Top U.S. companies ditch law firms that aligned with Trump amid backlash and reputation risk concerns

Some big U.S. companies are stopping work with law firms that made deals with the Trump administration. At a fancy lawyer lunch in Manhattan, Brooke Cucinella from hedge fund Citadel said they prefer lawyers who don’t back down from a fight. Firms that fought back against Trump’s orders are now getting more clients, while firms that cooperated are losing clients, as per reports.

In Feb 2025, President Trump signed executive orders that told government agencies to take away security clearances from certain law firms and remove their clients from important federal contracts. He said these law firms either represented political enemies or had practices the White House didn’t like, as per the Wall Street Journal report.


Four big firms, Jenner & Block, Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey, challenged Trump’s orders in court. Some other firms made deals with the Trump administration to avoid trouble. These deals included doing pro-bono work, like defending police officers accused of misconduct, as per reports.

At least 11 major companies have moved legal work away from firms that made deals with Trump. Companies that took action include, oracle, Morgan Stanley, an unnamed airline, a pharma company, and McDonald's. These companies didn’t like how the law firms handled Trump’s pressure.

Microsoft also raised concerns about Latham & Watkins, saying there might be a conflict of interest. Microsoft removed them from the preferred list but later reinstated them after discussions, as stated in the Wall Street Journal report.

These firms are facing loss of clients, internal protests, and even resignations. Partners and associates at firms like Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden, Simpson Thacher, etc., are angry at what they see as a betrayal of independence. At Paul Weiss, four top partners quit and started their own firm after the firm settled with Trump.

The four firms that sued Jenner & Block, Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey, saw a rise in business. Big companies wanted to reward them for standing up to Trump, as per the reports.

Judges have blocked or canceled Trump's orders against WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Perkins Coie, calling them unconstitutional. Judge John Bates said Trump's orders were a form of retaliation and the goal was to scare lawyers away from taking certain clients. This violated the Constitution. He said Jenner & Block was targeted because of the causes they support, clients they represent, and even a former employee, as stated in the reports.

The court cases are still going on, but so far the judges are supporting the law firms that fought back. More companies are expected to choose firms that stayed independent and resisted political pressure.

FAQ

Q1. Why are companies leaving law firms linked to Trump?
They worry about reputation damage and don’t want to be tied to firms seen as giving in to political pressure.

Q2. Which law firms are gaining more clients now?
Firms that challenged Trump’s orders in court, like Jenner & Block and Perkins Coie, are getting more corporate business.