Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
[The fact that this topic has remained in the news] reminds firms that if they settle, people will not forget quickly. I am guessing that the firms that settled never anticipated the extent of the blowback or how long the settlements would continue to be front-of-mind for many people.
The fact that the settlements happened at all was extraordinary. The amount of free legal work that was extracted was extraordinary. Every time there is a new development that seems remotely related to those settlements, some people become incensed all over again. Those settlements never should have happened.
— Leslie Levin, a legal ethics professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on the lasting impact of the pro bono payola deals that the notorious nine Biglaw firms — including Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; Skadden; Simpson Thacher; Paul Weiss; Milbank; Willkie Farr; A&O Shearman; and Cadwalader — signed with Donald Trump to escape or get out from under odious (and unconstitutional) executive orders.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post These Notorious Nine Biglaw Firms Will Never Be Able To Escape The Stench Of Their Trump Deals appeared first on Above the Law.
Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
[The fact that this topic has remained in the news] reminds firms that if they settle, people will not forget quickly. I am guessing that the firms that settled never anticipated the extent of the blowback or how long the settlements would continue to be front-of-mind for many people.
The fact that the settlements happened at all was extraordinary. The amount of free legal work that was extracted was extraordinary. Every time there is a new development that seems remotely related to those settlements, some people become incensed all over again. Those settlements never should have happened.
— Leslie Levin, a legal ethics professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on the lasting impact of the pro bono payola deals that the notorious nine Biglaw firms — including Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; Skadden; Simpson Thacher; Paul Weiss; Milbank; Willkie Farr; A&O Shearman; and Cadwalader — signed with Donald Trump to escape or get out from under odious (and unconstitutional) executive orders.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
