'Uprising' at major law firm that just cut a deal with Trump: report

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

April 11, 2025 1:40PM ET


Attorneys working at a law firm that just cut a deal with President Donald Trump are reportedly in open revolt.

The Bulwark's Sam Stein reports that more than 500 associate attorneys and staff at Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US LLP signed a letter imploring the firm not to take an offer from Trump to do pro bono work on behalf of his administration in exchange for him not revoking security clearances.

The letter sent to leadership emphasizes that while the firm is "facing an unprecedented threat, and that there are no risk-free options in these circumstances" and then adds that "we firmly believe that agreements of this nature contribute to the degradation of the rule of law in the United States" and that "we firmly believe that a similar agreement would be detrimental to A&O Shearman’s business interests both in the United States and internationally, in terms of client relationships, employee retention, recruitment, and the firm’s US and global reputation, both now and in the future."

Stein describes the letter as an "uprising" against the firm's leadership and an indication that there is considerable dissent from within the legal community about resigning to the president's threats.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-law-firms-2671752951/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. They'll all have to be terminated b/c Trump fires everyone who disagrees with him.

Nice law firm you had.

[DENVERPOPS]

35. LOL

and I would love to know how many of that 500 voted for Trump...................

[Henry203]

38. None

I work in big legal. I can guarantee none of them voted for Trump,

[ruet]

2. Is There a Work Stoppage?

No? Then not a "revolt".

[Biophilic]

3. At least they are getting some push back and not accepting things.

[JohnSJ]

4. Exactly, or actually quit.

[mwb970]

5. Everyone who touches trump in any way turns to crap and burns.

Giuliani
Lindell
Musk
etc.
etc.
etc.

trump cultists are clearly on the wrong side of history and everyone knows it.

[hadEnuf]

6. This is open extortion by the POTUS.

[kacekwl]

20. You have hundreds of lawyers

sue the orange idiot into the next century.

[PatSeg]

7. "Pro bono"??? WTF???

It is bad enough that he is threatening them, but then he wants them to work for FREE? Trump is definitely a Mob Boss, minus any commonsense or class.

[HereForTheParty]

9. I wonder how much will be "election fairness"

nm

[PatSeg]

24. Good point

What a terrifying thought.

[Irish_Dem]

26. They will now be Trump Crime Syndicate attorneys.

[PatSeg]

37. All his dreams are coming true

[Irish_Dem]

46. Yes Trump, his family, the entire Trump crime syndicate have free representation

by top law firms.

[PatSeg]

57. They must be feeling very self-satisfied and smug right about now

It is not bound to end well for any of them though. It rarely does.

[Irish_Dem]

59. Oh yes they think they are brilliant.

They have manipulated everyone.
Trump is totally immune for any crimes he commits.
He can grant anyone a pardon when he leaves office.
And they all have totally free long term legal representation.

Plus they will be trillionaires when he leaves office.
They assume they are untouchable.

Yes I don't think it is going to end well for them.
They will be the most hated people on earth.

[stillcool]

12. sickening...

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/susman-godfrey-latest-target-in-trumps-growing-attacks-on-big-law
Trump Targets Law Firm Behind $787.5 Million Fox News Suit (4)
John Hughes
Reporter/Editor
President Donald Trump on Wednesday targeted Susman Godfrey with an executive order as an aide said the administration was close to $1 billion in deals with law firms.
-----------------------
Susman represented Dominion Voting Systems Inc. in a blockbuster defamation lawsuit against Fox Corp. in which the media company agreed to pay a $787.5 million settlement. The firm is also pursuing a defamation case against Mike Lindell, a well-known Trump advocate and chief executive officer of MyPillow, on behalf of Dominion.
“We signed with many law firms, the ones that we thought were inappropriate, and they’ve all agreed to pay,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We have another five to go.”

While Trump has publicized four agreements with law firms that have promised $340 million in pro bono services for causes the president supports, aide Stephen Miller said the administration was getting close to $600 to $700 million in deals now, including those that haven’t been announced.

“The numbers are adding up,” Miller said in the Oval Office. “We’re going to be close to a billion soon.”

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/susman-godfrey-latest-target-in-trumps-growing-attacks-on-big-law

[PatSeg]

23. Damn, we lose the rule of law

then we've lost our democracy for a very long time, maybe forever.

[Henry203]

39. Susman will win

And so will Jenner, Wilmer and Perkins. All the supreme comes from big legal. They will protect the lawyers. They will win 7-2.

[orangecrush]

15. Pro Bonered

Is more like it

[calimary]

29. No kidding!

[usonian]

18. Beware a cheap lawyer.

At best you get interns. At worst, you get AI, and if the case falls apart:

WE USED GROK.
MUSK SAYS IT'S BETTER THAN LAWYERS. AND GOD.

[PatSeg]

25. I guess that's probably true

and if we're lucky, they'll even sabotage his cases intentionally. Of course, it would be better to just say "No".

[usonian]

31. How do you fire someone who works for free?

[PatSeg]

36. On social media or email!!!

[TommyT139]

32. And he won't yet say what cases.

Dollars to donuts he'll go for maximum humiliation and send them to do his dirty deportation work.

He has mentioned tariffs and coal -- but you just know he wants to rub their noses in how he's forcing them to be as corrupt as he is.

[PatSeg]

47. Yes, his greed is only surpassed by his need

for revenge. All his demented dreams are coming true and while he has the power, he will use it until the end. He does have a talent for revealing who people really are at their core though.

[TommyT139]

54. "Who people are..."

...at the individual level, and perhaps at the country level.

[PatSeg]

58. I know that I have been rather shocked

by so many of them. I'm kind of numb right now.

[mdbl]

44. That was his MO in business since the beginning - don't pay anyone he owes for work they performed

[PatSeg]

48. Yes, why pay for anything if you don't have to?

Sometimes, it is just a challenge to see how much you can get without paying for it.

[wnylib]

60. What if they accept the requirement to work for him pro bono but intentionally blow the cases?

If caught doing that, they'd be in trouble for it, but if clever enough, they could do a subtle screw up that has plausibility.

[PatSeg]

61. You know, I was thinking the same thing

Like the stories about people who sabotaged the manufacture of vehicles and weapons for the Nazis during World War II. There's all kinds of resistance.

[HereForTheParty]

8. Big Law is about profits, not the greater good

Most will do whatever is best for the bottom line.

[Henry203]

52. Lawyers will represent who pays them

I have a good friend who beat the DOJ in the Bob McConnell case. Bob was the governor of Virginia and conservatives. My friend is a screaming liberal and represented McConnell.

[Amaryllis]

10. Hope it's not too late to back out.

[bronxiteforever]

11. Caving will destroy the firm.

[erronis]

14. Caving will destroy the rule of law - which will destroy the need for any lawyers.

Law schools can start issuing Toadie Doctorates instead of JD or LLDs. And they can be reclassified as "Clown Schools".

[notinkansas]

43. As in

who would want to hire a firm that can't even fight for themselves?

[patphil]

13. These are the same people who would be doing the pro bono work for the Trump administration.

They don't want that shit on their hands.

[Irish_Dem]

27. Exactly the got sold down the river by their bosses.

Will be Trump and pals personal attorneys.

[Paladin]

16. Thank you, A&O Shearman. (nt)

[lastlib]

17. Where the hell is the American Bar Association??

They should be screaming to high heaven about these "deals" with the devil! They, more than perhaps any organization on the planet, should be asserting their influence to protect the rule of law, and aiding these firms in standing up to the lawless regime they confront.

Maybe I'm missing something, but so far, all I'm hearing is crickets.

[wordstroken]

19. Good question. ABA's crickets sound just like the crickets we heard a few years ago from the American Psychiatric Assoc.

when psychiatrist Dr. Bandy Lee and her colleagues tried to warn us.
🔕 🤐

[BumRushDaShow]

21. "Where the hell is the American Bar Association??"

Being targeted - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143438740

[louis-t]

22. 500 attorneys should walk out.

'Leadership' are cowards.

[BaronChocula]

28. I'm not a lawyer nor do I

run a big firm, but I'm amazed at what appears to be a lack of fight for what's right among so many people.

[Skittles]

34. you got that right

WTF

TELL THAT FASCIST FUCK *NO*

[Hekate]

30. KnR

[pat_k]

40. I wonder how many of the 500 signers come from the 650 who report to a U.S. Office.

I'm guessing the 500 signers are from the 4000 lawyers they employ globally, but it would be great if a vast majority of the signers were actually drawn from the 650 who report to a U.S. Office.

AI summary:
Allen Overy Shearman Sterling (A&O Shearman) LLP, formed by the merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling, has nearly 4,000 lawyers globally. Approximately 650 of these attorneys report to a U.S. office, according to A&O Shearman.

[Henry203]

50. I think they are mostly from NYC

I work in big legal. I had many friends at Shearman. All of the top management went to Gibson Dunn about 9 months ago. I had less friends at Allen. AO is a west coast firm.

[pat_k]

62. Thanks so much for the insight!

[live love laugh]

41. How many of those employees voted for him? Asking for a friend....

[Henry203]

51. Probably none

I work in big legal. I knew all the senior management. About 9 months ago they all went over to Gibson Dunn. I still have their business cards.

[flamingdem]

42. They'd better stand strong

or our nation is screwed. Turns out lawyers don't have spine pretty much.

Everything IS about money in this country. Principles not so much.

[Callie1979]

45. Time to STAND UP like that ONE firm did; you'll win in court

What he's doing is ILLEGAL; call him on it
These wussies are pissing me off; I'll bet ALL of them are 10-100 millionaires; they have the ability to "survive" trumps assaults

[Henry203]

53. Four firms did

Wilmer Hale is being represented by Paul Clement, Perkins Coie by Williams Connolly, Jenner Block by Cooley llp and Susman Godfrey by Munger Tolles.
I met with Williams Connelly last week. I am supposed to meet with Jenner next week.

[Callie1979]

55. Good to know! And that firm who represented Trump standing WITH them

This shit is a threat to ALL of us.

[Turbineguy]

49. If your company has been touched by trump.....

it must turn to shit.

[Ontheroad]

56. If they are vulnerable to this level of extortion

they should not be eligible for security clearances.