Trump’s Order Targeting Law Firm Perkins Coie Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules; The New York Times, May 2, 2025

Zach Montague , The New York Times; Trump’s Order Targeting Law Firm Perkins Coie Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules

"A federal judge ruled on Friday that an executive order President Trump signed in March targeting the law firm Perkins Coie was unconstitutional and directed the government not to enforce its terms, which had threatened to upend the firm’s business.

The ruling was the first time a court had stepped in to permanently bar Mr. Trump from trying to punish a law firm he opposes politically.

Skipping a trial and moving directly to a final ruling, Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia wrote that attempts to bring the firm to heel under the threat of retaliation amounted to unlawful coercion, and imperiled its lawyers’ ability to freely practice law.

“No American president has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue,” she wrote, adding, “In purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.’”"

Biglaw Is Under Attack. Here’s What The Firms Are Doing About It.; Above The Law, April 4, 2025

Kathryn Rubino , Above The Law; Biglaw Is Under Attack. Here’s What The Firms Are Doing About It. Introducing the Biglaw Spine Index.

"The President of the United States is using the might and power of the office to attack Biglaw firms and the rule of law. It’s pretty chilling stuff that is clearly designed to break major law firms and have them bend a knee to Trump or extract a tremendous financial penalty. This is an assault not just on the firms in the crosshairs, but on the very rule of law that is the backbone of our nation, without which there’s little to check abuses of power. 

But in the face of financial harm, too many firms are willing to proactively seek out Trump’s seal of approval and provide pro bono payola, that is, free legal services on behalf of conservative clients or causes in order to avoid Trumpian retribution. So we here at Above the Law have decided to track what exact Biglaw firms are doing in response to the bombardment on Biglaw and the legal system. Some have struck a deal with Trump, some are fighting in court, some have signed an amicus brief in the Perkins Coie case, but the overwhelming majority have stayed silent. 

Introducing the Biglaw Spine Index. Every firm in the Am Law 200 (based on the 2024 ranking, which is the most readily available one as of this publication) is listed with what they’re doing — or not — in the face of Trump’s attack on Biglaw. We’ve included each firm’s gross revenue and profits per equity partner, which we think highlights the greed involved."