Contact The Editor
Articles By This Author
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he had reached an agreement with the prominent law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher - which employs Doug Emhoff, former vice president Kamala Harris's husband - making it the third firm to strike a deal with him in as many weeks.
Trump has targeted several law firms for punishment, using executive orders to demand that they lose government contracts, access to government buildings and the ability to interact with government employees. These orders have created a growing divide within the legal community, with some firms fighting them in court and others seeking to reach deals to avoid sanctions.
Willkie, as the firm is known, announced a week after Trump's inauguration that Emhoff, the former second gentleman, was coming on board as a partner. Emhoff did not immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday evening about Trump's announcement.
Emhoff told the firm's leadership that he disagreed with their seeking a deal with the Trump administration, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
Earlier Tuesday afternoon, before Trump's announcement, Emhoff appeared at a Georgetown Law School event for a previously scheduled discussion. During the event, he said the rule of law was under attack and that lawyers needed to push back and fight for what is right.
While Trump's statement about the agreement did not explicitly say so, it appeared aimed at helping Willkie avoid the punishments that the president has pursued with other firms.
In his orders targeting firms, Trump has criticized them and cited their connections to his perceived political opponents, including investigators who scrutinized him. In addition to Emhoff, who is married to Trump's rival in the 2024 presidential election, Willkie employs Timothy Heaphy, who was chief investigative counsel for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Firms targeted by Trump have described his punishments as catastrophic, saying the orders could devastate their ability to represent clients and stay in business.
Three firms - Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block and WilmerHale - have all gone to court to challenge the orders. They have all had success, with judges at least temporarily blocking parts of those orders.
Other firms, though, have instead reached deals with the White House. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison was the first to strike a deal, agreeing to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services to causes Trump supports. In response, Trump withdrew his order targeting the firm.
On Friday, Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom - which had not been publicly targeted by an executive order. That deal carried a higher price tag than the Paul Weiss agreement, though, with Trump saying the firm would provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services this time.
On Tuesday afternoon, Trump said Willkie had also agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services in areas he supports, including fighting antisemitism and aiding veterans and military members.
Trump also said Willkie had agreed to "not engage in illegal DEI discrimination" and would bring on an independent outside counsel to confirm that the firm's employment practices abide by antidiscrimination laws. And, Trump added, the firm said it would not deny clients representation due to lawyers' "personal political views."
Trump posted the details on social media late Tuesday afternoon. He also included a statement from Thomas M. Cerabino, the firm's chairman, that said the firm looked forward to "a constructive relationship with the Trump administration."
"The substance of that agreement is consistent with our Firm's views on access to Legal representation by clients, including pro bono clients, our commitment to complying with the Law as it relates to our employment practices, and our history of working with clients across a wide spectrum of political viewpoints," Cerabino said, according to the statement released by Trump.
Cerabino and the firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment.