Skadden Arps trading suggests that negotiations could be more expensive. Paul Weiss said he would provide $40 million in Pro Bono's work, and said the Skadden Arps agreement has more than doubled that volume. The deal is also met with harsh criticism by people in the legal community who view them as unnecessary surrender if the corporation has laws on their side.
On Thursday, Skaden had been aiming to sign a contract with the Trump administration after the news broke, but said that a group of graduates (all parts of the law firm's prestigious public interest fellowship program have begun to distribute letters.” According to a copy of the letter reviewed by the New York Times, the company's leadership urged them to “speak publicly about their critical, nonpartisan role in defending democracy.”
The letter organizers hope to reach Skadden's leadership has collected almost 400 signatures, according to two people familiar with the issue.
Trump said Skadden Arps will provide legal services to veterans, military and law enforcement members, first responders and state and local government officials. According to the White House, their pro bono work involves legal issues surrounding anti-Semitism, and in general, their pro bono work “represents a complete political spectrum.”
For months, the president has been controlling conservatives and businesses that he said he refused to represent their causes. His executive order is intended to force them to do so.
According to a fact sheet issued by the White House, Skadden Arps does not deny representatives to clients such as members of politically undisenfranchised groups that have not received historically legal representation from major law firms, due to the political views of the company's lawyers.
On Wednesday, the president boasted about his track record of bringing large law firms to the Heal.
“They're all bending, they're saying, 'Sir, thank you so much,'” Trump said.
Jessica Silver Greenburg and Ben Protes Contributed with a report from New York.
