{"id":120025,"date":"2025-05-22T13:02:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T21:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/05\/22\/cadwalader-thinks-its-outsmarted-trump-on-their-pro-bono-tithe-well-see-about-that\/"},"modified":"2025-05-22T13:02:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T21:02:42","slug":"cadwalader-thinks-its-outsmarted-trump-on-their-pro-bono-tithe-well-see-about-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/05\/22\/cadwalader-thinks-its-outsmarted-trump-on-their-pro-bono-tithe-well-see-about-that\/","title":{"rendered":"Cadwalader Thinks It\u2019s Outsmarted Trump On Their Pro Bono Tithe. We\u2019ll See About That."},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a lot of talk (Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>in Biglaw circles about what, exactly, the nine firms that bent a knee (Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>to Donald Trump \u2014 and promised nearly a billion dollars in pro bono services \u2014 will have to do in order to earn their peace(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> with the administration. Because the terms of the deals are constantly changing \u2014 much like Lando Calrissian\u2019s deal with Darth Vader(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>. MAGA types are already crowing(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> about how they\u2019ll force the firms(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> in question to do their legal bidding: working on coal leases, negotiating trade deals, and defending police brutality cases are all on the table and probably not at all what the firms thought they\u2019d be doing when they made the agreement.<\/p>\n

Some firms have tried to set boundaries (Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>on the work they\u2019ll do on behalf of Trump (we\u2019ll see how that pans out for them). But according to reporting by(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> Bloomberg Law, Cadwalader (who owes $100 million in pro bono work(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>) thinks they\u2019ve come up with a plan to avoid the most unsavory work. Nicholas Gravante, co-chair of Cadwalader\u2019s global litigation group, reportedly thinks the firm can work on appeals on behalf of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can deploy some talented attorneys to assist Eric in that office, that is something I am confident would be viewed as meeting the obligations,\u201d according to Gravante. \u201cIf our associates had the experience making the argument on the brief, that would be beneficial to the young lawyers. For some, that might be the first appeal they argue.\u201d In Gravante\u2019s mind it\u2019s a win-win\u2026 if he can get everyone on-board.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the real low-key hilarious bit \u2014 especially to folks who have been following all the travails of the Order of the Obsequious \u2014 Cadwalader hasn\u2019t run this plan by Trump OR THE BROOKLYN DA\u2019s office. Talking to the press about a proposal no one has actually agreed to yet is definitely a vibe, and it\u2019s giving big pleasedon\u2019tcallmeoutonmyBS energy. But Gravante is projecting confidence, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t know of an approval process but I\u2019m confident they would see it the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other interesting tidbit in Bloomberg\u2019s report is how damn long it will take for the firm to pay off their loyalty to Trump:<\/p>\n

\n

Cadwalader\u2019s size means it has the most restricted pro bono budget. Each of the firm\u2019s lawyers spent an average of about 13 hours on pro bono work in 2023, according to American Lawyer data. That compares with 37 at Kirkland, 78 at Willkie and 115 at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.<\/p>\n

Cadwalader\u2019s pro bono work last year totaled just $5 million. Even if the firm devoted the entirety of that amount to Trump-approved causes, it would take 20 years to fulfill its $100 million obligation. Gravante said the firm is prepared to take that amount of time if necessary.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Well, I also bet they\u2019re hoping it\u2019ll take a lot less than 20 years for the administration\u2019s priorities to change. <\/p>\n

But even with this pennies in a bucket plan to pay off Trump, it will still have a tremendous impact on the work the firm will do. \u201cThe composition of pro bono work may change because we will encourage people to do pro bono work for more conservative causes,\u201d Gravante said. \u201cIf we were doing work for criminal defendants who could not afford representation to ease the burden on legal aid societies, now we\u2019d be doing it for the district attorney\u2019s office.\u201d So even if this is the least offensive way Cadwalader can work on behalf of Trump, it still signals a detrimental change in what public interest work is getting funded going forward.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/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(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.(Opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The post Cadwalader Thinks It\u2019s Outsmarted Trump On Their Pro Bono Tithe. We\u2019ll See About That.<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Image via Getty)\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s been a lot of talk (Opens in a new window)<\/a>in Biglaw circles about what, exactly, the nine firms that bent a knee (Opens in a new window)<\/a>to Donald Trump \u2014 and promised nearly a billion dollars in pro bono services \u2014 will have to do in order to earn their peace(Opens in a new window)<\/a> with the administration. Because the terms of the deals are constantly changing \u2014 much like Lando Calrissian\u2019s deal with Darth Vader(Opens in a new window)<\/a>. MAGA types are already crowing(Opens in a new window)<\/a> about how they\u2019ll force the firms(Opens in a new window)<\/a> in question to do their legal bidding: working on coal leases, negotiating trade deals, and defending police brutality cases are all on the table and probably not at all what the firms thought they\u2019d be doing when they made the agreement.<\/p>\n

Some firms have tried to set boundaries (Opens in a new window)<\/a>on the work they\u2019ll do on behalf of Trump (we\u2019ll see how that pans out for them). But according to reporting by(Opens in a new window)<\/a> Bloomberg Law, Cadwalader (who owes $100 million in pro bono work(Opens in a new window)<\/a>) thinks they\u2019ve come up with a plan to avoid the most unsavory work. Nicholas Gravante, co-chair of Cadwalader\u2019s global litigation group, reportedly thinks the firm can work on appeals on behalf of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can deploy some talented attorneys to assist Eric in that office, that is something I am confident would be viewed as meeting the obligations,\u201d according to Gravante. \u201cIf our associates had the experience making the argument on the brief, that would be beneficial to the young lawyers. For some, that might be the first appeal they argue.\u201d In Gravante\u2019s mind it\u2019s a win-win\u2026 if he can get everyone on-board.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the real low-key hilarious bit \u2014 especially to folks who have been following all the travails of the Order of the Obsequious \u2014 Cadwalader hasn\u2019t run this plan by Trump OR THE BROOKLYN DA\u2019s office. Talking to the press about a proposal no one has actually agreed to yet is definitely a vibe, and it\u2019s giving big pleasedon\u2019tcallmeoutonmyBS energy. But Gravante is projecting confidence, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t know of an approval process but I\u2019m confident they would see it the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other interesting tidbit in Bloomberg\u2019s report is how damn long it will take for the firm to pay off their loyalty to Trump:<\/p>\n

\n

Cadwalader\u2019s size means it has the most restricted pro bono budget. Each of the firm\u2019s lawyers spent an average of about 13 hours on pro bono work in 2023, according to American Lawyer data. That compares with 37 at Kirkland, 78 at Willkie and 115 at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.<\/p>\n

Cadwalader\u2019s pro bono work last year totaled just $5 million. Even if the firm devoted the entirety of that amount to Trump-approved causes, it would take 20 years to fulfill its $100 million obligation. Gravante said the firm is prepared to take that amount of time if necessary.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Well, I also bet they\u2019re hoping it\u2019ll take a lot less than 20 years for the administration\u2019s priorities to change. <\/p>\n

But even with this pennies in a bucket plan to pay off Trump, it will still have a tremendous impact on the work the firm will do. \u201cThe composition of pro bono work may change because we will encourage people to do pro bono work for more conservative causes,\u201d Gravante said. \u201cIf we were doing work for criminal defendants who could not afford representation to ease the burden on legal aid societies, now we\u2019d be doing it for the district attorney\u2019s office.\u201d So even if this is the least offensive way Cadwalader can work on behalf of Trump, it still signals a detrimental change in what public interest work is getting funded going forward.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast(Opens in a new window)<\/a>, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer(Opens in a new window)<\/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(Opens in a new window)<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon @[email\u00a0protected].(Opens in a new window)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a lot of talk (Opens in a new window)in Biglaw circles about what, exactly, the nine firms that bent a knee (Opens in a new window)to Donald Trump \u2014 and promised nearly a billion dollars in pro bono services \u2014 will have to do in order to earn their peace(Opens in a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":120012,"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-120025","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\/05\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568-SUkhON.jpeg?fit=620%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120025","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=120025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}