Junior lawyers criticise US law firms’ response to Trump’s executive orders
updated on 02 April 2025
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More than 1,600 junior lawyers have signed an open letter criticising the world’s biggest law firms, which they claim haven’t made enough effort to combat President Donald Trump’s alleged “bullying” of lawyers and law firms. Signatories to the letter include hundreds of lawyers from some of the firms affected, including Covington, Perkins Coie, Paul Weiss and Wilmer Hale.
The open letter followed a number of executive orders signed by Trump, which targeted US law firms over their work for political opponents and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The US president’s executive orders have essentially prohibited firms from undertaking government work as their lawyers are barred from accessing federal buildings.
The executive order cited Wilmer Hale’s decision to hire Robert Mueller, who previously led an investigation into claims Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Trump also signed an order against Covington over its pro bono work relating to the 6 January 2021 riots at the Capitol and punished Perkins Coie for its work for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 electoral campaign.
Politico reported: “Trump has already attacked federal judges who have ruled against him on key cases like deportations of migrants. He called for the impeachment of US District Judge James Boasberg – the chief judge of the federal district court of Washington, DC, – after he issued a halt on deportations of immigrants to El Salvador.”
Meanwhile, the open letter stated: “Our system is predicated on the idea that everyone is entitled to zealous representation. Our duty as lawyers to conscientiously pursue our clients’ interests, regardless of whether we personally agree with those interests, is a bedrock principle within the legal profession.”
“When we are united, we cannot be intimidated. These tactics only work if the majority does not speak up. Our hope was that our employers, some of the most profitable law firms in the world, would lead the way. That has not yet been the case.”
