Donald Trump began his second (and hopefully last) term by attacking Biglaw firms and the rule of law. Trump nominally used Biglaw’s commitment to DEI as a pretext to pursue his personal vendettas, even using the EEOC to further his goals. Nine yellow-bellied Biglaw firms (Paul Weiss, Skadden, Willkie Farr, Milbank, Cadwalader, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher, and A&O Shearman) capitulated to the demands of Trump allowing him to amass a nearly $1 billion war chest of pro bono payola. Both sides of the political spectrum see it as a black eye on the profession) — a move that sells out the very principle of the rule of law.
Now Kirkland & Ellis — a firm that shamefully led the charge to bend a knee to Trump — is making cuts to its DEI staff, replacing global inclusion director Joi Bourgeois with associate director of firmwide inclusion Grace Geronimo and eliminating some positions.
According to Law.com:
The cuts mark a reduction in the size of Kirkland’s DEI-focused staff, although it was not clear at press time whether they were related to the Trump administration’s scrutiny of the law firm’s DEI practices. One source familiar with the firm said the cuts were tied to a firmwide staff reorganization that began before the November presidential election.
I mean…. I think I speak for most observers when I say I am highly skeptical the cuts are unrelated to Donald Trump’s war on DEI — and perhaps more accurately, to Kirkland’s capitulation to Trump’s demands. And if it isn’t, the firm simply must be aware that is the perception that would permeate the industry when they made the cuts *now*. This is the world’s richest law firm; they made $8.8 billion is gross revenue last year. So it’s not like these cuts are essential to the firm’s financial well-being — if they wanted to assure the industry they stand behind DEI, they would.
But that’s not the statement Kirkland is making in 2025.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].
