The
President
of
the
United
States
is
using
the
might
and
power
of
the
office
to
attack
Biglaw
firms
and
the
rule
of
law.
It’s
pretty
chilling
stuff
that
is
clearly
designed
to
break
major
law
firms
and
have
them
bend
a
knee
to
Trump
or
extract
a
tremendous
financial
penalty.
This
is
an
assault
not
just
on
the
firms
in
the
crosshairs,
but
on
the
very
rule
of
law
that
is
the
backbone
of
our
nation,
without
which
there’s
little
to
check
abuses
of
power.
But
in
the
face
of
financial
harm,
too
many
firms
are
willing
to
proactively
seek
out
Trump’s
seal
of
approval
and
provide
pro
bono
payola,
that
is,
free
legal
services
on
behalf
of
conservative
clients
or
causes
in
order
to
avoid
Trumpian
retribution.
So
we
here
at
Above
the
Law
have
decided
to
track
what
exact
Biglaw
firms
are
doing
in
response
to
the
bombardment
on
Biglaw
and
the
legal
system.
Some
have
struck
a
deal
with
Trump,
some
are
fighting
in
court,
some
have
signed
an
amicus
brief
in
the
Perkins
Coie
case,
but
the
overwhelming
majority
have
stayed
silent.
Introducing
the
Biglaw
Spine
Index.
Every
firm
in
the
Am
Law
200
(based
on
the
2024
ranking,
which
is
the
most
readily
available
one
as
of
this
publication)
is
listed
with
what
they’re
doing
—
or
not
—
in
the
face
of
Trump’s
attack
on
Biglaw.
We’ve
included
each
firm’s
gross
revenue
and
profits
per
equity
partner,
which
we
think
highlights
the
greed
involved.
Obviously,
this
is
evolving.
More
firms
will
capitulate.
More
will
take
a
stand.
Help
us
stay
on
top
of
all
the
developments
by
email,
by
text
message
(646-820-8477),
or
by
tweet
(@ATLblog).
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].