I’ve written recently about law firms that caved to Trump’s threats losing lawyers, including partners. I’m sure associates have been looking for their own way out. I also mentioned that these are firms with high-powered, rich clients. Both individually and on behalf of corporations they run one had to figure they’d question whether to continue to pay the kinds of huge fees to law firms that didn’t have the guts to tell Trump where to stick his threats. Well, it seems I was right about that. What’s surprising me a bit is that there are those who are friendly with, or at least made big donations (money) to Trump don’t want lawyers/law firms that are wimps!
This short article from Raw Story had an interesting headline. It stated clients are walking away from law firms that ‘Don’t know how to fight.’ Ouch! Better yet the article names some specific people/corporations. We already know that some big law firms knuckled under to Trump’s threats and others chose to fight. Now MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin reports she’s hearing a couple of interesting things regarding the firms who caved. First is that there is a backlash taking place as clients are looking elsewhere. Second is that some firms are altering their pro bono policies to avoid confrontation with Trump.
She doesn’t say so, at least according to the article but that’s a move that could prove costly. It might buy some time, but word will get out about firms that were so afraid of Trump they curtailed pro bono work that might offend him. IOW, they are trying to “lawyerly wimp out” but from where I sit it’s still wimping out. This will be something to keep an eye on in the months ahead. In the meantime we have things like this:
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that companies like tech company “Oracle, investment bank Morgan Stanley, an airline, and a pharmaceutical company,” along with Microsoft, have reservations about working with firms that made deals with Trump.
Oracle was founded and co-owned by one of Trump’s friends, Larry Ellison. So, Rubin said it isn’t that the firms “object to the politics of the situation.” Rather, “people don’t want to be represented by someone who doesn’t know how to fight. If you can’t fight for yourself and your own principles, why should we hire you?”
That last part is both blunt and a massive insult to lawyers and firms that thought they were sooooo special. Now they are Chris Farley’s character Tommy Boy grimacing and saying to themselves ‘That’s gonna leave a mark.’ In this case more than a mark. It’s one that shows them bleeding, and worse others can see they are bleeding because they didn’t fight and let themselves take a punch! But wait as the late-night ad pitches say, there’s more:
Republican mega-donor Ken Griffin owns the major hedge fund company Citadel, but the general counsel for the company stood up at a luncheon to question the firm they use. The lawyer, a former federal prosecutor, “essentially said, we want to be in business with people who are willing to undertake a fight,” said Rubin.
People and corporations with a LOT to lose if they are in a legal battle want sharks representing them. Not lawyers who are shark food! My guess is that some big time firms are going to be expanding this year. New partners that will be instant ‘rainmakers’ will be joining them. Either that or as I wrote recently forming new firms. They will bring associates from their old, ‘Please don’t hurt us Trump’ firms with them. If the firms that caved wither on the vine and die I say good riddance!
***From Ursula*** Zoomers, if you’re able to contribute in any way, we could use help. I’ve been ill and recuperating from a brief hospitalization. Times are tough for political commentary to begin with, and that’s been the case since November 5. Half the country is in a major depression. But we need to keep on keeping on. This too shall pass and there will be a brighter, post-Trump day if we work for it. Please join us and help if you can. Thank you. Ursula
Just a note about the quote used in/on the picture, but, um, Reba didn’t originate that line. Songwriter Bobby Russell came up with it and his then-wife, Vicki Lawrence, first recorded it and topped the pop music charts. (Lawrence, at the time, was one of the regulars on “The Carol Burnett Show” and would become most famous as the star of her own series, “Mama’s Family” which originated as a recurring sketch on Burnett’s show.)
When I read this, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe we have actually found evidence of “dark matter” (at least in the metaphorical sense).
𝑊𝐼𝑀𝑃𝑠, 𝑜𝑟 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑙𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟.