society. These orders have aimed to extract concessions from entities whose work he opposes, threatening to disrupt firms' operations by potentially revoking security clearances, restricting access to federal buildings, and terminating federal contracts held by the firms or their clients.
Following the initial executive orders, several major law firms, such as WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, and Jenner & Block, secured court rulings temporarily suspending the enforcement of most provisions. However, other firms have opted to avoid penalties by negotiating agreements with the White House.
Paul Weiss was the first to reach such an accord, pledging $40 million in pro bono legal services and other concessions in exchange for the administration's withdrawal of an earlier executive order. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, and Milbank have also since finalized similar deals.
Notably, some of the targeted firms, including WilmerHale and Jenner & Block, have ties to lawyers who previously investigated Trump or represented leading Democrats. Covington & Burling, the first firm to face an executive order, employs lawyers who have provided legal counsel to special counsel Jack Smith, who investigated Trump and filed criminal charges against him during his terms.