by
Kayla
Bartkowski/Getty
Images)
With
the
rule
of
law
being
bent
to
its
maximum
capacity
under
the
Trump
administration,
many
lawyers
find
themselves
unable
to
do
anything
but
watch
the
situation
unfold,
slack
jawed
with
confusion
about
how
this
could
possibly
be
happening
in
America.
Other
lawyers,
however,
have
found
the
courage
and
resolve
to
stand
up
and
do
what
is
right
—
regardless
of
the
fact
that
they
may
have
been
standing
alone
in
their
quest
to
protect
the
legal
profession
from
harm.
One
of
those
fearless
lawyers
is
Rachel
Cohen,
the
former
Skadden
associate
who
found
herself
publicly
condemning
Trump’s
threat
to
the
rule
of
law
before
many
others
found
the
strength
to
join
her.
You
may
remember
Cohen,
who
just
one
month
ago
was
a
third-year
finance
associate
at
an
elite
Biglaw
firm,
as
the
one
who worked
to put
together
the
open
letter that’s
now
been
signed
by
nearly
2,000
associates,
asking
that
Biglaw’s
leaders
speak
up
in
defense
of
the
legal
profession. She
then
offered
the
firm
her
“conditional”
two-weeks’
notice
via
firmwide
email,
pleading
that
Skadden
simply
do
the
right
thing
and
admonish
the
Trump
administration
for
its
attacks
on
law
firms.
“We
do
not
have
time,”
Cohen
wrote.
“It
is
now
or
it
is
never,
and
if
it
is
never,
I
will
not
continue
to
work
here.”
The
firm
accepted
Cohen’s
resignation,
and
days
later,
word
of
Skadden’s
capitulation
to
Trump
hit
the
news.
To
this
day,
Cohen
continues
to
rally
around
lawyers,
encouraging
them
to
pursue
justice
for
the
rule
of
law
in
America,
and
now
she’s
being
rewarded
for
it.
The
Rosenstrasse
Civil
Courage
Foundation,
a
nonprofit
organization
based
on
“inspiring
acts
of
civil
courage
in
everyday
life
on
behalf
of
democracy,”
recently
announced
that
it
would
be
honoring
two
lawyers
“for
their
courage
at
a
time
when
the
rule
of
law
is
under
threat”
—
and
one
of
them
is
Rachel
Cohen.
Here
are
some
additional
details
on
the
lawyers
who
will
be
receiving
RCCF’s
Civil
Courage
Awards:
The
RCCF
will
honor
Nikki
Fried,
the
prominent
attorney,
community
organizer,
and
Chair
of
Florida’s
Democratic
Party,
who
was
arrested
in
2023
for
violating
Florida’s
new
anti-demonstration
bans
while
supporting
freedom
of
choice.
We
will
also
be
recognizing
Rachel
A.
Cohen,
the
associate
lawyer
at
Skadden
for
organizing
hundreds
of
other
big
law
associates
to
press
their
leadership
to
stand
up
for
the
rule
of
law,
and
then
resigning
her
position
in
protest
of
her
firm’s
deal
with
Donald
J.
Trump,
as
she
stated
in
her
recent
testimony
before
a
bicameral
congressional
panel.
Now
is
the
time
for you to
follow
Nikki
and
Rachel’s
lead.
Make
your
voices
heard.
Condemn
Trump’s
attacks
against
lawyers.
Protect
the
profession.
It
is
crucial
that
you
rise
up
to
protect
the
rule
of
law,
which
can
only
bend
so
much
until
it
breaks
and
our
democracy
lays
in
ruins.
The
awards
reception
will
be
held
at
Covington
&
Burling’s
Washington,
D.C.,
office
on
Thursday,
May
1,
from
5
to
7
p.m.
This
event
is
taking
place
on
the
same
day
as
the
National
Law
Day
of
Action,
which
is
a
wonderful
conclusion
to
a
day
of
purposeful
protest.
Please
click
here
to
reserve
a
ticket
if
you’re
interested
in
attending.
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.