Big Law Splinters Under a Trump Onslaught

ImageNo Kumbaya moment President Trump has opened a new front in his attack on Big Law.On Tuesday, he signed an executive order that targeted Jenner & Block, a major white-shoe firm, days after issuing a far-reaching memorandum threatening to punish any law firm that he contends has unfairly challenged his administration.One of the biggest questions has been whether Big Law would band together amid Trump’s barrage.So far, the opposite has happened: Corporate law firms are using Trump’s assault as a competitive opportunity, The Times reports.As Paul, Weiss was dealing with its own executive order this month, rival firms dove in to try to poach clients and partners.The firm’s competitors moved in swiftly.

Several of Paul, Weiss’s top rivals, including Sullivan & Cromwell and Kirkland & Ellis, tried to poach Paul, Weiss rainmakers within days of Trump issuing an executive order that could have seriously hobbled its business, according to The Times.They took a soft approach with the firm’s leaders, saying that they sympathized with their plight, but that if they wanted out of the turmoil, they could name their price.Jon Ballis, the chairman of Kirkland & Ellis, said in a statement to The Times that his firm didn’t try to recruit Paul, Weiss lawyers.

A Sullivan & Cromwell spokesman similarly denied trying to recruit the firm’s lawyers.The outreach made a bad situation worse.Panic was already roiling through Paul, Weiss over the potentially catastrophic effect of the executive order.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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