Law students have eyes set on firms standing up to Trump: Politico
3 Min Read
As law firms ramp up their summer recruitment efforts, many students favor firms that have publicly challenged Trump’s executive orders or taken legal action against his administration.
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Students walk through the Harvard Law School area on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on Nov. 19, 2002 (AP)
In a newly released report, Politico sheds light on how President Donald Trump’s intensifying attacks on prominent law firms are sending shockwaves through the legal profession — creating a sharp divide that now reaches the nation’s law schools.
As law firms ramp up their summer recruitment efforts, many students are favoring firms that have publicly challenged Trump’s executive orders or taken legal action against his administration, according to interviews conducted by Politico with students, recruiters, and legal professionals involved in hiring.
These preferences are shaping everything from internship decisions among first-year law students to employment reconsiderations by third-year students already holding offers.
A partner at a firm challenging the administration’s orders, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the topic, told Politico, “I’ve never seen that happen”.
Firms seen as defending the rule of law are gaining traction among students, said Bryson Malcolm, a New York-based legal recruiter.
“Students aren’t really locked into every single law firm,” Malcolm explained. “The firms who have lawyers who are actually proud to be there right now … I just think that’s going to come out when you’re talking to them and students might end up going for that.”
Wider context
Since February, President Trump has used executive orders to target firms that represent his opponents, sue his allies, or employ his critics.
Firms like Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Jenner & Block have fought back in court, winning rulings that blocked provisions limiting their access to federal contracts and threatening their client relationships.
Meanwhile, other firms opted to avoid confrontation by reaching deals with the administration. These agreements have included pledges of up to $100 million in pro-bono work for causes favored by the White House and the suspension of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives.
Earlier this week, independent US Senator Bernie Sanders lashed out at these law firms, saying they are displaying "absolute cowardice". "They're zillion-dollar law firms, and money, money, money" is all that motivates them, the popular Vermont congressman who caucuses with Democrats said in a feature interview on the most recent CBS Sunday Morning. "So they're going to sell out their souls to be able to make money here in Washington."
Sanders' remarks included a strong denunciation of legal firms who had represented Trump's political adversaries before taking the route of least resistance once he issued directives that threatened to damage them.
Meanwhile, students are closely watching how firms respond — even tracking law firm actions in a widely circulated spreadsheet, as per the report.
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