The
Trump
Administration
has
launched
an
all-out
attack
on
major
law
firms.
Thus
far,
Covington
&
Burling,
Perkins
Coie,
Paul
Weiss,
Jenner
&
Block,
and
WilmerHale
have
seen
Executive
Orders
aimed
at
their
Biglaw
firms
for
the
grievous
insult
of
having
their
attorney
(or
former
attorneys)
take
on
clients
or
matters
that
Donald
Trump
(or
his
allies)
don’t
like.
The
chilling
effect
has
been
felt
throughout
the
industry,
despite
the
fact
the
orders
are
likely
unconstitutional.
House
Member
Raja
Krishnamoorthi
—
a
Harvard
Law
grad
himself
—
sees
some
eery
parallels
with
this
administration’s
antics
and
the
Chinese
Communist
Party.
His
statement
on
the
matter
goes
hard,
drawing
the
comparisons
between
Trump
and
the
CCP
—
and
he
should
know,
he’s
the
ranking
member
on
the
House
Select
Committee
on
the
Strategic
Competition
Between
the
U.S.
and
the
CCP.
“First,
the
President
targeted
Covington
&
Burling.
Second,
he
targeted
Perkins
Coie.
Third,
it
was
Paul
Weiss.
Fourth,
it
was
Jenner
&
Block
–
which
is
based
right
in
my
hometown
of
Chicago.
Most
recently,
WilmerHale
was
added
to
that
list.
These
executive
orders
are
designed
to
put
these
law
firms
out
of
business
by
making
corporate
clients
afraid
to
retain
them.
Another
executive
order
threatens
judicial
sanctions
against
lawyers
from
all
firms
who
make
so-called
‘frivolous’
arguments
against
the
government.
“This
isn’t
just
a
threat
to
the
legal
profession;
it’s
a
threat
to
the
rule
of
law
–
one
of
America’s
greatest
strengths
in
our
competition
with
the
Chinese
Communist
Party.
“In
the
People’s
Republic
of
China,
the
CCP
arrests
lawyers
who
represent
clients
who
oppose
the
government.
As
a
result,
most
lawyers
in
China
refuse
to
represent
human
rights
activists
and
others
disfavored
by
the
CCP.
These
executive
orders
are
designed
to
achieve
a
similar
outcome
in
America:
a
society
where
lawyers
are
afraid
to
oppose
the
government,
and
clients
disfavored
by
the
White
House
are
unable
to
obtain
the
best
legal
representation.
“This
is
not
about
right
or
left.
This
is
about
right
or
wrong.
When
it
comes
to
our
legal
system,
we
should
not
take
our
cues
from
the
People’s
Republic
of
China.”
Krishnamoorthi’s
statement
makes
it
clear
the
problem
is
not
one
just
for
the
lawyers.
It’s
about
the
creep
of
authoritarianism
and
how
the
Trump
administration
is
accumulating
power
and
pushing
those
who
might
oppose
him
to
back
off.
To
say
nothing
of
the
increasingly
likely
reality
Trump
seeks
a
third
term
—
despite
the
clarity
of
the
22nd
Amendment.
It’s
getting
cliche
to
say
we
live
in
unprecedented
times,
and
the
question
of
who
exactly
will
stand
up
for
the
rule
of
law
remains
open.
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].