Overview

• President Trump announced deals with five prominent law firms, including Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins, for a combined $600 million in pro bono legal work.
• These agreements bring the total pro bono commitments extracted from law firms under his administration to $940 million, the largest in U.S. legal history.
• The firms agreed to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices, aligning with the administration’s ideological stance against such policies.
• Some firms, like Susman Godfrey, have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the executive orders, citing violations of free speech and due process rights.
• Internal dissent is growing within law firms, with hundreds of associates opposing these agreements, warning of reputational damage and threats to the rule of law.