Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the law firm that employs former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is among the latest to cut a deal with the Trump administration, agreeing to provide $100 million in free legal services to causes the President supports. In executive orders Trump has targeted several high profile firms he considers hostile to him, and the capitulation by some firms has constitutional law experts alarmed. We talk about the implications for democracy and the First Amendment, and we’ll hear from one San Francisco firm that’s fighting back.
To Fold or Fight: Law Firms Weigh Risks of Trump Resistance
U.S. President Donald Trump announces that his administration has reached a deal with elite law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on March 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik via Getty Images)
Guests:
Raymond Brescia, professor, Albany Law School; author, "Lawyer Nation: The Past, Present, and Future of the American Legal Profession"
Laurie Carr Mims, managing partner, Keker Van Nest and Peters
Jessica Silver-Greenberg, investigative reporter, The New York Times
Rachel Cohen, former associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom
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