President Donald Trump reentered office in January promising retribution against those he felt had wronged him, either during his first term or in his interregnum. Making good on that pledge, Trump issued numerous executive orders targeting law firms that have represented Democrats or other people suing or prosecuting him.
That, on its own, is a breathtaking abuse of presidential power—explaining why the orders have been repeatedly struck down. Still, it has had a chilling effect on those law firms and their willingness to take on clients the president might not approve of, especially those who rely on lawyers to take their cases pro bono.
"Dozens of major law firms, wary of political retaliation, have scaled back pro bono work, diversity initiatives and litigation that could place them in conflict with the Trump administration," Reuters reported this week. "Many firms are making a strategic calculation: withdraw from pro bono work frowned on by Trump, or risk becoming the next target." The outlet reached this conclusion after it "interviewed more than 60 lawyers, reviewed 50 law firm websites, contacted more than 70 nonprofits and analyzed millions of court records."
