Kirkland
&
Ellis
—
the
nation’s
richest
Biglaw
firm
—
made
headlines
earlier
this
month
when
it
was
revealed
that
rather
than
stand
up
for
the
rule
of
law,
the
firm
would
capitulate
to
the
mere
threat
of
punitive
action
from
Donald
Trump.
So
the
firm
sold
out
their
DEI
programs
and
offered
up
$100
million
in
pro
bono
payola
to
avoid
one
of
Trump’s
likely
unconstitutional
Executive
Orders
designed to
break
major
law
firms.
To
quote
Billie
Eilish,
that
shit’s
embarrassing.
The
Kirkland
Exodus
(which
would
be
a
great
metal
band
name,
imo)
continues,
with
three
more
associates
joining
the
growing
list
of
folks
quitting
their
jobs
to
avoid
the
stain
of
their
firm’s
cowardice
rubbing
off
on
them.
Maggie
Hagen’s
missive
on
LinkedIn
worried
about
the
troubling
precedent
Kirkland’s
deal
sets
and
its
impact
on
clients:
“I
could
not
support
the
Firm’s
decision
to
comply
with
the
current
administration’s
demands,
including
providing
free
legal
services
to
government-selected
causes
and
submitting
to
outside
audits
of
its
diversity
practices.
To
me,
these
actions
set
a
troubling
precedent.
When
law
firms
yield
to
political
pressure,
it
compromises
the
independence
of
our
profession
and
threatens
our
ability
to
zealously
advocate
for
our
clients.”
On
LinkedIn,
Kevin
Decker’s
post
framed
Trump’s
bullying
of
Kirkland
as
part
of
a
larger
problem, “I
am
disappointed
by
the
decision
of
the
world’s
most
powerful
and
successful
law
firm
not
to
fight
back
against
this
unlawful
incursion,
especially
when
other
firms
are
already
doing
so
successfully.
This
is
part
of
a
larger
attack
on
the
rule
of
law,
along
with
efforts
to
nullify
constitutional
protections
of
due
process,
birthright
citizenship,
presidential
term
limits,
and
more.
There
is
a
tremendous
opportunity
for
lawyers
to
oppose
these
threats,
and
I
am
inspired
by
the
countless
folks
who
have
long
been
doing
so.”
Harold
Grigsby
III
posted
on
LinkedIn
about
taking
the
firm’s
capitulation
personally,
“As
a
Black
man,
I
view
the
current
attacks
on
DEI
initiatives
as
deeply
personal.
While
DEI
programs
do
not
exclusively
serve
Black
individuals,
this
administration
has
deliberately
conflated
Blackness
with
DEI,
weaponizing
it
as
coded
language
to
create
division.
This
is
not
the
first
time
we
have
seen
the
Black
community
marketed
as
the
face
of
social
policies
(i.e.
affirmative
action
and
or
welfare)
despite
evidence
showing
broader
societal
impacts
and
beneficiaries.”
Grigsby
also
pointed
out
how
the
firm
has
sold
out
its
core
values
with
the
deal,
“Kirkland’s
diversity
and
pro
bono
work
led
me
to
the
firm,
and
its
deviation
from
these
commitments
has
led
to
my
exit.”
Best
of
luck
to
Hagen,
Decker,
and
Grigsby
as
they
embark
on
their
job
search.
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].