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Why one associate at a major law firm quit over its deal with Trump

Brit Morse
By
Brit Morse
Brit Morse
Leadership Reporter
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Brit Morse
By
Brit Morse
Brit Morse
Leadership Reporter
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May 5, 2025, 7:39 AM ET
Rachel Cohen, a third-year law associate, resigned over a deal she says her high-powered law firm Skadden Law reached with the Trump administration for free legal work supporting the president's agenda.
Associates at some major law firms are quitting their high-paying jobs in response to their deals with the Trump administration. Getty Images

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Over the last few months, the president has taken aim at major law firms around the U.S. 

The president has accused these firms of things like “undermining democratic elections,” and his EEOC has sent letters spelling out “concerns” around their DEI practices. Notably, the firms under scrutiny have been at odds with Trump in the past or worked for Democrats. 

As a result, many firms have agreed to offer free legal services to the president. Nine firms have pledged a total of $940 million in free legal work thus far. 

But not all the associates at these firms are thrilled with those arrangements. Rachel Cohen, for example, quit Skadden Arps in March after the firm announced it would commit at least $100 million in pro bono legal work for causes the Trump administration supports. 

“I felt the firm was on the wrong side of history,” she says. 

She’s not alone. More than 80 alumni from Skadden sent a letter to the firm’s executive partner, Jeremy London, calling the firm’s decision “outrageous and self-interested.” Some student groups, such as one at Georgetown Law School, are canceling networking events with Skadden over similar concerns. Skadden did not respond to Fortune’s requests for comment.

Some other law firms targeted by Trump, like Susman Godfrey, are pushing back on the administration. But Cohen tells Fortune she’s afraid that not enough are willing to do so, and that the result will be an erosion of the law and the sanctity of the judicial system.

“It seems like the country is moving towards kangaroo courts, and I’m certainly not going to commit myself to the practice of law as a full-time job until I see how things unfold,” she says.

Read more about the conflict between Trump and major law firms here.

Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com

Around the Table

A round-up of the most important HR headlines.

The most recent jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the first real data since Trump’s tariff announcements. Wall Street Journal

Despite layoffs and stock market volatility, some U.S. automakers applaud Trump’s vast tariff plans. Bloomberg

Goldman Sachs is changing one of its most prominent diversity programs and removing references to race. Wall Street Journal

Watercooler

Everything you need to know from Fortune.

Factory futures? U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick says Gen Z should gear up for factory gigs because they are the “great jobs of the future.” —Emma Burleigh

Declining work ethic. Close to half of Japan’s workforce admits to quiet quitting as workplace issues mount in the country. —Kristen Parisi and HR Brew

Tariff volatility. Here’s why the CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates says so many top executives are making countless trips to Washington right now. —Sara Braun

This is the web version of Fortune CHRO, a newsletter focusing on helping HR executives navigate the needs of the workplace. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Author
Brit Morse
By Brit MorseLeadership Reporter
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Brit Morse is a former Leadership reporter at Fortune, covering workplace trends and the C-suite. She also writes CHRO Daily, Fortune’s flagship newsletter for HR professionals and corporate leaders.

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