{"id":127643,"date":"2025-07-22T11:03:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T19:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/07\/22\/was-that-davis-polk-associate-asking-for-it\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T11:03:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T19:03:12","slug":"was-that-davis-polk-associate-asking-for-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/07\/22\/was-that-davis-polk-associate-asking-for-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Was That Davis Polk Associate Asking For It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Vivia Chen back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, \u201cThe Ex-Careerist,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS about\u00a0Ryan Powers,<\/strong>\u00a0the second-year associate who was fired by Wall Street law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. Though he\u2019s been lauded on social media and various news outlets (The Parnas Perspective<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Above the Law<\/a>) for standing up to Big Law and speaking truth to power, I am not quite ready to call him a hero.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what happened:\u00a0According to Powers<\/a>, he was fired on June 12 merely four hours after he informed the firm that he intended to publish an article about the threat to civil liberties posed by government surveillance. Just a day before, the firm warned him that his writings in various news publications had breached internal policy \u2013 a policy, he explains, that \u201cgave the firm broad discretion to block employee speech on any topic it chose to view as relevant to its interests.\u201d The firm offered no explanation, \u201conly that something had been flagged, and I was expected to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

He refused to comply:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI believed the issues I was raising mattered \u2013 and I rejected the idea that writing about fundamental rights and democracy was somehow wrong.\u201d He makes a broader point: \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about one firm. It\u2019s about Big Law: an industry increasingly beholden to power, where employers are quietly deciding what their lawyers are allowed to say \u2013 not just in the office, but in their lives beyond it.\u201d<\/p>\n

OK, I\u2019m with him so far. Powers then rails against Big Law\u2019s hypocrisy \u2014 suppressing speech in the name of maintaining neutrality when, in fact, \u201cthe clients we serve, the cases we take, and the influence we exert make us inherently political.\u201d I\u2019m with him on that too. But then he cites Davis Polk\u2019s representation of Trump Media & Technology Group on a crypto venture as Exhibit A.<\/p>\n

That last point left me scratching my head. If Davis Polk is now representing a precious Trump interest (his crypto ventures have made\u00a0$57 million<\/a>\u00a0so far), why would Powers think the firm would allow him to shoot his mouth off on anything remotely critical of Trump? What\u2019s more, Powers was writing about the dangers of government surveillance and how companies like\u00a0Peter Thiel\u2019s Palantir Technologies<\/a>, whose financial advisors Davis Polk\u00a0had represented<\/a>, are helping to erode individual liberty.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not like Davis Polk has been subtle about its pivot towards Trump.\u00a0<\/strong>This spring, the firm hired former Trump White House counsel Stefan Passantino to beef up its lobbying presence, and quietly scrubbed all mention of partners\u00a0Greg Andres<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Uzo Asonye<\/a>\u2019s roles in the Mueller investigation.<\/p>\n

Given all that, Powers\u2019s decision to keep publishing articles critical of Trump world under his real name (Davis Polk was never mentioned by name; Power was usually identified as a Harvard Law School graduate who works at \u201can international law firm\u201d) was asking for trouble. Though his writings weren\u2019t angry screeds, they were still jabs at MAGA. But even without the Trump factor, I wonder how many firms would tolerate a direct hit on a major client.<\/p>\n

Powers knew what he was doing was going to piss off management.<\/strong>\u00a0Which is why I found it a bit disingenuous when he suggested that he was caught off-guard by his firing: \u201cI understand why they are doing what they\u2019re doing.\u201d he\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0Bloomberg Law. \u201cAt the same time, it\u2019s very sad on a personal level because it ends my Big Law career sooner than I had anticipated and in a very different way than I had anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, he wanted to force the issue, make a grand statement, and come off as an avatar of defiance in the face of authoritarianism. The only question is whether he pulled it off.<\/p>\n

While I too am alarmed at how Big Law is capitulating to the Trump administration \u2014 turning its back on diversity and social justice, paying extortion money (nearly a $1 billion in free legal services) to get off his shitlist, and generally contorting itself to curry favor with Trump \u2014 I\u2019m put off by Powers\u2019s grandstanding. His apr\u00e8s-firing post on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0shows how his ego has taken over:<\/p>\n

\n

Today, I\u2019m exposing a culture of unchecked power, secret conversations, and dark money that\u2019s long overdue for public scrutiny. Because when lawyers with the most privilege and protection are too afraid to speak, democracy dies. Not in chaos, but in comfort \u2014 behind closed doors, in shadowy back rooms, on billion-dollar yachts.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I know Davis Polk partners are taking home a tidy bundle (its profit per partner is $7.8 million) but I doubt they\u2019re hanging out on billion-dollar yachts like Russian oligarchs. As for \u201cexposing\u201d Big Law\u2019s dark side, didn\u2019t we already know that many of the muckety-mucks of the most profitable firms in the nation will sell their own mothers to keep the money machine flowing? He also says that he wrote his articles to make the legal implications of Trump\u2019s actions \u201ceasier to understand,\u201d but couldn\u2019t he have done so under a pseudonym?<\/p>\n

I AM ON THE SAME PAGE with Powers on almost all of the points he raised about the state of the legal profession and sincerely want to cheer him on. But deliberately getting himself fired then wrapping himself in the flag of victimhood strikes a false note. I know what he did takes guts and that he\u2019s sacrificed a lot \u2014 a good salary, health insurance, and security \u2014 yet his approach feels self-indulgent.<\/p>\n

But perhaps I\u2019m being too harsh. Perhaps I\u2019m missing the whole point. Perhaps this kind of grandstanding is what it takes to drive home a point that needs constantly reminding \u2014 that Big Law is bending to an authoritarian leader and jeopardising the rule of law.<\/p>\n

So is Powers heroic, naive or annoying. Well, who says he can\u2019t be all three?<\/p>\n

Subscribe to read more at The Ex-Careerist\u2026.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Vivia Chen\u00a0writes\u00a0\u201cThe Ex-Careerist\u201d<\/a>\u00a0column on Substack where she unleashes her unvarnished views about the intersection of work, life, and politics. A former lawyer, she was an opinion columnist at Bloomberg Law and The American Lawyer. Subscribe to her Substack by clicking here:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The post Was That Davis Polk Associate Asking For It?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Vivia Chen back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, \u201cThe Ex-Careerist,\u201dhere<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS about\u00a0Ryan Powers,<\/strong>\u00a0the second-year associate who was fired by Wall Street law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. Though he\u2019s been lauded on social media and various news outlets (The Parnas Perspective<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Above the Law<\/a>) for standing up to Big Law and speaking truth to power, I am not quite ready to call him a hero.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what happened:\u00a0According to Powers<\/a>, he was fired on June 12 merely four hours after he informed the firm that he intended to publish an article about the threat to civil liberties posed by government surveillance. Just a day before, the firm warned him that his writings in various news publications had breached internal policy \u2013 a policy, he explains, that \u201cgave the firm broad discretion to block employee speech on any topic it chose to view as relevant to its interests.\u201d The firm offered no explanation, \u201conly that something had been flagged, and I was expected to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

He refused to comply:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI believed the issues I was raising mattered \u2013 and I rejected the idea that writing about fundamental rights and democracy was somehow wrong.\u201d He makes a broader point: \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about one firm. It\u2019s about Big Law: an industry increasingly beholden to power, where employers are quietly deciding what their lawyers are allowed to say \u2013 not just in the office, but in their lives beyond it.\u201d<\/p>\n

OK, I\u2019m with him so far. Powers then rails against Big Law\u2019s hypocrisy \u2014 suppressing speech in the name of maintaining neutrality when, in fact, \u201cthe clients we serve, the cases we take, and the influence we exert make us inherently political.\u201d I\u2019m with him on that too. But then he cites Davis Polk\u2019s representation of Trump Media & Technology Group on a crypto venture as Exhibit A.<\/p>\n

That last point left me scratching my head. If Davis Polk is now representing a precious Trump interest (his crypto ventures have made\u00a0$57 million<\/a>\u00a0so far), why would Powers think the firm would allow him to shoot his mouth off on anything remotely critical of Trump? What\u2019s more, Powers was writing about the dangers of government surveillance and how companies like\u00a0Peter Thiel\u2019s Palantir Technologies<\/a>, whose financial advisors Davis Polk\u00a0had represented<\/a>, are helping to erode individual liberty.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not like Davis Polk has been subtle about its pivot towards Trump.\u00a0<\/strong>This spring, the firm hired former Trump White House counsel Stefan Passantino to beef up its lobbying presence, and quietly scrubbed all mention of partners\u00a0Greg Andres<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Uzo Asonye<\/a>\u2019s roles in the Mueller investigation.<\/p>\n

Given all that, Powers\u2019s decision to keep publishing articles critical of Trump world under his real name (Davis Polk was never mentioned by name; Power was usually identified as a Harvard Law School graduate who works at \u201can international law firm\u201d) was asking for trouble. Though his writings weren\u2019t angry screeds, they were still jabs at MAGA. But even without the Trump factor, I wonder how many firms would tolerate a direct hit on a major client.<\/p>\n

Powers knew what he was doing was going to piss off management.<\/strong>\u00a0Which is why I found it a bit disingenuous when he suggested that he was caught off-guard by his firing: \u201cI understand why they are doing what they\u2019re doing.\u201d he\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0Bloomberg Law. \u201cAt the same time, it\u2019s very sad on a personal level because it ends my Big Law career sooner than I had anticipated and in a very different way than I had anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, he wanted to force the issue, make a grand statement, and come off as an avatar of defiance in the face of authoritarianism. The only question is whether he pulled it off.<\/p>\n

While I too am alarmed at how Big Law is capitulating to the Trump administration \u2014 turning its back on diversity and social justice, paying extortion money (nearly a $1 billion in free legal services) to get off his shitlist, and generally contorting itself to curry favor with Trump \u2014 I\u2019m put off by Powers\u2019s grandstanding. His apr\u00e8s-firing post on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0shows how his ego has taken over:<\/p>\n

\n

Today, I\u2019m exposing a culture of unchecked power, secret conversations, and dark money that\u2019s long overdue for public scrutiny. Because when lawyers with the most privilege and protection are too afraid to speak, democracy dies. Not in chaos, but in comfort \u2014 behind closed doors, in shadowy back rooms, on billion-dollar yachts.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I know Davis Polk partners are taking home a tidy bundle (its profit per partner is $7.8 million) but I doubt they\u2019re hanging out on billion-dollar yachts like Russian oligarchs. As for \u201cexposing\u201d Big Law\u2019s dark side, didn\u2019t we already know that many of the muckety-mucks of the most profitable firms in the nation will sell their own mothers to keep the money machine flowing? He also says that he wrote his articles to make the legal implications of Trump\u2019s actions \u201ceasier to understand,\u201d but couldn\u2019t he have done so under a pseudonym?<\/p>\n

I AM ON THE SAME PAGE with Powers on almost all of the points he raised about the state of the legal profession and sincerely want to cheer him on. But deliberately getting himself fired then wrapping himself in the flag of victimhood strikes a false note. I know what he did takes guts and that he\u2019s sacrificed a lot \u2014 a good salary, health insurance, and security \u2014 yet his approach feels self-indulgent.<\/p>\n

But perhaps I\u2019m being too harsh. Perhaps I\u2019m missing the whole point. Perhaps this kind of grandstanding is what it takes to drive home a point that needs constantly reminding \u2014 that Big Law is bending to an authoritarian leader and jeopardising the rule of law.<\/p>\n

So is Powers heroic, naive or annoying. Well, who says he can\u2019t be all three?<\/p>\n

Subscribe to read more at The Ex-Careerist\u2026.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Vivia Chen\u00a0writes\u00a0\u201cThe Ex-Careerist\u201d<\/a>\u00a0column on Substack where she unleashes her unvarnished views about the intersection of work, life, and politics. A former lawyer, she was an opinion columnist at Bloomberg Law and The American Lawyer. Subscribe to her Substack by clicking here:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ed. note: Please welcome Vivia Chen back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, \u201cThe Ex-Careerist,\u201d\u00a0here. I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS about\u00a0Ryan Powers,\u00a0the second-year associate who was fired by Wall Street law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. Though he\u2019s been lauded on social media and various news outlets (The Parnas Perspective\u00a0and\u00a0Above the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":127624,"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-127643","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\/07\/Vivia-Chen-Ex-Careerist-ed8Aqo.png?fit=286%2C72&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127643","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=127643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}