"Donald Trump's war on Biglaw, through unconstitutional Executive Orders designed to break major law firms unless they bend a knee to Trump, has already had a tremendous impact on the industry. In the face of financial harm, nine major firms sought Trump's seal of approval, providing pro bono payola, that is, free legal services on behalf of conservative clients or causes in order to avoid Trumpian retribution. But the chilling effect is even greater than those capitulating firms, because pro bono and public interest representations by Biglaw firms are down - significantly - as firms don't want to risk Trump's ire."
"Good thing there's Democracy Forward, a 501(c)(3) legal organization that has more than 100 actions against the Trump administration in 2025. As Skye Perryman, CEO and president, told Law.com, "The demand for our work has grown much greater. There are a number of law firms that are not taking on the level of pro bono work, the level of pro democracy work that they did in the first Trump administration, or that they have historically, as a result of the president's strategy to try to intimidate institutions." And Democracy Forward is filling in the void created by Biglaw's withdrawal, Perryman continued, "We have a number of clients and people and communities, diverse groups, coming to us needing that representation that they would have otherwise got from the private sector.""
Unconstitutional executive orders from the Trump administration pressured major law firms, prompting nine firms to provide free legal services for conservative clients to avoid retaliation. The pressure produced a broader chilling effect: overall pro bono and public interest representation by Biglaw declined significantly as firms sought to avoid presidential ire. Small and boutique firms have stepped in to fill gaps, but cannot meet the nationwide legal need. Democracy Forward, a 501(c)(3) created after the first Trump administration, now carries over 100 actions and has seen demand surge as it provides representation for diverse clients and communities formerly served by private firms.
Read at Above the Law
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