by
David
Becker/Getty
Images)
Fresh
off
shadow
president
Elon
Musk’s
chilling
warning
to
Skadden
Arps,
the
New
York
Times
is
reporting
the
#5
richest
Biglaw
firm
is
in
the
midst
of
negotiating
a
deal
with
the
Trump
administration.
The
Times
says
Skadden
is
seeking
to
avoid
one
of
the
increasingly
common
Executive
Orders
targeting
Biglaw,
and
the
tremendous
harm
that
can
bring.
While
many
firms
are
trying
to
lay
low
to
avoid
the
attention
of
Trump,
Skadden’s
pro
bono
work
against
Dinesh
D’Souza’s
“2000
Mules”
(a
film
and
book
that
contains widely
debunked conspiracy
theories
about
the
2020
election)
has
already
garnered
attention.
Paul
Weiss
chairman
Brad
Karp
has
already
kissed
the
ring
of
Donald
Trump
to
get
out
from
under
an
EO.
The
backlash
to
Paul
Weiss’s
deal
with
the
Trump
administration
has
been
swift,
with
many
questioning
the
firm’s
ability
to
zealously
advocate
on
behalf
of
their
own
clients
—
particularly
if
their
clients
find
themselves
targeted
by
Trump.
The
precise
terms
of
the
discussions
or
what
Skadden
may
ultimately
agree
to
are
unknown.
But
the
mere
existence
of
the
talks
is
a
major
development
and
signals
how
little
appetite
there
is
in
some
corners
of
Biglaw
to
defend
the
rule
of
law.
The
talks
represent
an
extraordinary
turn
in
Mr.
Trump’s
campaign
against
law
firms
and
the
legal
system
more
broadly,
marking
what
appears
to
be
the
first
time
that
a
major
firm
has
tried
to
cut
a
deal
with
the
president
before
he
could
issue
an
executive
order.
Recent
orders
targeting
other
law
firms
have
restricted
the
work
they
can
do
with
the
federal
government.The
Skadden
discussions
are
also
the
latest
example
of
how
large
law
firms,
afraid
of
a
protracted
battle
with
Mr.
Trump,
are
eager
to
strike
deals.
There
are
also
reports
of
other
Biglaw
firms
seeking
similar
preemptive
deals
amidst
Trump
crowing
about
his
power
over
some
of
the
largest
law
firms
in
the
nation.
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].