Overview

• Willkie Farr & Gallagher agreed to a $100 million pro bono commitment to causes like aiding veterans, combating antisemitism, and promoting judicial fairness.
• The firm also pledged to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices and adopt merit-based employment policies.
• The settlement came after the Trump administration signaled plans to issue an executive order targeting the firm, which had represented clients critical of Trump, including Georgia election workers in a defamation case against Rudy Giuliani.
• Doug Emhoff, a partner at the firm and husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, opposed the decision to settle, advocating instead for resistance to the administration’s demands.
• This agreement continues a broader trend of law firms either capitulating to or legally challenging the Trump administration's unprecedented campaign against perceived liberal bias in the legal profession.