The law firm that employs former second gentleman Doug Emhoff handed President Donald Trump another victory in his crusade against Big Law Tuesday.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post that Willkie Farr & Gallagher reached out to strike a deal, similar to those that other top law firms have agreed to in a bid to evade the administration’s sweeping sanctions on organizations it perceives as political enemies.
Though Trump did not specify why he targeted the firm, it employs the husband of his former opponent, Kamala Harris, as well as a top investigator for the congressional committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and a litigator who led a lawsuit against the president’s former attorney, Rudy Giuliani, according to The New York Times.
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Willkie agreed to provide the Trump administration with $100 million in pro bono legal services in areas such as combating antisemitism and assisting veterans.
“Willkie’s pro bono Committee will ensure that new pro bono matters are consistent with these objectives, and that pro bono activities represent the full political spectrum, including Conservative ideals,” Trump said.
The law firm also vowed that it would not engage in “illegal DEI discrimination and preferences,” the president said.
“Willkie affirms that it is Willkie’s policy to give Fair and Equal consideration to Job Candidates, irrespective of their political beliefs, including Candidates who have served in the Trump Administration, and any other Republican or Democrat Administration,” Trump wrote.
The firm also committed to not denying representation to clients based on “the personal political views of individual lawyers,” according to Trump.
The White House said Willkie “proactively reached out to President Trump and his Administration, offering their decisive commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.”
“We reached an agreement with President Trump and his Administration on matters of great importance to our Firm,” Willkie chairperson Thomas Cerabino said in a statement. “The Firm looks forward to having a constructive relationship with the Trump Administration.”
The Times earlier reported that Willkie was on a list of law firms the Trump administration was looking to target with sanctions that have sent the legal profession into turmoil.
Trump issued a series of executive orders directing the termination of government contracts with major law firms, including Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Covington & Burling. The orders also stripped their employees of security clearances.
Some firms, like WilmerHale and Jenner & Block, responded by suing the Trump administration for violating their First Amendment rights. Two federal judges later slapped down the president’s executive orders targeting the two companies.
Other firms, like Paul Weiss and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, capitulated to Trump by promising to provide the government with millions of dollars in pro bono legal work.
