Stop
me
if
you’ve
heard
this
one
before:
a
Skadden
associate,
disgusted
at
the
way
their
firm
groveled
to
Donald
Trump
—
offering
$100
million
in
pro
bono
payola
to
right-wing
causes
—
publicly
quits
the
firm.
Familiar?
Yeah,
well,
it’s
happened
again.
A
tipster
at
the
firm
shared
with
Above
the
Law
that
the
firm
was
in
defense
mode,
holding
meetings
with
groups
of
associates
to
reassure
them.
But
that
plan
backfired
spectacularly.
Skadden
NYC
litigation
practice
heads
set
up
meetings
[Monday]
to
discuss
the
Skadden
decision
/
memo
as
a
temperature
check.
The
first
meeting
was
with
first
through
fourth
year
associates,
where
one
well
respected
second
year
associate
gave
a
speech
about
how
the
firm
is
in
the
wrong
here
with
its
deal
with
the
administration,
the
room
cried,
clapped
and
roared.
I
am
ready
to
see
the
cinematic
version
of
this!
The
associate,
Thomas
Sipp,
followed
up
the
speech
with
a
departure
email,
available
in
full
below,
which
does
not
disappoint.
He
hits
all
the
high
notes,
from
the
firm
cuddling
up
with
authoritarianism:
I
believe,
as
I
know
many
of
you
do,
that
what
the
current
presidential
administration
is
doing
is
wrong.
That
we
are
sliding
into
an
autocracy
where
those
in
power
are
above
the
rule
of
law.
Skadden’s
agreement
with
the
Trump
administration
sent
our
country
deeper
down
this
descent.
To
the
disappointment
Sipp
feels
towards
the
firm:
[T]here
was
a
time
when
I
sincerely
believed
that
this
place
was
committed
to
its
true
pro
bono
causes
and
diversity
initiates,
even
though
these
thing
may
to
always
be
lucrative,,
because
it
believed
these
things
would
make
the
world,,
and
this
firm,
a
better
place.
Having
held
itself
out
as
a
champion
for
these
values,
for
this
firm
to
turn
its
back
on
them
so
suddenly
and
so
easily
was
shameful.
I
am
embarrassed
to
work
here.How
can
Skadden
represent
others
when
it
can’t
even
stand
up
for
itself?
Then
the
call
out
to
one
of
the
firm’s
least
defensible
and
most
big
brotherian
moves
in
this
mess:
It
has
also
become
clear
to
me
that
the
firm
no
longer
tolerates
open
discourse.
Ahead
of
Friday’s
announcement,
the
firm
took
preemptive
action
to
silence
critics
by
covertly
limiting
our
access
to
firmware
distribution
lists.
This
was
a
clear
effort
to
silence
criticism
of
the
firm’s
decision.
Before
ending
with
this
salvo:
Skadden
is
on
the
wrong
side
of
history.
I
could
no
longer
stay
knowing
that
someday
I
would
have
to
explain
why
I
stayed.
Kudos,
man.
And
I
wouldn’t
be
surprised
if
more
followed
suit.
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].