Over the past few weeks, President Trump has used executive orders to wage war on law firms, specifically targeting those whose lawyers have investigated or sued him, or represented his enemies in court.Michael Barbaro speaks to Thomas Sipp, a lawyer who chose to quit after his firm, Skadden, negotiated a deal to placate the president.Guest: Thomas Sipp, a lawyer who left his firm after they negotiated a deal with Mr. Trump.Background reading: Read about how, Paul Weiss, a major democratic law firm, ended up bowing to Mr. Trump.Ever since the elite law firms Skadden and Paul Weiss reached deals with the Trump administration, top partners have closed ranks in support of the agreements.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: John Taggart for The New York Times Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
How has Trump targeted law firms with executive orders?
From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. This is an absolute honor to sign.
The president signed an executive order singling out Perkins Coie.
What they've done is just terrible. It's weaponization. Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump has used executive orders to wage war on law firm after law firm.
Those who made the list are a real murderer's row, including Covington and Burling. Paul Weiss, Jenner & Block, big law, white shoe firm, some of the best lawyers in the country.
specifically targeting those whose current or former lawyers have investigated him, sued him, or represented his enemies in court. But rather than fighting Trump, many of those firms have buckled.
President Trump yesterday rescinded an executive order targeting prominent law firm Paul Weiss. Milbank joins firms Wilkie Farr and Gallagher, which also cut a deal. The question left in the air, of course, is who's next?
Negotiating deals that give Trump much of what he wants and forcing thousands of the lawyers who work at those firms to make a choice. Remain at firms that have capitulated or quit in protest. Most have chosen to stay. Thomas Sipp chose to quit. Today, I asked him to explain why. It's Monday, April 7th. Yeah, come on in. Put on these headphones. These. I think, yes, those. Okay. Comfy? Yeah.
Good. Thomas, welcome to The Daily. Thanks for having me. I'm getting the small sense that this is a nerve-wracking experience for you even before it started. I'm just seeing it on your face. Yeah, it definitely is.
We have been trying here at The Daily for a few weeks to understand what it's like to work at one of the law firms that's now at the center of President Trump's campaign of retribution. And to have watched from within those firms as one by one by one, these very big and powerful firms have capitulated to the president's campaign. Pretty unusual demands.
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