The Trump administration’s attack on Biglaw isn’t over — far from it. On Friday, Donald Trump dropped another executive order targeting a massive law firm; this time, Paul, Weiss was in the crosshairs. Previously, Covington and Perkins Coie earned the president’s ire, and similarly Paul, Weiss employees have had their security clearances stripped:
Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to suspend security clearances held by individuals at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss) pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest.
Additionally, federal agencies have been instructed to cancel any contracts “for which Paul Weiss has been hired to perform any service.” And the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices will be put under a microscope.
Earlier on Friday, Trump gave a speech railing against “crooked law firms” that participated and/or aided in his personal legal troubles, saying, “There’s a new phenomena with these violent, vicious lawyers that we have all over.” He specifically named Jack Smith, Letitia James, Marc Elias, Alvin Bragg, and Mark Pomerantz in his remarks. “These are people that are bad people, really bad people,” Trump said. “They tried to turn America into a corrupt, communist and third-world country; but in the end, the thugs failed, and the truth won.”
And that’s the likely reason Paul, Weiss finds themselves targeted. Pomerantz is a former partner at the firm and is described in the EO as “unethical attorney Mark Pomerantz, who had previously left the firm to join the Manhattan District Attorney’s office solely to manufacture a prosecution against President Trump.”
The firm responded on Friday, as reported by Law.com:
“We have seen press reports about an executive order, which is focused on the activities of Mark Pomerantz, who retired from the firm in 2012 and went on to work at the District Attorney’s office nearly a decade later. Mr. Pomerantz has not been affiliated with the firm for many years. The terms of a similar order were enjoined as unconstitutional earlier this week by a federal district court judge.”
As accurately described by Paul, Weiss, the similar order targeted Perkins Coie and was dragged to hell in court documents, with key provisions quickly blocked by a federal judge. My guess is the Paul, Weiss order won’t fare much better.
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].
