Donald Trump Is Trying To Shakedown Cadwalader

Donald Trump has ben busy using the questionable power of Executive Orders to target Biglaw firms like Covington & Burling, then Perkins Coie, Paul Weiss, Jenner & Block, and WilmerHale. All for the grievous insult of having their attorneys take cases that Donald Trump or his allies just don’t like. And more than that, Trump has had wild success using the mere threat of EOs and the financial harm they bring to get major firms (Skadden, Milbank, Willkie, probably Kirkland) to do his bidding. (Generally, providing millions in pro bono services for conservative causes/clients and abandoning the firm’s DEI efforts.)

According to reporting by the New York Times, the next firm in the President’s crosshairs is Cadwalader. Not for cases they *did* take but for one specific one they didn’t. Former Cadwalader partner Todd Blanche disagreed with his onetime partners about taking Trump on as a client.

But in 2023, when Mr. Trump was facing multiple criminal investigations and Mr. Blanche wanted to represent him, most of the firm’s leadership balked at the idea, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

So, Mr. Blanche left Cadwalader, hanging out his own legal shingle and expressing bitterness to some allies that he had to do so to take on Mr. Trump as a client, one of the people said.

Now Trump wants retribution on Blanche’s behalf. And, honestly, it sounds an awful lot like a shakedown.

One of Mr. Trump’s advisers has been in touch with the firm to suggest that it sign a deal in which it would offer tens of millions of dollars in pro bono legal services to causes that the Trump administration supports.

It’s unclear, at this point, if Cadwalader will capitulate to these demands or take a stand. But all of Biglaw is watching.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].