President Trump on Friday announced a deal with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services “during the Trump administration and beyond.”
The agreement comes as Trump has signed executive orders targeting Big Law firms tied to his critics and perceived political enemies, restricting the work they can do with the federal government.
“This was essentially a settlement,” Trump said, adding that “we very much appreciate their coming to the table.”
The president has not signed an order aimed at Skadden, though the administration has signaled that additional law firms could come under fire. The New York Times reported Thursday that Skadden appeared to be the first major firm seeking to cut a deal with Trump before he issued such an order.
Under the deal, Trump said Skadden won’t deny representation to clients from “politically disenfranchised groups, who have not historically received legal representation from major national law firms.”
The firm’s assistance will include a focus on assisting veterans and other public servants, the president said, including “members of the military, law enforcement and on and on.”
Skadden will also commit to “merit-based hiring, promotion and retention” and fund at least five fellows as part of a scholarship fund, Trump said.
It was announced last week that the major law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (called Paul, Weiss) had agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono work on causes backed by the administration and to hire an outside expert to audit its hiring and employment practices.
Trump then agreed to lift an executive order that would have taken away security clearances from the law firm’s staff.
Hour before the news of the Skadden deal, two other firms — Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — separately sued the Trump administration over the president’s executive orders targeting them.
