{"id":114569,"date":"2025-04-11T14:12:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T22:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/04\/11\/associates-beg-ao-shearman-not-to-be-the-next-collaborator\/"},"modified":"2025-04-11T14:12:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T22:12:17","slug":"associates-beg-ao-shearman-not-to-be-the-next-collaborator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/04\/11\/associates-beg-ao-shearman-not-to-be-the-next-collaborator\/","title":{"rendered":"Associates Beg A&O Shearman Not To Be The Next Collaborator"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biglaw firms keep folding under White House pressure<\/a>, thinking that they\u2019re just committing millions in pro bono payola to worthwhile veteran issues. Meanwhile, Donald Trump \u2014 with a characteristic lack of subtlety \u2014 publicly describes these deals as blank checks for free legal work on anything he dreams up \u2014 up to and including personal<\/em> legal work based on his most recent statement<\/a>. It\u2019s the real life version of Lando\u2019s deal with Darth Vader<\/a>, except Lando didn\u2019t have an army of fancy law degrees that should help a global law firm recognize when it\u2019s getting conned.<\/p>\n

A&O Shearman is reportedly next on the Quisling block<\/a>, and the rank-and-file are having none of it. <\/p>\n

Formed in last year\u2019s Voltron merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling, A&O Shearman was probably overdue for a good bonding moment. Turns out, uniting behind the fear that firm leadership might sell off the firm\u2019s credibility to authoritarian bullying can really bring people together!<\/p>\n

An open letter prepared last night and sent to leadership moments ago, already has over 500 A&O Shearman associates, counsel, and staff raised their hands to say, \u201cMaybe don\u2019t actively sell our firm to authoritarians?\u201d A&O Shearman has around 650 attorneys in the United States, underscoring the profound unpopularity of the rumored capitulation.<\/p>\n

Honestly, it\u2019s one thing to have signed up early \u2014 Paul Weiss and Skadden at least had the luxury of (an admittedly weaksauce) plausible deniability. Back then, leadership could pretend they were just agreeing to redirect a few volunteer hours to less-woke causes in exchange for getting the White House off their backs. After the White House publicly bragged that these firms \u201cbent the knee\u201d and Trump announced that he will \u201cassign\u201d the firms to apply this pro bono work to everything from coal leasing to tariff enforcement, there\u2019s no more illusion. The deal isn\u2019t for traditional pro bono work, it\u2019s a commitment to do otherwise billable work for Trump for free<\/em> like he\u2019s turning in a coupon for a free sandwich.<\/p>\n

Everyone at the time knew the deal was like buying the Brooklyn Bridge from a hustler on Canal Street, but to make a deal NOW \u2014 informed by all that happened since \u2014 is more like gambling your life savings against the Harlem Globetrotters.<\/p>\n

A bet these firms will probably also do after Trump decries the team as woke DEI ideology run amok. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a heartfelt plea to firm leadership not to follow in the ignoble footsteps of Paul, Weiss, Latham, Kirkland, Simpson Thacher, Willkie, and others who\u2019ve reportedly signed \u201ccooperation agreements\u201d with the Trump administration in a desperate bid to avoid the business equivalent of carbonite.<\/p>\n

Signed by over 200 individuals by name (and many more anonymously for obvious reasons), the A&O letter lays out the obvious: these deals are bad for democracy, bad for the firm\u2019s long-term prospects, and frankly just embarrassing.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe firmly believe that agreements of this nature contribute to the degradation of the rule of law in the United States,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cLikewise, we firmly believe that a similar agreement would be detrimental to A&O Shearman\u2019s business interests both in the United States and internationally, in terms of client relationships, employee retention, recruitment, and the firm\u2019s US and global reputation, both now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The open letter\u2019s signatories are asking leadership to take a different path. It\u2019s unclear if that message will break through a Biglaw leadership fog willing to walk off a cliff as long as its peers did so first. But at least someone in the firm is still interested in law as a profession and not just a brand extension.<\/p>\n

Some firms \u2014 Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey \u2014 told the administration to shove their deals from jump. But if A&O Shearman leadership listens to its team, the firm might earn itself a new reputation: the first Biglaw giant to look the Empire in the eye and say, \u201cOn second thought, we\u2019re not that gullible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

There\u2019s still time to not be the punchline.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

(Full letter text provided on the next page\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: Biglaw Is Under Attack. Here\u2019s What The Firms Are Doing About It.<\/a>
\u2018Pray I Don\u2019t Alter It Any Further\u2019: What Darth Vader Should Teach Law Firms About Settling With Trump<\/a>
3 More Major Biglaw Firms Are Looking To Bow To Trump
<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"Headshot\"Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The post Associates Beg A&O Shearman Not To Be The Next Collaborator<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biglaw firms keep folding under White House pressure<\/a>, thinking that they\u2019re just committing millions in pro bono payola to worthwhile veteran issues. Meanwhile, Donald Trump \u2014 with a characteristic lack of subtlety \u2014 publicly describes these deals as blank checks for free legal work on anything he dreams up \u2014 up to and including personal<\/em> legal work based on his most recent statement<\/a>. It\u2019s the real life version of Lando\u2019s deal with Darth Vader<\/a>, except Lando didn\u2019t have an army of fancy law degrees that should help a global law firm recognize when it\u2019s getting conned.<\/p>\n

A&O Shearman is reportedly next on the Quisling block<\/a>, and the rank-and-file are having none of it. <\/p>\n

Formed in last year\u2019s Voltron merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling, A&O Shearman was probably overdue for a good bonding moment. Turns out, uniting behind the fear that firm leadership might sell off the firm\u2019s credibility to authoritarian bullying can really bring people together!<\/p>\n

An open letter prepared last night and sent to leadership moments ago, already has over 500 A&O Shearman associates, counsel, and staff raised their hands to say, \u201cMaybe don\u2019t actively sell our firm to authoritarians?\u201d A&O Shearman has around 650 attorneys in the United States, underscoring the profound unpopularity of the rumored capitulation.<\/p>\n

Honestly, it\u2019s one thing to have signed up early \u2014 Paul Weiss and Skadden at least had the luxury of (an admittedly weaksauce) plausible deniability. Back then, leadership could pretend they were just agreeing to redirect a few volunteer hours to less-woke causes in exchange for getting the White House off their backs. After the White House publicly bragged that these firms \u201cbent the knee\u201d and Trump announced that he will \u201cassign\u201d the firms to apply this pro bono work to everything from coal leasing to tariff enforcement, there\u2019s no more illusion. The deal isn\u2019t for traditional pro bono work, it\u2019s a commitment to do otherwise billable work for Trump for free<\/em> like he\u2019s turning in a coupon for a free sandwich.<\/p>\n

Everyone at the time knew the deal was like buying the Brooklyn Bridge from a hustler on Canal Street, but to make a deal NOW \u2014 informed by all that happened since \u2014 is more like gambling your life savings against the Harlem Globetrotters.<\/p>\n

A bet these firms will probably also do after Trump decries the team as woke DEI ideology run amok. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a heartfelt plea to firm leadership not to follow in the ignoble footsteps of Paul, Weiss, Latham, Kirkland, Simpson Thacher, Willkie, and others who\u2019ve reportedly signed \u201ccooperation agreements\u201d with the Trump administration in a desperate bid to avoid the business equivalent of carbonite.<\/p>\n

Signed by over 200 individuals by name (and many more anonymously for obvious reasons), the A&O letter lays out the obvious: these deals are bad for democracy, bad for the firm\u2019s long-term prospects, and frankly just embarrassing.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe firmly believe that agreements of this nature contribute to the degradation of the rule of law in the United States,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cLikewise, we firmly believe that a similar agreement would be detrimental to A&O Shearman\u2019s business interests both in the United States and internationally, in terms of client relationships, employee retention, recruitment, and the firm\u2019s US and global reputation, both now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The open letter\u2019s signatories are asking leadership to take a different path. It\u2019s unclear if that message will break through a Biglaw leadership fog willing to walk off a cliff as long as its peers did so first. But at least someone in the firm is still interested in law as a profession and not just a brand extension.<\/p>\n

Some firms \u2014 Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey \u2014 told the administration to shove their deals from jump. But if A&O Shearman leadership listens to its team, the firm might earn itself a new reputation: the first Biglaw giant to look the Empire in the eye and say, \u201cOn second thought, we\u2019re not that gullible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

There\u2019s still time to not be the punchline.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

(Full letter text provided on the next page\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: Biglaw Is Under Attack. Here\u2019s What The Firms Are Doing About It.<\/a>
\u2018Pray I Don\u2019t Alter It Any Further\u2019: What Darth Vader Should Teach Law Firms About Settling With Trump<\/a>
3 More Major Biglaw Firms Are Looking To Bow To Trump
<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"Headshot\"Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

1<\/strong> 2<\/a>Next \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Biglaw firms keep folding under White House pressure, thinking that they\u2019re just committing millions in pro bono payola to worthwhile veteran issues. Meanwhile, Donald Trump \u2014 with a characteristic lack of subtlety \u2014 publicly describes these deals as blank checks for free legal work on anything he dreams up \u2014 up to and including personal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":114488,"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-114569","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\/Headshot-300x200-Utyrt1.jpeg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114569","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=114569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}