Joseph
Baio
worked
at
Willkie
Farr
for
47
years.
As
a
partner,
he’d
served
on
the
firm’s
executive
committee.
Most
recently,
the
dean
of
the
firm’s
lawyers
worked
as
a
senior
counsel.
It
takes
a
lot
to
make
someone
leave
the
firm
they’ve
worked
with
—
and
at
times
helped
lead
—
for
almost
half
a
century.
But
Willkie
Farr
managed
to
find
a
way
to
alienate
its
longest-serving
attorney
when
it
turned
coward
and
agreed
to
give
Trump
$100
million
in
pro
bono
legal
services
and
somehow
even
more
in
dignity.
Baio
informed
the
current
executive
committee
that
he
was
leaving
to
“join
the
fight
against
governmental
tyranny,
unconstitutional
decrees
and
social
injustice,
particularly
at
this
critical
time,”
a
statement
that
deserves
a
swelling
orchestral
accompaniment
befitting
the
end
of
a
courtroom
drama.
It’s
also
a
succinct
acknowledgement
of
a
lawyer’s
ethical
responsibilities
that
seems
lost
on
some
Biglaw
firms
right
now.
While
a
number
of
associates
have
publicly
broke
ties
over
the
settlements
and
some
law
students
are
already
telling
firms
in
the
“Order
of
the
Obsequious”
that
they
are
turning
their
backs
on
recruiting
efforts,
Baio
is
the
most
senior
lawyer
to
depart
a
firm
over
a
settlement.
He
is
unlikely
to
be
the
last.
Baio’s
position
as
counsel
affords
him
more
flexibility
than
many
partners,
who
cannot
bolt
on
a
dime
and
have
to
negotiate
smooth
transitions
for
their
books
of
business
at
other
firms.
But
Above
the
Law
is
already
aware
of
corporate
clients
informing
surrendering
firms
that
they
will
take
their
business
elsewhere
in
light
of
the
concessions,
seeing
the
deals
as
confirmation
that
the
firms
are
incapable
of
standing
up
for
themselves
let
alone
their
clients.
When
clients
start
threatening
to
walk
in
search
of
firms
with
backbone
—
or
at
least
no
drama
—
the
partners
will
start
trying
to
figure
out
how
to
move
with
them.
Part
of
a
smooth
transition
—
and
keeping
their
next
firm
off
of
Trump’s
radar
—
involves
keeping
a
low
profile,
so
don’t
expect
many
partners
to
publicly
tie
their
departures
to
the
Trump
settlements.
Relatedly,
they
have
to
find
new
homes
for
their
books
that
aren’t
going
to
turn
around
and
create
the
same
problem.
All
of
this
takes
time.
But
when
you
see
a
statistically
significant
uptick
over
the
next
two
quarters
of
posts
from
partners
at
these
firms
that
begin
“Thrilled
to
announce
my
next
chapter!”
keep
these
settlements
in
mind.
How
Trump
Is
Putting
Law
Firms
In
A
No-Win
Situation
[New
York
Times]
Earlier:
Biglaw
Is
Under
Attack.
Here’s
What
The
Firms
Are
Doing
About
It.
Willkie
Farr
Surrenders
To
Trump
Joe
Patrice is
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Law
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Lawyer.
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