Several employees at a powerful law firm in New York are leaving after the firm caved to Donald Trump.
Lawyers are fleeing Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft—a famed Wall Street powerhouse—after the firm committed to providing $100 million worth of pro bono services to Trump to avoid being targeted by the federal government, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Among those leaving the firm are the key partner in Cadwalader’s litigation group along with other litigators.
Former Maryland deputy attorney general and counsel at the firm, J.B. Howard, is also leaving after criticizing the firm’s deal with Trump.
“Departures can be tough,” a firm spokesperson told the Journal. “Some attrition is normal and expected; it is part of the typical rhythm of a successful firm.”
Cadwalader is among the nearly dozen law firms that struck deals with Trump to avoid being targeted. All the firms either worked with Democrats, represented Democratic interests or are associated with attorneys Trump believes have worked against him.
Last month, a group of Democratic lawmakers sent letters to Cadwalader and the other firms demanding details about the arrangements from the firms’ leadership and warning them that the deals they struck with Trump were unenforceable and potentially violated federal and state laws.
“By entering into an agreement that appears to be in response to the threat of illegal economic coercion against your firm from the Trump administration, your firm is not simply agreeing to provide certain pro bono services or end certain personnel hiring and retention practices,” the lawmakers caution in their letter.
“Agreements of this kind also signal acquiescence to an abuse of federal power, raising serious questions about how or whether your firm would represent clients or take on matters that might be seen as antagonistic to President Trump or his agenda,” they added.
