Intro

Over the past two months Donald Trump has issued a raft of executive orders targeting the practices of specific U.S. law firms:

• Feb 25: "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Directs Suspension of Security Clearances and Evaluation of Government Contracts for Involvement in Government Weaponization"
• Mar 6: "Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP"
• Mar 14: "ADDRESSING RISKS FROM PAUL WEISS"
• Mar 21: "Addressing Remedial Action by Paul Weiss"
• Mar 21: "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Prevents Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Courts"
• Mar 22: "Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court"
• Mar 25: "Addressing Risks from Jenner & Block"
• Mar 27: "ADDRESSING RISKS FROM WILMERHALE "
• Apr 9: "ADDRESSING RISKS FROM SUSMAN GODFREY"
• Apr 9: "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks from Susman Godfrey"

In addition, the following firms were targeted:

• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
• Elias Law Group
• Milbank LLP
• Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
• Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
• Kirkland & Ellis
• A&O Shearman
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
• Latham & Watkins

In total, 15 law firms were targeted.

Source:

Balevic, Katie; Dorman, John L.; Li, Katherine; Tangalakis-Lippert, Katherine; Shamsian, Jacob; Griffiths, Brent D.; Lee, Lloyd; Vlamis, Kelsey; Sehmbi, Milan. (April 12, 2025). "Here's where all the firms in the Trump-Big Law fight stand". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-04-16

Specifics

Reading through the ten executive orders, the common claims and threads are:

• weaponization of government and the judicial process
• illegal, unethical, and "egregious" conduct by specific individuals and law firms
• ending discrimination under diversity, equity, and inclusion policies
• illegal or unethical conduct
• a "return to accountability"
• global law firms and their destructive role
• frivolous litigation and fraudulent practices
• actions that "threaten public safety and national security, limit constitutional freedoms, degrade the quality of American elections, or undermine bedrock American principles"
• conduct and actions "detrimental to critical American interests"
• suspension of security clearances for law firm employees

The executive order issued on February 25 singles out Jack Smith, the special counsel who lead the criminal investigations into Trump's role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents. The order states:

Jack Smith and his staff spent more than $50 million in taxpayer dollars to target President Trump—an egregious misuse of judicial authority for political ends and part of the prior administration's unprecedented weaponization of prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process.

The executive order issued on March 22 states:

I further direct the Attorney General, in consultation with any relevant senior executive official, to review conduct by attorneys or their law firms in litigation against the Federal Government over the last 8 years [includes Trump's first term as president and Joe Biden's term as president.].

The executive orders issued on April 9 target Susman Godfrey LLP, the law firm that represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News where Fox News agreed to pay $787.5 million in damages for airing false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election.

Two days later on April 11, Susman Godfrey filed a complaint against the Trump administration in the D.C. District Court. The complaint states:

The President is abusing the powers of his office to wield the might of the Executive Branch in retaliation against organizations and people that he dislikes. Nothing in our Constitution or laws grants a President such power; to the contrary, the specific provisions and overall design of our Constitution were adopted in large measure to ensure that presidents cannot exercise arbitrary, absolute power in the way that the President seeks to do in these Executive Orders.

Unless the Judiciary acts with resolve—now—to repudiate this blatantly unconstitutional Executive Order and the others like it, a dangerous and perhaps irreversible precedent will be set.

If President Trump's Executive Orders are allowed to stand, future presidents will face no constraint when they seek to retaliate against a different set of perceived foes. What for two centuries has been beyond the pale will become the new normal.

Source:

(April 11, 2025). "IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA". Susman Godfrey. Retrieved 2025-04-21

Firms standing their ground on the executive orders:

• Perkins Coie
• Covington & Burling LLP
• Elias Law Group
• Jenner & Block
• Wilmer Hale
• Susman Godfrey

Firms capitulating to the executive orders by means of an agreement with Trump:

• Paul Weiss
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
• Milbank LLP
• Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
• Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
• Kirkland & Ellis
• A&O Shearman
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
• Latham & Watkins

Source:

Balevic, Katie; Dorman, John L.; Li, Katherine; Tangalakis-Lippert, Katherine; Shamsian, Jacob; Griffiths, Brent D.; Lee, Lloyd; Vlamis, Kelsey; Sehmbi, Milan. (April 12, 2025). "Here's where all the firms in the Trump-Big Law fight stand". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-04-16

Read further details about how each firm is dealing (or has dealt) with the executive orders here, here, and here.

Read the Update sections below for ongoing developments.

April 15, 2025 Update

Judge temporarily blocks Trump's order targeting law firm: 'Shocking abuse of power' | ABC News