Biglaw’s Silence On Trump’s Executive Orders Is Deafening For In-House Counsel
Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
If there ends up being a split where some firms are vocal and others aren’t, I will absolutely use that in my purchasing or vendor decisions. I will want a firm that is aligned with my values.
As soon as the executive order on Perkins Coie came out, within a half hour, I emailed every law firm that I pay currently and the law firm I used to work at and a couple others where I have close contacts just to say that I expect you to be fighting this swift and strong.
We’re all doing the same thing. We’re emailing, calling, and asking what are you doing, why are you remaining silent?
— A medical company chief legal officer, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on how in-house counsel are reacting to Biglaw’s response, or lack thereof, to the Trump administration’s threats that are plaguing the legal sector. To date, Trump has targeted Covington Burling, Perkins Coie, and Paul Weiss with broad executive orders, and he has since targeted 20 additional leading law firms over their DEI policies.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
