Trump signed a $100 million deal with Skadden law firm for pro bono legal services

President Donald Trump announced on Friday an agreement with the prestigious law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, whereby the firm pledges to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services "during the Trump Administration and beyond."

This pact comes against a backdrop of tensions between the Republican Administration and several major law firms, which Trump has targeted with executive orders as conducting  "investigations against the President and others" and for “engaging in activities that undermine justice and the interests of the United States.”

Trump described the action as "essentially a settlement" and expressed satisfaction, saying, "We very much appreciate their coming to the table.” 

Although the president has not issued a specific executive order on Skadden, the administration had hinted that more firms could be targeted for similar action.

The agreement between the parties stipulates that Skadden will not deny representation to clients from "politically disenfranchised groups, who have not historically received legal representation from major national law firms."

In addition, the firm will focus its pro bono efforts on supporting veterans and other public servants, including "members of the military, law enforcement and so on," Trump said.

The president also highlighted Skadden's commitment to practice "merit-based hiring, promotion and retention” and to fund at least five fellows through a scholarship fund.

Not the first agreement

This is not the first such settlement reached by the Trump Administration. Last week, the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison law firm also agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono work for government-backed causes and to hire an outside expert to review its hiring practices.

Controversies

The announcement of the Skadden deal was not without controversy.

For her part, a former associate at the firm, Rachel Cohen, posted a "conditional resignation notice" on LinkedIn, which went viral, urging Skadden to resist pressure from the president. "If being on this career path demands I accept that my industry—because this is certainly not unique to Skadden—will allow an authoritarian government to ignore the courts, I refuse to take it any further,” Cohen wrote.

Meanwhile, other law firms have opted to go the legal route to take on the Administration.

Hours before the announcement of the Skadden settlement, Jenner & Block and WilmerHale filed separate lawsuits against the Republican Administration over executive orders they consider retaliatory, the New York Times reported.

The Skadden settlement marks a new chapter in the Trump Administration's strategy of pressuring large law firms with the intent of neutralizing them for engaging in practices to undermine justice.