According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the richest law firm in the world — Kirkland & Ellis — is looking to join the growing list of Biglaw firms bending a knee to Donald Trump. The firm is reportedly seeking to avoid the likely unconstitutional Executive Orders aimed at Biglaw firms that have, in some way, pissed off the far right.
But, as noted by the WSJ, no one really gets *why* this is happening.
Kirkland—a powerhouse in the worlds of private equity and mergers and acquisitions—has been eager to avoid a conflict with the White House and has hired a lobbyist as part of its efforts, the people said. It isn’t clear what objections Trump and his inner circle would have to the firm’s activities.
Honestly, that’s a bit of an undersell. What gets me about these guys is… who’s to say Trump would’ve ever even noticed them? They’re the most bland PE mentality. The only anti-conservative thing you can tag on them is parting ways with Paul Clement… WHO IS SUING TRUMP OVER THIS SAME ORDER.
Maybe Trump is just a fan of White Lotus?
Put Kirkland on the list of firms that prioritize their bag over the rule of law, alongside Paul Weiss, Skadden, Willkie, and Milbank.
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].
