{"id":113004,"date":"2025-04-01T15:42:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T23:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/04\/01\/willkie-farr-surrenders-to-trump\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T15:42:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T23:42:42","slug":"willkie-farr-surrenders-to-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/04\/01\/willkie-farr-surrenders-to-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Willkie Farr Surrenders To Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
(Photo by (Photo by David Becker\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier today<\/a>, we learned that Biglaw firm Willkie Farr was preparing to be the next Biglaw firm targeted by Donald Trump\u2019s likely unconstitutional<\/a> Executive Orders. But they weren\u2019t tapping litigators to draft a slam-dunk complaint <\/a>against the administration. Turns out they were busy groveling to the administration.<\/p>\n

According to social media posts from Donald Trump, Willkie has committed $100 million in pro bono services to causes aligned with \u201cconservative ideals.\u201d Similar to these other deals with the devil by other Biglaw firms (Paul Weiss <\/a>and Skadden<\/a>), the firm has disavowed their DEI initiatives. In exchange, the firm will avoid one of the\u00a0increasingly common<\/a>\u00a0Executive Orders targeting Biglaw, and the tremendous harm<\/a>\u00a0that can bring.<\/p>\n

The firm reportedly earned Trump\u2019s ire for hiring the former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and two former investigators for the congressional committee on the January 6th attack. The firm is also known for representing clients in opposition to far-right allies, notably Georgia poll workers,\u00a0Ruby Freeman<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Shaye Moss<\/a>, who took\u00a0down Rudy Giuliani<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to social media posts, some partners at the firm were caught unaware by the firm\u2019s capitulation.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Just texted with a partner at Willkie who had no idea this was in the works. I found out on Bluesky before they did.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel Roberts\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@drobertsimg.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-04-01T21:04:51.288Z<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

If this surrender to Trump is received at Willkie similarly to how attorneys at Skadden<\/a> and Paul Weiss<\/a> took the news, there\u2019s a lot of anger<\/a> boiling at the firm. And if partners weren\u2019t consulted in the decision? Well, there may be some high-profile resignations<\/a> from the firm.<\/p>\n

This is the text of the email sent firmwide in the wake of the settlement with Trump.<\/p>\n

\n

Dear All Colleagues,<\/em><\/p>\n

We learned that the President intended to issue an Executive Order targeting Willkie similar to the orders issued against multiple firms in the past weeks, threatening to imperil our clients\u2019 rights and those of our Firm.<\/em><\/p>\n

We were invited to contact the Administration on Sunday, and they outlined a proposed alternative to receiving an Executive Order. After determining that the three principles on which an agreement would be based are consistent with our Firm\u2019s longstanding practices, we engaged in discussions to see if an acceptable resolution could be reached.<\/em><\/p>\n

While the agreement ultimately reached with the Administration focuses on activities that are already in place at our Firm, similar agreements at peer firms have been publicly criticized, and there is heightened conversation across our industry as law firms grapple with the consequences of potential Executive Orders and the impact for their clients, their employees and their businesses. In making this difficult decision, we concluded, after due consideration of the implications of each possible course of action, that accepting the Administration\u2019s final proposal was the path that best serves our clients\u2019 needs and protects the Firm\u2019s various stakeholders, avoiding potentially grave consequences.<\/em><\/p>\n

As mentioned above, the agreement has three principles. First, we will continue to follow the law related to our employment practices. Second, we will continue to represent clients on both sides of the aisle and with a wide range of ideological views. Third, we will continue to represent underrepresented individuals and groups that are not only important to the Administration, but to Willkie\u2014this includes veterans, Gold Star families and victims of religious discrimination. These are all longstanding practices at Willkie, so the agreement does not require us to change course.<\/em><\/p>\n

We know this news is not welcomed by some of you and you would have urged a different course of action. Needless to say, this was an incredibly difficult decision for Firm leadership.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you receive questions from clients, please direct them to the appropriate relationship partner. Should you receive an inquiry from the media or another third party, please do not respond and send the information to\u00a0<\/em>[the firm\u2019s chief marketing officer].<\/p>\n

Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to the Firm and our clients.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Executive Committee<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Willkie attorneys and other employees, how do you feel about the firm\u2019s decision? Feel free to sound off\u00a0by email<\/a>, by text message (646-820-8477), or by tweet (@ATLblog<\/a>). An insightful response \u2014 we\u2019ll keep you anonymous \u2014 could find its way into an update to this story.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her<\/a> with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Willkie Farr Surrenders To Trump<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
(Photo by (Photo by David Becker\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier today<\/a>, we learned that Biglaw firm Willkie Farr was preparing to be the next Biglaw firm targeted by Donald Trump\u2019s likely unconstitutional<\/a> Executive Orders. But they weren\u2019t tapping litigators to draft a slam-dunk complaint <\/a>against the administration. Turns out they were busy groveling to the administration.<\/p>\n

According to social media posts from Donald Trump, Willkie has committed $100 million in pro bono services to causes aligned with \u201cconservative ideals.\u201d Similar to these other deals with the devil by other Biglaw firms (Paul Weiss <\/a>and Skadden<\/a>), the firm has disavowed their DEI initiatives. In exchange, the firm will avoid one of the\u00a0increasingly common<\/a>\u00a0Executive Orders targeting Biglaw, and the tremendous harm<\/a>\u00a0that can bring.<\/p>\n

The firm reportedly earned Trump\u2019s ire for hiring the former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and two former investigators for the congressional committee on the January 6th attack. The firm is also known for representing clients in opposition to far-right allies, notably Georgia poll workers,\u00a0Ruby Freeman<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Shaye Moss<\/a>, who took\u00a0down Rudy Giuliani<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to social media posts, some partners at the firm were caught unaware by the firm\u2019s capitulation.<\/p>\n

If this surrender to Trump is received at Willkie similarly to how attorneys at Skadden<\/a> and Paul Weiss<\/a> took the news, there\u2019s a lot of anger<\/a> boiling at the firm. And if partners weren\u2019t consulted in the decision? Well, there may be some high-profile resignations<\/a> from the firm.<\/p>\n

This is the text of the email sent firmwide in the wake of the settlement with Trump.<\/p>\n

\n

Dear All Colleagues,<\/em><\/p>\n

We learned that the President intended to issue an Executive Order targeting Willkie similar to the orders issued against multiple firms in the past weeks, threatening to imperil our clients\u2019 rights and those of our Firm.<\/em><\/p>\n

We were invited to contact the Administration on Sunday, and they outlined a proposed alternative to receiving an Executive Order. After determining that the three principles on which an agreement would be based are consistent with our Firm\u2019s longstanding practices, we engaged in discussions to see if an acceptable resolution could be reached.<\/em><\/p>\n

While the agreement ultimately reached with the Administration focuses on activities that are already in place at our Firm, similar agreements at peer firms have been publicly criticized, and there is heightened conversation across our industry as law firms grapple with the consequences of potential Executive Orders and the impact for their clients, their employees and their businesses. In making this difficult decision, we concluded, after due consideration of the implications of each possible course of action, that accepting the Administration\u2019s final proposal was the path that best serves our clients\u2019 needs and protects the Firm\u2019s various stakeholders, avoiding potentially grave consequences.<\/em><\/p>\n

As mentioned above, the agreement has three principles. First, we will continue to follow the law related to our employment practices. Second, we will continue to represent clients on both sides of the aisle and with a wide range of ideological views. Third, we will continue to represent underrepresented individuals and groups that are not only important to the Administration, but to Willkie\u2014this includes veterans, Gold Star families and victims of religious discrimination. These are all longstanding practices at Willkie, so the agreement does not require us to change course.<\/em><\/p>\n

We know this news is not welcomed by some of you and you would have urged a different course of action. Needless to say, this was an incredibly difficult decision for Firm leadership.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you receive questions from clients, please direct them to the appropriate relationship partner. Should you receive an inquiry from the media or another third party, please do not respond and send the information to\u00a0<\/em>[the firm\u2019s chief marketing officer].<\/p>\n

Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to the Firm and our clients.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Executive Committee<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Willkie attorneys and other employees, how do you feel about the firm\u2019s decision? Feel free to sound off\u00a0by email<\/a>, by text message (646-820-8477), or by tweet (@ATLblog<\/a>). An insightful response \u2014 we\u2019ll keep you anonymous \u2014 could find its way into an update to this story.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her<\/a> with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon @[email\u00a0protected].<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photo by (Photo by David Becker\/Getty Images) Earlier today, we learned that Biglaw firm Willkie Farr was preparing to be the next Biglaw firm targeted by Donald Trump\u2019s likely unconstitutional Executive Orders. But they weren\u2019t tapping litigators to draft a slam-dunk complaint against the administration. Turns out they were busy groveling to the administration. According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":113005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568-Tislpr.jpeg?fit=620%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}