Inside Elite Law Firms, Protests and Quitting After Trump Deals

The New York Times [no paywall] – The discontent does not appear to be resonating with leaders at Paul Weiss and Skadden, but it could hamstring their recruitment efforts. Ever since the elite law firms Paul Weiss and Skadden reached deals with President Trump to scuttle executive orders that could have crippled their businesses, the firms’ top partners have closed ranks in support of the agreements. But there is discontent among the vast army of lawyers who may not have much sway in decision-making at the two firms but who do much of the work: their associates. Some of these young lawyers are saying both privately and openly that their leaders betrayed their firms’ principles with deals that could undermine a commitment to provide free legal work to public interest groups and causes at odds with the White House. In recent days, associates at Paul Weiss and Skadden have written emails to their leadership in protest, and a few have quit their jobs…The decision-making at many large firms is controlled by a small group of partners who are annually paid as much as $20 million each because of their relationships with lucrative corporate clients. At large firms, starting associates tend to make more than $220,000 a year plus a bonus. At Paul Weiss, the top partners have argued that their deal with Mr. Trump was necessary to keep the firm afloat. The executive order, they said, would have prevented the firm from representing clients before the federal government could have cost partners and associates their jobs. Skadden appears to have taken steps to prevent the internal dissent from spreading. Mr. Sipp and another associate there, Brenna Frey, who quit on Friday, said they had been blocked from announcing their resignations widely on Skadden’s email channels…”