The White House has reached a deal with one of the largest law firms in the world to provide the equivalent of $100 million in free legal work to causes supported by the administration, President Donald Trump announced Friday afternoon.
The law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, will also fund fellowships for law school graduates to work on causes in line with the administration’s priorities. The fellows “will represent a wide range of political views, including conservative ideals,” the president said in a statement.
Skadden will also commit to “merit based hiring, promotion and retention,” and will not deny representation to “politically disenfranchised groups,” the president said during a swearing in event for Alina Habba, one of his personal attorneys and his pick to be the acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.
“This was essentially a settlement,” Trump said of the deal.
The president has signed a number of executive orders in recent weeks targeting individual law firms for their prior associations with his political enemies. No such order had been signed targeting Skadden, however, the fifth-highest grossing law firm in the world according to Law.com, making this the first time a law firm has preemptively gone to the White House to negotiate with the administration.
“Skadden is pleased to have achieved a successful agreement with President Trump and his Administration,” Skadden’s executive partner Jeremy London said in a statement released by Trump. “We engaged proactively with the President and his team in working together constructively to reach this agreement. The Firm looks forward to continuing our productive relationship with President Trump and his Admin. We firmly believe that this outcome is in the best interests of our clients, our people, and our Firm.”
The deal echoes an earlier agreement between the administration and the law firm Paul, Weiss, which agreed to donate $40 million in pro bono work towards causes supported by the administration. Paul, Weiss similarly committed to reviewing their hiring practices and ending use of diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
That settlement was reached after the president signed an executive order punishing Paul, Weiss for the work of a former partner by revoking security clearances for certain attorneys and restricting the firm’s ability to represent clients that interface with the government.
“We appreciate Skadden’s coming to the table,” Trump said Friday. “As you know other law firms have likewise settled the case. It’s a shame, you know, what’s gone on is a shame but we very much appreciate their coming to the table.”
Though Skadden had not yet been targeted by an executive order, it recently drew negative attention from Elon Musk, who posted about the firm on X.
“Skadden, this needs to stop now,” Musk posted in response to a post from 2020 election denier Dinesh D’Souza who said the firm was engaged in “systematic lawfare” against his film 2000 Mules.
Earlier Friday, major law firms Jenner & Block and WilmerHale filed two lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive orders cutting those firms off from government contracts, suspending security clearances held by lawyers at the firm and restricting firm employees from entering government buildings.
A federal judge previously ruled that a similar executive order targeting the firm Perkins Coie is likely unconstitutional.
