Wilkie Farr Bows with Pro Bono Arrangement
Willkie Farr & Gallagher, home to Doug Emhoff, husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, has been the latest law firm to strike a $100 million pro bono deal with Trump’s administration to avoid becoming collateral damage in what critics are calling a political shakedown.
Emhoff joined Wilkie Farr in January.
The agreement, announced via Trump’s Truth Social, pledges services for veterans, Gold Star families, first responders, and efforts to combat antisemitism.
The firm also agreed to scrap diversity hiring initiatives and vowed not to turn away clients from “politically disenfranchised groups,” code, critics argue, for shielding Trump allies from scrutiny and is similar to other law firms’ agreements.
The deal came swiftly after Trump signed executive orders targeting firms accused of “liberal bias” or “fraudulent litigation,” a sweeping crackdown that’s sparked legal challenges and resignations from legal staff who disagree with the ‘Trump deals’.
Willkie Farr, which previously represented Georgia election workers in their defamation case against Rudy Giuliani, reportedly initiated the pact preemptively.
Apparently not everyone at the firm was on board, including Emhoff and privately voiced dissent, according to sources close to the matter.
Thomas Cerabino, the firm’s chairman, defended the move as “consistent” with their bipartisan client history and compliance with employment laws, adding they “look forward to a constructive relationship” with Trump’s team.
The Trump targets in the legal field include WilmerHale (where Robert Mueller worked before leading the Russia probe) and Jenner & Block (home to Mueller deputy Andrew Weissmann). Covington & Burling, whose lawyers aided special counsel Jack Smith, and Perkins Coie, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign counsel, have also faced sanctions or threats.
For Willkie Farr, the $100 million deal may buy temporary peace, but the cost to its reputation—and the profession’s integrity—remains to be seen as it does with other firms in the Trump crosshairs who have made their deals.
