Five more big law firms reach deals with Trump

Five more prominent law firms facing potential punitive action by President Donald Trump reached deals Friday with the White House to provide a total of $600 million in free legal services to causes supported by the president.

Four of the firms — Kirkland &Ellis, Latham &Watkins, A&O Shearman and Simpson Thacher &Bartlett — each agreed to provide $125 million in pro bono or free legal work, according to Trump. A fifth firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham &Taft, agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono work.

With the latest round of deals, some of the biggest firms in the legal profession have agreed over the past month to provide a combined $940 million in free legal services to causes favored by the Trump administration, including ones with “conservative ideals.”

Trump announced the agreements between his administration and the law firms Friday on Truth Social, the platform owned by his social media company, Trump Media &Technology Group.

Top lawyers from each firm provided a statement to the White House, which was included in the social media posts. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported on negotiations with four of the firms.

The deals were announced during a week in which Trump talked openly in the Oval Office about using the firms he has struck deals with to help negotiate trade agreements with other countries and even work on coal leasing deals.

Trump did not specifically mention potential work on trade deals or coal leasing agreements in his social media posts. Rather, the posts said the firms would devote free legal work to things like fighting antisemitism, helping Gold Star families, assisting law enforcement and “ensuring fairness in our justice system.”

The terms are similar to ones Trump previously announced with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &Garrison; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &Flom; Willkie Farr &Gallagher; and Milbank.

Law firms are settling with the Trump administration to head off executive orders that would make it difficult for them to represent clients with federal contracts or seek government regulatory approvals. Three firms are fighting Trump’s executive orders in federal court, and judges have temporarily stayed the orders against Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Jenner &Block from going into effect.

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